By Alicia GleasonMaroon-News Staff

T-minus two days until Halloween and I still don’t have a costume. I’m supposed to be writing this article about the typical Hamilton Halloween from a child’s perspective. I don’t even have a costume, let alone a child’s energetic Halloween spirit. Having lost my childhood imagination and naivet?e long ago, I’m having a hard time re-connecting with my inner nine-year old. In fact, in the last couple years, Halloween has become less about the pumpkin carving, arts and crafts and trick-or-treating and more about the risqu?e costumes and parties (need I mention Lindsay Lohan’s “slut rule” in Mean Girls?). So, apparently jaded by my age, and desperately in search of a younger perspective, I turned to my fourth grade friend for help. Upon introducing the topic, her immediate response was: “ooh what are you going to be for Halloween?” I shrugged, pretending as if I’d thought about it. “… you know,” she said, “if you don’t decide soon, you’ll end up being something really stupid.” And she’s so right. But unlike most young children in the Hamilton area, I’m not all that concerned. I can imagine their eager hands, their jumping feet, their sweet- breathed smiles as they browse the isles of costumes and accessories in the local Wal-Mart. I remember all of the effort – and time – I spent tweaking, modeling, and admiring my Halloween costume as a child. Kids are encouraged, even expected to think of imaginative costume ideas. As a kid, I’d spend weeks drafting ideas so that I wouldn’t look “stupid” at the annual elementary school parade. It’s extremely important to be unique while still looking “cool.” (Seems like not much has changed even at our age.) But now I spend minutes drafting AND composing my costume, because too much thinking definitely equals stupid. The Halloween dance at my high school last year yielded about 200 clones of girls claiming to be “80’s rock stars” and another 150 “pimps” wandering the dance floor. What’s that about? Maybe its because we’re expected to devote our intellectual energies more readily to our school work. Maybe it’s because our imaginations pale in comparison to those of children. But what ever happened to the desire to be original on Halloween? I’m a first-year, so admittedly, I have yet to experience a Colgate Halloween. Naturally, I’m expecting more from students here than those at home. Especially at Colgate, I don’t think its wrong to expect some (at least slightly) humorous and original Halloween outfits. So please, show some spirit. While you’re contemplating your Halloween costume creations, the Hamilton and Colgate community is hosting a number of spooky events over the next couple of days, from haunted houses, to pumpkin carving, to the annual elementary school parade. If you’re in the mood to reconnect with your inner ghost, witch or zombie, here’s what’s happening for the kids (at heart) in Hamilton this weekend:Friday, October 29:

Elementary school parade

Saturday, October 30:

1:00 p.m. Phi Delta pumpkin carving

3:00 p.m. Trick or Treating on the quad

5:00-7 p.m. Trick or Treating on Broad Street

7:00 p.m. Costume competition at the Women’s Volleyball game.

7:00-9 p.m. Harris Haunted House (Larkin Rd. Hubbardsville)

9:00-11 p.m. La Casa Haunted House

Sunday, October 31:

7:00-9 p.m. Harris Family Haunted House