I try to avoid “bummer” posts here as much as I can, but 2020 is—dare I say it?—exceedingly awful. And while I’m generally optimistic about the future, it’s kind of hard to keep that optimism going every hour of every day.

Some days, I can’t manage any optimism at all really. I just sort of wake up, look around, and think: “Yep. Everything’s still horrible. Really wish I could just hibernate until spring.”

I’m pretty sure Saturday is going to be one of those days.

See, as you might expect from a bearded wizard on the internet, Halloween is my favorite holiday. It was my favorite holiday as a kid, it became even more important to me when I had my own kid, and I live in a neighborhood where it’s practically a block party. We get no less than two hundred trick-or-treaters at our door, even when it’s pouring rain and freezing outside.

I love absolutely everything about “Goth Christmas,” as most of my friends used to call it. And back in 2019, when I saw that this year Halloween was going to fall on both a Saturday and on a full moon? I truly can’t express how excited I was.

Obviously, things look a lot different now than they did a year ago.

This will be the first year in my entire life that my family won’t be giving out candy. Our porch light will be dark, and our door will be closed.

It will also be the first year in my daughter’s life where she won’t be putting on a costume and going trick-or-treating.

It’s kind of hard not to be bummed out by that, but it is what it is. And yes, I know that in the grand scheme of things, this stuff doesn’t really matter. There are many, many other big things going wrong in the world which deserve far more attention.

But you know, I find it’s usually the little things which get us through the big ones.

Still, Halloween won’t be a totally lost cause for us. We’ve decorated the yard, and on Saturday I’m going to binge-watch every paranormal show I can find. I’m also looking ahead and making plans for next year.

Our decorations, while still excellent, are getting a bit old. I’ve been thinking about making additions to them for years, and I think next year is the time to do it. I’m almost positive there will be some really good deals on unsold Halloween merch next month, so I plan to grab a bunch.

There are also costumes to consider. I’ve been watching a lot of “maker” videos on YouTube during this Pandemaclypse, and have a lot of ideas for characters, garb, and props. Most of them will require a bit more money than your average Halloween costume, and they’ll all require a lot more time to put together. But, since I basically have an entire year to work on them, there’s kind of no reason not to.

I’m also thinking about turning next year’s Halloween into a full-blown party. That’s something we’ve never done, and you know? If things are looking up by next October (and I think we’re all praying they will), I think filling the house with friends might just be the thing to do.

Anyway, that’s how I’m coping with this holiday. What are your plans?