I grew up in a family that went all-in on holidays, and Halloween was always a favorite. We’d decorate the whole house, dress up, and make it an event. Even in middle school—too old to trick-or-treat, too young to go out with friends—my family found a way to make it fun. My mother played the spooky host on the porch with the candy while my sisters and I would dress scary and hide behind the azalea bushes to scare the trick-or-treaters. When they ran in the opposite direction, they’d find my father coming out of his hiding place behind a tree across the street, in coveralls with a chainsaw. When he fired it up and came charging, kids would scream, scatter, and we’d all laugh until we cried. Some of my best memories are from those nights.
That love for spooky things never left me. I watch scary movies year-round, hit every haunted house I can find, and if it’s creepy—I’m in. At some point, friends started tagging me in Halloween memes and sending me spooky stuff year-round. I realized: this isn’t just a season for me—it’s a personality trait.
So now, I lean into it. Every year, I host a Halloween client appreciation party. It’s fun, it’s festive, and it doesn’t compete with the holiday season rush. We do hors d’oeuvres, an open bar, a costume contest, and pregame before heading out to King Street. I challenge myself to outdo my costume from the year before—it’s become a tradition I look forward to almost as much as the party itself.
If you love Halloween, chances are we’ll get along just fine.
