Many adults I know have outgrown Halloween. They don’t dress up, decorate, do anything festive, etc. It’s supposed to be the scariest and, for people like me, the most fun holiday of the year. It’s the only time of year we can be anything we want and embrace the spooky side of things without looking like a freak.

What’s caused this lack of interest and participation? Who knows. But I refuse to let it bust my Halloween bubble. So let’s put the fun back in the holiday!

Decorate A Little or A Lot

I was delighted to see Halloween decorations in stores in early September this year. I don’t put up a lot, but what I do has purpose. My dining room table has a back lace runner and purple placemats. I have purple gothy lights over the patio doors (inside), Halloween-themed pictures on the walls, and every window and bathroom mirror has Halloween glass stickers. I keep my decorations confined to a couple of rooms for easy clean-up and to keep it simple.

This year I decorated in early September because why not? I dedicated space to Christmas for two months a year, so Halloween deserves the same treatment. Also, the decorations are an easy way to mix things up and break the monotony of everyday living.

Watch New Things

Most of us have seen the classic horror movies, but try mixing it up some. There are several good TV shows out there now. We suggest Stranger Things (recent), Harper’s Island (2009 and on Prime/Netflix), and Are You Afraid of the Dark? (volume 1 is $3 bucks right now on Prime). If you haven’t seen any of those, that’s more than 10 hours of festive TV. I’ll also recommend the Halloween TV episodes/cartoons from the 80s and 90s, such as Roseanne, Home Improvement, Spongebob, and older Disney TV movies like Halloweentown. Not everything has to be blood, killing, torture and guts.

Side note: YouTube also has a large selection of fun videos if you’re short on time. A personal favorite of ours is Cinamasscre’s Monster Madness, which reviews a movie a day throughout October. This year marks the 10th anniversary and final season, so don’t miss out on the spooky fun.

Show Your Spirit

Costumes can be a lot of fun because they allow you to transform into anything you dream. Some of my most creative costumes came from the opportunity to dress-up at work, so if you have that option, go for it!

If you don’t (eg: those who work from home or have strict dress codes), you can still show your Halloween spirit. All you have to do is wear some type of Halloween attire. I picked up the one above at a comic con, but there are tons more out there. When I wear this shirt, people know I’m in the Halloween spirit.

Try Something Artistic

I enjoy carving pumpkins, but it’s really time consuming and messy. This year, I decided to paint them, which is much easier and something everyone can do. It’s safer for kids and those accident prone (me), and it doesn’t take any real skill. You can paint it all black. You can paint anything you want on them. And they’ll last a long time.

This year, I also bought a Halloween adult coloring book. I haven’t colored a Halloween scene since I was a young child, so this was surprisingly refreshing. The first time I sat down with the book, I felt 20 years younger. There are tons of books out there, but I recommend this Halloween book based on quality, price and reviews.

Have Fun

The most important thing to remember is to have fun. Halloween is the last holiday before the insanity of “the holidays” begins. There’s no shopping, no crowds, and people are normal grumpy, not full on evil. Do things that make you happy, and try new things. No one is ever to old to have fun!

And remember this is the only time of year when the veil is lifted between the living and the dead …

Feel free to share how you celebrate in the comments, and Happy Halloween season!