I Heart Halloween

One of my all-time favorite episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of the only Halloween episodes of the series (because in the Buffyverse, it's the one night of the year vampires stay home and don't make trouble). But this particular night, a chaos-worshipping warlock casts a spell to change people into the costumes they chose for themselves from his costume shop.

Shy Willow attempts a sexy look but ends up covering herself in a ghost sheet. Xander, who struggles with his relative lack of strength and ability, goes with tough soldier guy. Unfortunately, Buffy decides to dress up as an 18th-century noblewoman because she wanted to be more like the women Angel (her 200-year-old vampire-with-a-soul boyfriend) used to date when he was human.

So when children turn into real monsters and violence erupts, the Slayer is helpless. She faints at the sight of a car and refuses to fight because she is a proper lady, meant only to look pretty until she gets a husband to take care of her. Roles reversed, Willow the ghost and Xander the soldier have to take charge. Not only is Buffy of no help in reversing the spell, but they now have to protect her from the vampires who learn she is without her powers and plan to take this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to kill her.

The lesson isn't to be careful what you wish for. It is about being yourself. The hardest thing I've had to do in my life is to become comfortable in my own skin. Sometimes a costume helps us explore aspects of our personalities that we usually keep hidden - either because we are stuck in a rut or are afraid of embarassment. Buffy's tale reminds us that living behind a mask is dangerous not just because it can stifle our true selves but because it can actually turn us into someone we're not.

As we were going through boxes preparing to decorate for Halloween, I found some of my favorite costumes and made a little display by the front door to remind me of the fun I had making and/or wearing them. At Top: Native American costume my mother made when I was little, part of a set she made for the whole family. Beside it is a roll of masking tape that says, "Batman," in homage to a costume Mark's mom made for him. Bottom Left: The Shoveler and Blue Raja from Mystery Men. Dobby was Mr. Furious (no costume, we just made him really really mad). Bottom Center: Scully and Mulder from The X-Files. I am extra proud of the fake FBI badges I made in Photoshop. Bottom Right: Harry, Hermione, and Dobby the house elf from Harry Potter. And yes, that is first and last time we make the dog dress up.