I don’t seem to have any zeal for Hallowe’en this year. 

This may be a symptom of the lingering autumnal seasonal affective disorder, but I think it is more. It is hard to get into the feeling of a holiday without the usual cues. I have no fall colour, no signs of autumn. Even the night remains too hot for sleeping. It is hard to celebrate ‘the passing of the year’ when every month more or less feels the same.

But I think the main reason for the lack of excitement is I am growing old. As a boy, Hallowe’en used to be wonderful, magical, and exciting. Every year I try to revive some of this thrill through nostalgia; I play familiar music, I get out vintage decorations etc. Alas, there is nothing there anymore; all the ‘juice’ has been squeezed out of the orange. At this point the notion of getting out the boxes seems too tiring.

In contrast, my brother has Hallowe’en excitement as he has children; my two nephews are squealing with delight in anticipation of costume parties and trick-or-treating. I think you need children to feel excited about a holiday.

Otherwise holidays are a drudge. When you can’t have tradition, you should have an adventure. Perhaps I should stop trying to make it ‘what it was’ and do something new and adventuresome.

We’ll see what the next few weeks bring.

Anyone with some new ideas to try?