Halloween: One of My Favorite Times of the Year

There are people who start counting down the days until Christmas, and then there are people like me who get excited when the Halloween decorations start showing up in stores. And yes, I'm one of those people who will happily wander through the Halloween section even when I have absolutely no intention of buying anything.

Although, let's be serious. There's always a chance I'm coming home with something.

I've always loved Halloween. I love the decorations, the costumes, the haunted houses, the scary movies, and the excitement of seeing what everyone comes up with. I love driving through neighborhoods and seeing houses covered in spiderwebs, skeletons hanging from porches, and pumpkins glowing in the windows.

And I especially love people who go all out decorating. You know the ones I'm talking about. The people who turn their entire front yard into a cemetery and have something jump out at you when you walk past. Those are my kind of people.

Of course, my love for Halloween probably doesn't surprise anyone who knows me. I'm a horror writer, and I've been a fan of scary stories and movies for as long as I can remember. Stephen King is one of my favorite authors, and I can spend an entire evening watching horror movies without getting tired of them.

I love a good scare. I love the anticipation of knowing something is about to happen and wondering when it's coming. I love a story that gets into your head and stays there long after you've finished reading it or watching it.

And I love that Halloween gives everyone permission to enjoy being a little scared.

Think about it. Any other time of year, if someone told you they were going to pay money to walk through a dark building full of strangers waiting to chase them with chainsaws, you'd probably question their judgment.

But on Halloween? Sign me up!

There's something else I love about this holiday, though, and it has nothing to do with being frightened.

I love seeing kids get excited about their costumes. I love the little ones who can barely carry their candy buckets and the older kids who have spent weeks planning what they're going to wear. I love families doing things together, carving pumpkins, watching Halloween movies, and making memories their kids might still be talking about twenty years from now.

Those are the things that make holidays special to me.

This year, we didn't get around to decorating or handing out candy, and I'm a little disappointed about that. I really do enjoy all of it. But I'm spending part of Halloween babysitting a three-month-old little girl, and I can't think of much better company.

She might be a little young for scary movies, though. I'll give her a few years.

As a writer, Halloween is also one of my favorite times to share my stories. I love coming up with something that might make someone think twice about turning off the lights or answering the door after dark.

That's part of what I enjoy so much about writing horror. You can take something perfectly ordinary, something people see or do every day, and turn it into something terrifying.

A friendly neighbor. A familiar house. A knock at the door.

Sometimes those are the things that make the best scary stories because readers can imagine themselves in that situation.

That's what I want when someone reads my work. I want them to get to know my characters and care about what happens to them. I want them to feel like they're right there in the story.

And then, of course, I want to scare the hell out of them.

So whether you're spending Halloween watching horror movies, taking the kids trick-or-treating, visiting a haunted house, or staying home with a bowl of candy you supposedly bought for the neighborhood kids, I hope you enjoy every minute of it.

And if you're looking for something creepy to read tonight, take a look around my website. I've been sharing my original horror stories here, including my newest one, The Good Neighbors.

Just remember, sometimes the nicest people in the neighborhood are the ones you should be worried about.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Christina Hesler