I LOVE HALLOWEEEEEEEN

Dear blog.

Today, I ran around dressed as a giant recycling bin, politely asking drunk people if they had anything to recycle. You'd be surprised how many drunk people don't know the difference between paper and plastic recycling.

Anyway, since it's Halloween, and Halloween is about fun, we can discuss some ideas for getting the most mileage possible out of your Halloween. Halloween is my favorite holiday. Halloween!

1. BE IN A "FUN" MINDSET, BE ENERGETIC

This one is obvious, but many people choose to play a more serious character such as a spy. If you choose to do something like this, make sure the mood your costume takes is the mood you want other people to be in. If you are a serious non-verbal ninja, people may not want to party and dance in a circle around you.

Personally, I like to go full-out eccentric. If you have a different preference, use yours.

It's nice to do something other than straight-up humor sometimes. However, for maximum effect, do something that makes you look ridiculous. People will usually laugh with you if your costume restricts movement or moves in an entertaining way.

And spies? If we ask you a straight, serious question, don't keep dodging the question after we get annoyed.

2. DON'T JUDGE

It's a bit of a party-killer to come up to someone and tell them their costume sucks. It's also just as bad to point out that they have a strap loose or something broke. So, there may be people who disagree with me, but I have two main reasons for suggesting it. First, the person is probably aware of their own costume and/or has had people telling them about this all night. Second, it shows a borderline OCD or a desire to judge everyone's costume instead of enjoying it. Focus on the fun, not on costume quality. Halloween should be fun for everyone. Yes?

There are times when it is polite to do this. The only exception is if the mistake is something that could be embarrassing or dangerous if it goes unsolved, such as undergarments showing or one's tail being on fire.

3. HAVE A MEMORABLE IDENTIFIER

Make up a name! Make up a song! Make up a pun!

With this one, try to relate your act to the scope of people- if you are in a very large group of people and talk to many different people who you see only a couple of times, this can be important. If you are in a small group of people, they may not enjoy the repetition or the focus on your costume.

This applies to other people's costumes. Example: Someone tonight was dressed up as Chairman Mao, so I started making the communist cat puns from Cat and Girl as they ran away from me.
(Chairman Meow, Fide Cats-tro, Benito Mouse-olini... etc.)

4. TRICK OR TREAT...

No, you are not too old. No, it is not creepy. If you're worried, just act very playful and friendly. TRICK OR TREAT- unless you are vegan and all of the candy has milk in it, and the vegan candy that you ordered online was delivered at a horrible time and is arriving after Halloween.*

5. VOLUNTEER FOR OR RUN EVENTS

Many groups such as homeless shelters, programs for children with disabilities, and elementary schools have Halloween events. Some groups rely heavily on volunteers, so they probably will have contact information on the web. If you find the name of a group you want to get involved with, call them beforehand (around 2 weeks before Halloween) and ask if they have events planned or need help.

6. FOCUS ON OTHERS

There are tons of people who dress up on Halloween, and many of them have awesome costumes. Don't just focus on your costume. If someone else's costume is noteworthy, tell them about it. Reward hard work, because that person will probably go back next Halloween and come up with another awesome costume.

This doesn't mean you can't act extroverted-ly wacky. Use your energy in a way that entertains other people. Don't be ashamed to show off your costume if the way you do it is funny or exciting (or an interesting idea!) If your main purpose is to entertain everyone else, you'll probably end up having a better time. A little self-ridicule is good, especially on Halloween.

Ok, does anyone have any better ideas? Give me a break, it's Halloween.

*this is a purely hypothetical situation