Halloween is the best holiday of them all, because of the costumes, unlimited candy, thrill of getting scared, staying out past curfew and people’s sense of belonging in a community. When I was 10, I would ring every doorbell in a pink fairy godmother costume and try to get the best candy in the neighborhood. I loved Snickers and M&Ms, so I would trade with my friends to get as much of those candies as possible.

Americans love Halloween because of the defiance of social standards associated with the exciting holiday. Children are able to break rules once a year without getting into trouble. I was allowed to stay out late with my friends on a weekday, and toilet paper my other friends’ homes without getting caught.

Not having to go to sleep early for school the next day was the best feeling ever. I would eat candy after candy, not worrying about my mom putting them away or saying my teeth will rot and fall out. My friends would compliment my godmother costume and look at my sparkly star wand with pure envy.

Then when I was 15-years-old, Halloween got even better. I went to Knott’s Scary Farm with my friends past curfew. It was night and the horrifying zombies, witches, and ghosts would slide on their knees to scare us everywhere we turned. The mazes were spine-chilling. We would run away screaming only to bump into another terrifying ghoul terrorizing us again. The pure adrenaline of nearly getting a heart attack was the best Halloween experience that I remember.

The reason why people dress up for Halloween and explore their creativity is because they have the freedom of who they want to be. They do not need to worry about others critiquing their appearance for what they are wearing.

I remember creating my Black Swan costume from scratch 6 years ago for a costume party. Black Swan is my favorite movie, and getting to dress up as Natalie Portman in a tutu was an exhilarating thought. I was so excited to make it, that I spent hours watching and rewatching the DIY tutorial to create the costume. I learned how to cut and sew the top, stitch tulle onto the tutu, and how to put Black Swan eyeshadow on.

I lost track of time, and I realized I stayed up all night to perfect my costume. This experience of creating and crafting my costume was the most valuable to me, even though it was also exciting to attend a costume party and show off my costume on Instagram.

The dog costumes are also the best part of Halloween. Chihuahuas in tacos and burritos always gets me. Last year I dressed my dogs in a Pennywise and Georgie costume from IT, which got us the most creative costume award at PetSmart. Having us line up with all the adorable dogs in costumes is the cutest experience.

Halloween is about the sense of belonging in a community. Dressing up our dogs, children, and ourselves as silly characters, makes us feel whole as social creatures. We gather with our friends and family to enjoy the holiday together, and share our excitement with others. Halloween is the best holiday out of all the holidays because of the costumes, the unlimited candy, the thrills of being scared, staying out past curfew, and the people’s sense of belonging in a community.