Halloween

I do enjoy Halloween, but probably not for the reasons you suspect.

I certainly do not enjoy the proliferation of teeth-rotting candy among children and those with the minds of children.  The only joy that could come of this is watching the misery of children as their stomachs protest all the garbage they have funneled into their mouths.  But I am not foolish enough to be around children at this time of year, or any other for that matter, so it is not an issue.

I am also not amused by the concentration of "horror" themes.  Whether decorations, haunted houses, or whatever passes for scary movies these days, it is all silly nonsense.  True horror, what these people would think of as "supernatural" horror, would be wholly unfamiliar to these people.  Of course, these stories are never told because the people involved either are incapable of speaking, or are themselves involved in the perpetration.

No, the reason I enjoy Halloween is that it is a day that is celebrated by a large majority of college students, but it is not a national holiday.  They are in the mood to party,  act wild, and  cut class, but I am under absolutely no obligation whatsoever to cancel class on Halloween.  And so, on this day, I make sure to not only hold class, but to cover material that will most certainly be on the next test, and will not under any circumstances be repeated any other day.  Furthermore, I take a bit of pleasure in making class run longer than usual.  You can see them all watching the clocks and getting restless five minutes in, but the looks on their faces when the clock moves past the end of class and I haven't stopped is absolutely priceless.