I've always felt that Halloween, as far as special occasions go, gets a bit of a raw deal when compared to other holidays.
First of all, it's mostly considered a kids' celebration, and far too few people take that childhood enthusiasm for the annual frightful festivities into their adulthoods.
It's certainly my favourite day, but mostly because I get to dress up like Batman and walk around town without someone calling the police or mental health unit.
Sure, there are the occasional grown-up costume parties, and contests at local bars, pubs and clubs - but if you ask most adults their choice for favourite holiday, it's hardly ever Halloween.
Most folks choose Christmas or Thanksgiving.
I totally understand choosing Christmas, though, with all the presents, family, turkey dinner, presents, warm fuzzy feelings, presents, parties and um, did I say presents? Well, those too.
Thanksgiving is just another big meal, though - and likely sitting next to an elderly uncle who drools and keeps calling you the name of his dead cat.
Other holidays get great music, too, from major composers and modern rock stars - like Mozart and Handel or Madonna - but poor old Halloween so far has only the Monster Mash as an anthem.
It is a Graveyard Smash, though.
And unlike those other chosen days, the origins of Halloween are foggy (how appropriate) at best.
Although usually linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain, Halloween can also be convincingly argued to have its beginnings in the Christian All Saints Day.
But personally, I have suspicions that it was dreamed up by a frustrated pumpkin farmer who was tired of his product only being used to make desserts for those other holidays.
Halloween isn't even a proper holiday, either, because the last time I checked nobody ever gets time off to go see family for trick-or-treating.
But it really is the best day, in my opinion.
First and foremost, it is all about one thing.
Candy. As much candy as you can possibly get by wearing a mask to concealing your identity, knocking on neighbourhood doors and actually, literally threatening to do something to the inhabitants if they don't fork it over.
Isn't that awesome?
When I was a kid, it wasn't even considered a proper Halloween unless one of your friends ate too much candy and threw up a sweet and sticky rainbow in someone's driveway.
But Halloween is also about freedom, shedding your identity and being someone or something else entirely. It's about embracing the frightening and scary things that you would never tolerate at any other times.
Seriously.
It's the only night of the year when you spend money to put cobwebs and spiders up instead of taking them down, and make the front of your house look as uninviting, spooky and rundown as possible.
I mean, when else would you giddily open your front door to serial killers, evil villains and hideous monsters - and then offer them miniature chocolate bars and candy jewelry?
So, maybe this year try to rediscover your love of Halloween if - until now - you've left it behind in your youth.
Hopefully, after dressing up, going trick-or-treating with the kids, and visiting all of Squamish's haunted house fronts, more adults will prefer the haunted type of holiday.
However, I'll probably have to start spending Halloween with all my relatives if it does become more like the other holidays.
But I guess I could just go dressed as my uncle's cat.
