As the final weeks of October slip by, Halloween is getting closer and closer. With the semester in full force, midterms are upon us already, papers and assignments are due, and there’s still a full month until Thanksgiving Break. With all of this work, it’s easy to forget to enjoy the fall and, more specifically, Halloween.
However, students at Ramapo are making an effort to get in the Halloween spirit both individually and through on-campus clubs. Regardless of if you’ll be on campus this Halloween, there are still ways to keep the tradition alive and celebrate.
Decorating pumpkins is one of the most popular things to do during the Halloween season. If carving a pumpkin seems too difficult and messy in a cramped dorm room, try painting pumpkins; it’s just as easy as buying paint and brushes. An even simpler option is to draw on them with Sharpie markers. If your dorm has a kitchen and carving is within your reach, take the seeds out and bake them with salt and oil until they’re brown for a delicious seasonal snack. The tradition of decorating pumpkins does not need to end just because of dorm room limitations.
Another Halloween tradition, heralding back to our younger days, is going trick-or-treating. The custom of dressing up and asking for candy on Halloween goes back almost 100 years. While most college students have outgrown this tradition, there’s something to be said for putting on a costume and gorging on candy. If trick-or-treating seems a little too juvenile, there are other ways to enjoy this convention without going door to door.
One way is to throw a Halloween party. Invite some friends over for a costume party and enjoy fall themed foods like pumpkin pie and, of course, candy. Have a costume competition or just enjoy a scary movies with friends.
“I’m going to have a Halloween party with my friends,” sophomore Keri Race said. “My roommates and I are having [our friends] over our apartment and we’re all going to make desserts and bring them. We’re going to paint our nails Halloween themed and play games.”
One of the easiest ways to enjoy the season is to watch a Halloween movie. Whether it be scary movies like “The Sixth Sense” or “Halloween,” or tamer movies like “Hocus Pocus” and “Corpse Bride,” spooky movies will be playing constantly on television during the weeks leading up to Halloween. ABC Family specifically has an annual program, “13 Nights of Halloween,” where Halloween themed movies are played every night.
“My favorite Halloween movie is ‘Hocus Pocus.’ I watch it every Halloween and every time it’s on TV. It’s part of my Halloween tradition,” sophomore Chloe Bass said.
Outside of the dorm room, Ramapo’s clubs and organizations are offering a number of Halloween themed events to get you in the mood. Some upcoming events are the “Gender Bender Costume Ball” on Thursday and the “Murder Mystery Night” on Halloween itself. Check out the events board in the Student Center to see all upcoming events.
No matter which way you celebrate the season, don’t let Halloween get buried under midterms and homework this year. Halloween is coming up fast, so bust out the candy corn and get celebrating.
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rking2@ramapo.edu
