The premise of State of the Re:Union’s program is to find ways that communities throughout our country are coming together. Well, today is Halloween, as I am willing to bet that 99.9 percent of our audience is privy to. So, in the spirit of community, I would just like to point out how Halloween is the first holiday in this holiday season that truly encourages community interaction.

Source: Ingo Rickmann

For years, Halloween has been my favorite holiday. All of the pageantry and donning of costumes bedecked in glittery or gruesome glory just really helps to lighten spirits. For this one day we can all stop being the expectation of ourselves and let it all go.

Over the years, I have also noticed that this holiday is growing in popularity among adults wanting to display their imaginative prowess in all ways Halloween. It use to be that neighborhoods were peppered with houses decorated with spiderwebs and a ghost or pumpkin hanging about on the lawn here or there. Now it seems that there are Halloween-scapes all over neighborhoods, as if declaring a revelry of decorative competition.

Being that I have lived through my fair share of Halloweens over some decades, I have also noticed something in my adulthood that I had not noticed until just recently. A holiday that is highly regarded as a day to scare and surprise has  actually become a catalyst in helping to bring neighbors and communities together. This is the only day of the year in which we take our children from house to house and are encouraged to freely interact with people we barely know. There are no other holidays in which all people from any religion, creed or background are invited to group together in a festive manner where they are greeted with treats and gifts of goodness at every door!

Source: http://blog.builddirect.com/craziest-halloween-decorations/

Halloween promotes fun and diversity, reveres quirkiness and openly welcomes anyone (and anything, for that matter) under the moon to participate in. This brilliant day is dedicated to bringing people together, creates camaraderie among complete strangers, and allows people to drop pretentious ways and get funky. In my book, Halloween is the epitome of awesomeness in a holiday!

We know that many people from all walks of life will be participating in the Halloween fun. For some it will be the first time, and for others, well, Halloween has become a longstanding ritual, a day to scare, shock, surprise, and get some tasty sweet treats. (Hopefully, you don’t have a house handing out boiled eggs, pennies or raisins. Never did understand the logic in boiled eggs. Really? You’re going to supply vandals with ammunition?) We would love to know what Halloween means to you, and how you spend your time revving up the start of the holiday season.