Few things bring people together more than raucous merrymaking and the potential for candy. These two incentives come together in beautiful harmony during the age-old tradition of “Halloweek.” Much like an intensive exercise class, it is a test of both physical and mental strength. Can you flawlessly execute a culturally relevant costume without losing the integral accessories? What happens when you lose the wings to your fairy costume and instead of looking like a quaint woodland sprite, you end up looking like an exhausted Ultra attendee? And how exactly do you plan on surviving the four wild nights that will inevitably occur when so many people are collected in a room together wearing sexy cop costumes? These are the questions that set apart the halloweeners from the hallo-losers.

Growing up, I learned that the best costumes are executed with confidence. I learned the hard way, thanks to my elementary school witch costume. As my inner nonconformist took control, I refused to buy any old run-of-the-mill witch costume. Mine had to be special, crafty, adorned with my own flavor. I was that girl. Eyes full of dreams, face full of glitter, seeking to be the winner of my own personal costume competition. So just as any pre-teen with a warped understanding of fashion would do, I went out and bought my own materials. Just like our ancestors in the days of yore (before pop-up costume stores), I purchased some purple silk and spider-web mesh and got to work. Needless to say, the end result was an utter disaster. It wasn’t just the fact that my skirt was being held together by safety pins that proceeded to give me tiny stab wounds. Rather, it was that my weird costume made me more self-conscious. Instead of feeling like a cool and sassy teenage witch with a black cat sidekick (à la Sabrina), I felt more like myself than ever – kind of awkward, very confused, trying to keep my clothing from unraveling.

The moral of this spooky tale is that no matter what you decide to be this Halloween, own it. You can and will be the wildest Abraham Lincoln out there – you are the only one stopping yourself. Even if you decide to go the self-sewn costume route, just remember that it’s not about halloweening or losing but how you play the game.