30 Years + 59 Days
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A major difference between the Old Twenty and the New Twenty for most people is the amount of enthusiasm for dressing up for Halloween. Your average 20 year-old loves to scour thrift stores, costume shops, lingerie stores, etc. for the perfect get-up to catch a special someone’s eye. Your average 30 year-old is probably married with a child or two and is therefore trick-or-treat chaperoning or handing out sugary snacks to the masses of ADHD American children. Parent costumes optional, but encouraged, because it’s still fun as you’re doing it for the kids.
But people I’m single, lazy, and broke. These days I’d rather save the $80, rent a few scary movies (or even a rebellious romantic comedy or two), and drink spiced apple cider while downing bite-size Snickers by the dozens. In my non-Halloween-themed pajamas. Maybe I’ll wear Halloween socks. But that’s it. A perfect, cozy fall evening.
But I live in LA…
…so I’m not allowed to do that. Why? Because LA (and NYC, etc.) don’t attract your “average” person. LA transplants and perhaps most urbanites aren’t on the fast train to adulthood, so most of us New Twenty folk are just as immature and party-ready as we were at age 20 (or at least a fraction thereof). And we strive for the glamorous life…and fine, Halloween socks and Old Navy boxers are not glam.
So as Halloween came closer and closer my denial of actually having to leave my apartment for the evening became squashed by friend pleas of “Oh, come on, you HAVE TO COME OUT!!! It’s Halloween!! It’s like the biggest holiday in LA! You’ll be so depressed if you stay in!!!”
What does this sound like? Another not so favorite holiday: NEW YEARS EVE.
Now, I love the idea of New Years. I’ve even had a few good-ish ones. But I’ve never had a GREAT one and one New Years in particular was one of the worst days of my adult life. And the most annoying part about it is all the PRESSURE to have an amazing night. If you don’t have fab plans, a warm body to kiss at midnight…then New Years just sucks…at least a little…and if you don’t agree you’re just not being honest. Have you seen the movie 200 Cigarettes? GREAT MOVIE about New Years. Love it.
Anyway, I went out for Halloween. I wore an old dance leotard, cream-colored fishnet stockings from Urban Outfitters I bought years ago, but never wore, and a green tutu. My friend spun it as a “ballet school drop-out” so I wouldn’t have to walk around in my ballet shoes and could wear my hair down. Yes, I am Queen Lazy Costume and I’m proud of it. I even wore my soon-to-be trashed cowboy boots to make myself happy inside.
I did have a good time. But not an amazing time. It was great to see LA BFF whom I hadn’t seen in a couple of weeks. I wanted to avoid the West Hollywood Halloween parade chaos (think hundreds of thousands of costumed people walking Santa Monica Blvd. amidst lots of tourists and cops)…yet we didn’t. In the end it was all ok. Plus there is a tiny chance this could be my last Halloween in LA, so perhaps it happened for a reason. Who knows…
But I do know I think Halloween is the new New Years.
