Blasphemous Confession

A couple of weeks back, Scott (of Sardonic Bomb) wrote a list of traits, breaking them into "I am this gay" and "but I am not that gay." It was humorous for me to compare lists — I don't own The Sound of Music but I do own Moulin Rouge, I have never made quiche but I have something more than soap for my face, I have never been to a circuit party but I am in a gay chorus — and yet, as I went down the list, one other item occurred to me for my own personal not-that-gay list.

I couldn't care less about Halloween.

Now, before a few regular readers (and the Commissioner of Halloween) abandon hope, I had a lovely time in the planned-out-for-me festivities, thank you. Don't misread this as hatred or despising; I just don't consider Halloween to be one of the crown jewels in the panoply of gay holidays, as some seem to.

I'm not sure why I don't care more. Perhaps it's that I don't have a secret desire to be in drag or even just to be someone else for a day. (Trying to decide if my lack of costume-making creativity is caused by this, or causes this, could be chicken-and-egg conversation.) I've never been into the scare-yourself-silly of horror movies, haunted houses and Horror Nights. It could be my conservative religious upbringing still playing out, with all their "fall festival" alternatives and attempts at anti-paganistic symbolism. (And yet I fully appreciate how the major Christian holidays have pagan roots both in symbolism and scheduling.) I've been even more turned off in later years by over-aged trick-or-treaters, old enough to drive to a store and buy their own candy from their own jobs. The more cynical side of me even thinks we've turned a historic tradition into another chance to teach children that there are times when begging, greed and gluttony are socially acceptable behaviors.

And yet, as I said, I don't openly despise the day or the goings-on. I'll play along for the sake of humoring folks (not the least of whom is my partner!). Just don't come lookin' here for next year's Commissioner-slash-event planner. <wink>

Update: Just so ya'll don't think me some sort of Halloween Humbug: We did head out to Disney for the afternoon, had lunch and did the Haunted Mansion (among other things). And we didn't turn down the free Tootsie Pops as we left.