It’s fall, bringing pumpkin spice and everything nice, along with what I think is the best holiday: Halloween. So it’s time to ask the age-old question: What are you going to be for Halloween?
Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love it because it’s the one day people can cosplay in school. Normally, you would be shocked to see someone in a full-on cosplay of Hatsune Miku (a Vocaloid software voicebank AI singer developed by Crypton Future Media), but on Halloween? Nope!
I’m not the only one who feels this way about Halloween. According to Consolidated Credit.org, the average American is predicted to spend around $108 on ghoulish preparations this year. That’s an $8 increase from 2023. In total, Americans spent over $10 billion on the holiday in 2022, and those numbers are expected to increase to over $12 billion in 2024, with consumers spending over $4.1 billion on costumes and $3.6 billion for candy.
One fellow Halloween fan at FCHS is freshman Anthony “Gabe” Karnolt. “I think I’m going to be Shaggy from Scooby Doo, and my dog is going to be Scooby. I’m making my costume myself, using some old Khaki pants and a lime green shirt. If I can’t make it myself then I’ll go to Target and buy everything. For my dog’s costume, I’m going to buy a blue collar and make the Scooby label myself,” Karnolt said.
Eighth-grader Aleeyah Wallace is dressing up as DC Comics character Harley Quinn. “I’m going to buy the base from Amazon and Spirit Halloween. I’m making the rest and tweaking some things myself, and if I can’t do that I’ll probably ask around and improvise,” said Wallace.
Some students use the opportunity to get creative with friends. “I’m doing a matching costume with my friend Elise Summers. I’m going to be Pinkamena. I’m making parts of it, props and accessories, buying some stuff from stores and some online, and customizing them. If I can’t do that for some reason, I’ll thrift the items. We’ve been planning this since some time in April, so there hasn’t really been problems with getting stuff,” said freshman Kenzie Rensch.
So with Halloween right around the corner, with people getting costumes and getting ready for trick or treating, it may be hard to find inspiration. Pinterest and Cosmopolitan are good places to get ideas.
If you’re looking for a good local spot to buy supplies, consider a thrift store like the Goodwill stores on Route 53 in Fluvanna and on Route 29 in Charlottesville, and the Spirit Halloween store, located at 393 Zan Road in Charlottesville.
