Ever since I can remember, Halloween has been one of my absolute favorite holidays. Something about dressing up as my favorite characters, indulging in a little too much candy and embracing all things spooky for a night has me looking forward to Oct. 31 all year. I have spent Halloween night in a handful of places — St. Louis, where I had to tell a traditional “Halloween joke” to every house I trick-or-treated at to earn my candy. Toronto, where I had to cover my beautiful costumes with a snow jacket more than once to combat the below-freezing weather, and even Rome, where I spent my first semester of college as part of Northeastern’s N.U.in program. This year, I was really excited to experience Halloween in Boston.
My celebration started the weekend before Halloween, which the majority of people agreed was this year’s real Halloweekend. The city was already decked out in spiderwebs and ghosts swinging from trees, setting the spooky atmosphere. Over the weekend, I wore two costumes — Betty Boop and Poison Ivy — and went to a few Halloween parties with friends, some of whom I met at my first-ever Her Campus meeting almost a year ago.
Admittedly, I am usually more of a homebody, but something about gathering with this group of girls on the cusp of this holiday made me so excited to go out and celebrate. There’s something special and pure about finding people who make you feel welcome and happy, especially during such a festive time. Together, we all got our costumes ready, took hundreds of pictures and, most importantly, ensured that we all had a safe and fun night. Can a girl ask for anything better?
It wasn’t just within this friend group where the spirit of girlhood was present, but it was everywhere. Girls I had never met, whom I encountered on the street, on the dance floor or even in line for the bathroom, acted like we had been friends for years. Everyone complimented each other’s makeup, costumes, hair and just about everything else.
It didn’t matter if you had an overly campy or traditional costume; it was borderline impossible to go out without receiving a compliment from a girl you had never met. I even remember seeing a girl dressed as a campy version of the Lorax — orange body paint, mustache and everything — from across the street as my friends walked to another party and screamed that her costume was incredible. She spun around to really show it off in response. Or when I saw another Poison Ivy on the dance floor, we took a selfie together before even exchanging names.
I couldn’t help but think that this kind of energy was so beautiful. What other weekend do you see hundreds of girls screaming at each other from across the street just to tell another girl that she looks beautiful? Women supporting women is already amazing, and it seems to happen much more often on Halloween. It’s almost as if Halloween brings out an unspoken bond amongst all the women in the city, with compliments flying freely and strangers becoming instant friends.
On Halloween night, I explored a different part of the city for a new vibe. I dressed in a deer costume with clothes I already had in my closet, grabbed a group of friends and headed to Beacon Hill for some classic trick-or-treating. The night was filled with nostalgia and happiness as we walked around and saw the intricately decorated houses with kids knocking on every door to collect their candy.
Everyone on Mission Hill had gone all out with their Halloween decorations, featuring life-sized skeleton animatronics, ghost projections and even real people reenacting a “Star Wars” fight scene on the roof of one of the houses. There was also a group of women performing the dance from Netflix’s “Wednesday” to the song “Bloody Mary” by Lady Gaga every 10 minutes, encouraging spectators to join in.
I absolutely loved my first Halloween in Boston. Watching the city become so festive and the people being so kind to one another made me feel so happy to be here. I can’t wait for next year!