October is, hands-down, the best month of the year. First of all, we made it halfway into the semester with, hopefully, only a few mental breakdowns. Therefore, congratulations to everyone. Now, we have the perfect reason to keep persevering through our midterm exams, and here is why.
Since capitalism tries to squeeze every penny out of consumers and commercialize extensively, we see stores putting up Halloween treats as soon as the “Back to School” season is over, making it hard not to get into the spirit.
If you are like me, this is not “Halloween” season anymore. It is Spooky Season. This is the peak of memes and holidays—way better than Christmas and Thanksgiving. Who does not love a meme of Dwight with a jack-o-lantern on his head? Who does not love carving pumpkins, drinking pumpkin spiced lattes, haunted houses or dressing up? If you said “not me” to all of these things, I am sorry. You are seriously missing out.
Anyways, Halloween is dope. At the end of the month, everyone is dressed as their favorite character, role model or inanimate object. This is when we have a reason to party with our friends and when subcultures can intertwine seamlessly. Cosplayers can freely exist without getting bullied for operating outside cultural norms, and sorority girls can dress as a sexy version of a typically non-sexualized character. Everyone wins.
If someone wants to stay in, there is plenty to do indoors. For those of us who feel nostalgic, this is the perfect time to watch classic Halloween movies: “Halloween Town,” “Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Coraline,” “Monster House,” “Beetlejuice,” “The Addams Family,” “Halloween” and so many more.
There are an abundance of festive recipes on Pinterest for those who like to bake. Spending hours decorating baked goods with a friend or a partner is time well spent. Just imagine sitting on the couch curled up in a soft blanket while watching “Coraline,” surrounded in cute cartoon ghost decor and eating a cookie that looks like a spider.
Even though Spooky Season is great, there are many other wonderful things about October. Fall is the best time to find a job. Glassdoor, a job search website, states this is the season of interviews.
“The fall — September, October, November — is a prime job-hunting season, so make the most of it.”
Glassdoor explains the reason for this is due to business picking up after the slower summer.
“Come fall, most people have finished with vacation and business ramps up again. It’s also the time when many organizations take a good look at their financial performance and buckle down on budget planning for the next year.”
Also, for those who are TV fanatics, many new seasons start this month. Maureen Lee Lenker of Entertainment Weekly posted all of the dates for each new season premiere, totaling to 43 this month. The majority of those premieres are CW shows. For those of us who are obsessed with “The Flash,” “Supernatural,” “Riverdale” and the CW in general, this is when we finally get the next chapter in the story.
For sports fans, October is the month where the NHL, NBA, MLB and NFL are all in action. Sam Gardner with Fox Sports ranks October the top month in sports for this reason.
“The MLB playoffs are the best playoffs in pro sports, and are held almost entirely (if not completely) within the month of October. That alone puts the month near the top of the charts, and when you consider October is the only month to include MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL and college football action, its ranking is more than justified.”
Even at the end of the month, when we have to put our costumes and decor back in the boxes, we are half-way through the semester. There is something for anyone and everyone to look forward to this month. So, take advantage and enjoy this spooky season.
