Halloween rivals Christmas as my favorite holiday–as in, favorite holiday ever. It’s not how they make me feel these days, per se, that puts them at the top of my list. It’s the memories of those holidays as a kid that really get me giddy, nostalgic, and, uh, depressed.

Younger, I looked forward to Halloween with great anticipation. My neighborhood was (and still is, so say my parents) a hot spot for trick-or-treaters. On this night, every yard is covered up with costumed kids and their flashlight-toting chaperones. In this month, pumpkin-carving is a must. Fall festivals have cake walks and moon walks, mediocre haunted houses and glow-in-the-dark necklaces and bracelets. No childhood is complete without these things, and luckily for me, I got my fair share.

Though now I’m all grown (boo.) and couldn’t pass as a true trick-or-treater on any account, I’d go back to those days at the drop of a (witch’s) hat. Lately, I try to find ways to relive the old holiday. A few weeks ago, on a whim I said to myself, “I will have a Halloween party.” I did just that.

I prefaced my party invitees. My party’s purpose, I said, is to be completely and utterly cheesy and corny. (This way, I could be completely and utterly cheesy and corny with no shame. None at all.)

I bought check-out line cookbooks, surfed the Net and so-on for the best goodies. I purchased a black tablecloth and orange plates, and titled the whole shindig “Ghoul’s Night.” When all was said and done, I got Halloween out of my system for 2008. It felt great to be goofy and silly with my party planning. Hey, creativity can be cheesy and corny, too. Sometimes, it’s best in these forms.

Halloween means nothing more to me than what I’ve made it, and this is probably for the best. I do, however, love the feeling it gives me inside–a feeling that is something akin to (prepare for utter cheesiness and corniness) the crisp bite of a caramel apple, or the bright, airy blue of an autumn sky.

Haunted Forest Trees with Swampy Bog Dip

Cackle Crackle

Undertaker Cakers

Frankenstein Fingers

Boo Cheese

Witch’s Brew