Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, and that's scary. Really, what's spookier — along with all that undistributed candy hanging around the house — than the prospect of sexed-up, partying-down grown-ups with a whole day to plan their festivities and a whole day to recover before Monday morning calls?
It feels like the holiday slips a bit more every year from the fake-bloodied little fingers of grade-school trick-or-treaters. As the New York Times noted the other day, schools are increasingly banning "scary" Halloween outfits and encouraging "positive costumes" like delicious food items or historical figures. Man. We used to have a kid who wore a Richard Nixon mask every year, and that was fun-scary, but probably not the historical figure that Plainville, Ill., school leaders have in mind.
Of course adults can take part in Halloween parties without going all Elvira. The P-I's Monica Guzman had an entertaining little feature last week on putting together clever costumes on a budget. With 20 bucks and a trip to the thrift store she came up with a believable '80s rocker chick, a "Star Trek" character, and Princess Leia, among others.
For those who are going out this weekend, the Seattle Times offers a guide to the All Hallows club scene, from "the legitimately morbid (to) the generally debauched." Blue Sabbath Black Cheer, anyone? The band, playing Saturday at The Josephine in Ballard, "sounds like the inside of a blast furnace," the Times says.
Maybe, on second thought, a weekend Halloween isn't such a bad thing. In addition to recovery time for those of us overgrown trick-or-treaters who want to hit the town, there's the inviting possibility that we won't have to suffer through the Halloween dress-up day at work. As workplace writer Michelle Goodman, author of The Anti 9-to-5 Guide, notes in her "Nine to Thrive" column this week:
One the plus side, any festivities your department has scheduled (haunted house, costume contest, orange-and-black cake, people bringing in their kids to treat or treat) can provide a nice distraction on an otherwise dull Friday.
On the minus side, if you're trying to put a pressing project to bed before the weekend so the coming Monday isn't quite so miserable, you may not appreciate gathering round the jack-o'-lantern with your coworkers in superhero garb, especially if attendance is mandatory.
