Clowns aside, tis the season to be scary

There's no room for debate.

Halloween is one of the best holidays around.

Period.

It's the one night that children get to dress in costumes and pretend to be anyone -- or anything -- they want to be. They laugh, they scream, and, as a bonus, get enough candy to tide them over until Christmas, even if their parents steal some of the sweet loot after the little monsters are in bed.

And while you're never too old to dress up, you do, eventually, reach an age when trick-or-treating is frowned upon. At a certain point, it becomes "weird" to dress up like your favorite Ghostbuster, knock on your neighbor's door, and demand candy.

Not that it's over once you've reached that point.

You can always go to costume party with friends or complete strangers at one of the local watering holes. You may even become the center of attention if the DJ plays the Ghostbusters theme song -- a development that would call for your best Peter Venkman impression.

And the fun doesn't end with the costume.

There's also an endless supply of horror flicks, pumpkin flavored everything, and haunted houses designed to scar you for life. I've been on three deployments overseas, survived numerous roadside bombs, and been shot at more times than I'd like to remember, but if there's a clown waving at me in front of the haunted house, there's not a force on this planet that can get me to go inside.

As scary as it all is, this holiday seems more popular than ever. Some of us are addicted to the adrenaline rush they get from monsters, ghosts, zombies and clowns -- none of which present any real danger.

Except for clowns, of course.

Along with the fright, there are some other traditions that aren't so welcome, the over-commercialization of the holiday among them. Expect to be inundated with a graveyard full of advertisements urging us to buy mounds of fancy decorations and cookie-cutter costumes that are marked up 400%.

Whatever happened to making your own decorations and costumes? Isn't that half the fun?

Not that I expect homemade costumes to make a huge comeback. But it's something to consider. Try to remember how much fun making your own decorations and costumes was, especially if you have kids.

And don't let other adults stifle your creativity, nay-say your imaginative ideas, or tell you that you're too old to catch the spooky spirit.

So eat some candy.

Be whoever or whatever you want to be for this one night of the year.

But please -- no clowns.

Brian Vosicky is a Marine Corps veteran who served in the Middle East, Europe and Africa. He is studying psychology at the University of South Carolina Beaufort.

This story was originally published October 25, 2015 at 6:59 PM with the headline "Clowns aside, tis the season to be scary."