Most people that I have asked will say that they have a favorite time of the year. Whether it’s a specific month, day, hour, or season. I have always thought it was interesting to hear different people’s reasoning for identifying such a thing. I love October, and I always have. Since I was a little kid, I would spend the year counting down to October. I was that kid, who already knew what they were going to be for Halloween, in January.
Why?
The season.
When I was growing up, I moved around a lot. I have moved twelve times, and lived in six states, and two countries. Naturally, when you move that often you experience different climates, and cultures. I always loved the autumn weather, and I looked forward to the trees changing colors. I also happened to live in a lot of neighborhoods that took Halloween decoration very seriously. I once helped construct a thirty foot tall spider, I never really could understand why that was the decoration of choice, but it was fun nonetheless.
Pumpkin carving.
I hate pumpkin, for the most part. I don’t like pumpkin pie, pumpkin seeds, or even the smell. However, I do love to carve pumpkins! The process was always very exciting to me. I would spend days trying to choose the perfect thing to, meticulously, carve into my pumpkin, then I would spend hours failing at executing my design. I thought that it was the most spectacular thing out there. Once I had finished, I would proudly fill my jack-o-lantern with glow sticks, and place it on my porch, as if it were the greatest decoration to grace my entire neighborhood. I still do this every year, and I still love it.
Scary movies.
I go crazy over scary movies. Many of my favorite movies fall into this genre. I spent a ridiculous amount of time watching them as a child. The first movie I ever saw was Ghost Ship (2002). It was the only genre that would keep my eyes glued to the screen from start to finish. I absolutely love the experience, and I can’t totally explain why. I think it’s just the opportunity to see how people are affected by extreme situations. I like playing around with the concept of hypotheticals in general, I think that considering hypotheticals that relate to fear can be even more interesting. Most of all, however, I enjoy contemplating what makes certain things scary to different people, or cultures. If you were to compare Japanese horror to European horror, you would find that everything about it is different. Many Asian cultures believe in ancient spirits, and there have been studies conducted on using odd sounds to confuse the brain, which is a common feature of Asian horror. However, I have never seen either of those themes featured in European horror, which tends to lean more towards man versus man, or man versus nature. I enjoy researching this subject, and I am constantly drawn into the psychology of it.
What about you?
What’s your favorite month, or season? What makes you drawn towards it? Let me know in the comments!