I love Hallowe'en. And I'm happy to say that my nephew loves it, too. (The photo above is from last year, so he's a lot bigger now and can actually eat the candy his parents give out.) But I'm learning the hard way, kicking and screaming, that Hallowe'en is really just a kid's holiday.

Hallowe'en used to be awesome. And I keep the antiquated spelling on purpose, because of what it represents. Shortened from All Hallow's Even, or Eve, it is the night that spirits roam the earth and magic is afoot. For me, that meant candy and friends and dressing up (and later, lots of alcohol). I've dressed up as things as trite as witches and black cats to social icons like Princess Leia, Dorothy Gale, a Beatle (I was young), and even the Bionic Woman (I was even younger).

Unfortunately, every year, Hallowe'en gets less and less special. Parties are impossible to plan, because everyone waits until the last minute to confirm (and yes, we know it's because they're waiting to see if something better comes along). We threw a party last year, and about 6 people showed up. Of at least 40 invitees. Pathetic. (Of course, the people that did show up rock, but that's beside the point.)

The year before that, our friends were having a party feud, so we decided to go to a strip club instead. Did you know that strippers dress up in costume for Hallowe'en?? It's true! Awesome, and true.

So I guess we'll do that again this year, if we do anything at all. In the meantime, I'l just eat my Godiva pumpkin truffles and buy some candy corn. It may not be a big costumed party, but it's still Hallowe'en to me.