I have a favorite holiday. It features warm weather, fireworks, grilled meats, cocktails on the beach…. and maybe my ideal color palette consists exclusively of red, white, and blue.

That said, and unfortunately for us all, Independence Day is just that…. a day. So while I have zero qualms chanting “U-S-A” in mid-February, the rest of the country may not be as prone to shout it back (this could mean they hate America, but that’s neither here nor there). Luckily, come autumn, while I mourn for the end of my favorite season, I can rejoice that another season is on the horizon.

A season that is the Holy Grail for every semi-professional theme partier. A chance to pull out all the stops. Where the cream based makeup flows like water…

Where visits to Joann Fabrics are not only frequent but fruitful.

The hair is molded like clay.

And just about any interpretation of a costume is tolerated… dare I say, embraced?

Halloween tends to last anywhere from 1-3 weeks, and this year should entail 3-4 costumes. Potential Halloweek(ish) plans range from Yelp Events to house parties to theme parties to handing out candy to sick children. And this is the kind of time that I train all year for…. Now the real question is, do I shake my tail feather while Making Time? Do I whiskey-a-go-go to Trestle Inn to viva Brazil? You KNOW I’ll be Zombie Crawling through Northern Liberties the night before Halloween… But the next night, should I geek out at Tattooed Mom’s while getting Emojional?

The world is my oyster. Or at least Philly is my clam rocking an oyster costume….

Time to get shucking.