A holiday for Introverts.
Costumes, decorations and trick-or-treating door to door are all just around the corner. So, what are you going to be for Halloween? Egads. As an introvert, an INTJ at that, I’m calculating the different ways I can avoid it again this year.
When we were kids it didn’t matter so much because after all, we were almost forced into the spirit of it all by ever so well-meaning parents. Dressing in costume, carrying around a treat bag all so we could go up to the front door of neighbors to say, “Trick or Treat!”
This year, instead of dressing up in costume so we can go to parties and then draw attention to ourselves, let’s have a more introverted kind of celebration. I think I’ve figured out a few ways to take some beloved accouterments of Halloween and make them perfect for most adult introverts holiday list.
Spend the holiday in a hearse.
Rent a hearse and then choose: either drive away from your home that night in it when all the little kids are starting their rounds, or park it outside your house for them to see it! Of course you may have to add a couple of props if you want to draw the most attention to it – like it isn’t a prop on it’s own. And, it’s likely only as expensive as renting a chauffeured limousine. It passes as more of a prop, but you if you drive it then it could be a costume. Maybe you will be the life of the party – without having to go to one.
Visit an old graveyard.
Want to party with you and just a close friend? Cemeteries are everywhere. If you are interested in history then just reading the tombstone inscriptions you can learn some history of people and your town. On a recent trip to a city in Pennsylvania, my husband and I visited a cemetery where both his grandfather and great-grandfather are buried. He told me of stories about how his great-grandfather was an aide to General Ulysses S. Grant. See, you can get both a history lesson and family ancestry – again without having to dress in costume.
Scare yourself with movies.
I love how some holidays inspire a few television networks to have a weekend marathon of either a television series or a type of movie theme. Why not create your own Halloween Movie Marathon night? Plan it out – you can rent DVDs, or become a member of Netflix or, invite a couple of close friends to join you with their collection. Then have a snack or two ready to cook up as you gasp, jump out of your seat and enjoy some of your favorite scary movies all in the comfort of your home.
Pumpkins are fun.
Whether you have a pumpkin field or pumpkins on a roadside stand, go pumpkin picking. Find that perfect pumpkin to buy, that is, the one that will give you a couple of hours to create your best Jack-O-Lantern. Or you may want to carve a few of them to line up and light up your front yard. When you’ve got the carving complete you might just feel like a kid again! So you want to think about having a costume ready to put on so you can join in the traditional celebration.
The real value of Halloween is in it’s Celtic history of when people would come together, light bonfires and wear costumes in hopes of warding off ghosts, witches and other spirits. Today it may be more of what you can think of to do, or not to do in this introvert’s mind, to have an enjoyable holiday that comes in between fall and winter.
What are you going to do for Halloween?
By Patricia Weber, a contributing blogger for JenningsWire.
