The Catharsis of Halloween

Before I make the argument I am about to make, let me make one thing clear: I love Christmas. It is by far my favorite holiday for so many reasons. As a society, however, I think we've become too emotionally invested in this one Holiday. The problem, in my opinion, comes from the fact that we don't know how to properly celebrate the holidays leading up to it, not to mention other holidays throughout the year. And since it is October, I think I'll discuss this idea in reference to Halloween specifically.
First, a little background. I stopped the whole trick-or-treating thing when I was like twelve. After that, my Halloween tradition varied between watching some stupid show on TV and doing my homework. Somehow, in the back of my mind, I knew I was missing out on something fun, but ignored it and decided to just get myself pumped up for Thanksgiving and Christmas instead. Looking back now, I realize how unhealthy that has been.
I'm going to use myself as a case study here, so hopefully I'm not the only one out there who experiences this. But, I get so excited for Christmas, that's hard to not get overwhelmed and immersed by all the commercialism of it that I forget the true meaning of Christmas, meaning the birth and life of Jesus Christ. Psychologically, I get so excited for it that I create unrealistic expectations for myself during the Holiday Season. If I have an argument with another member of my family near the Holidays, I tend to be too hard on myself afterward and think that there's something wrong with me for being less than perfectly happy during "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year." The reality of the situation, however, is that both of us are experiencing high levels of stress due to the "hustle and bustle" of the season.
Some years, I've been so excited for Christmas that I start listening to Christmas music even before Halloween. By the time Christmas actually gets here, I'm so tired of the sights and sounds that I don't enjoy the holiday and it's hardere to be uplifted by the true meaning of Christmas. But, when Christmas is over, all I have is an unrealistic memory of how perfect Christmas was. That's when the Post-Christmas Depression really kicks in.
So, getting excited for the Christmas season too much and too early is just bad all the way around. Why do I do this, you ask. Like other unhealthy behavior, it's easy to stay in our habits rather than change and improve. I would argue that, like me, celebrating Christmas is second nature to most Americans who do, in fact, celebrate it. We know that we'll wake up to presents on Christmas morning, we'll go to the store, we'll trim the tree, etc. It's almost expected of us; it may even seem un-American if someone doesn't have a Christmas tree.
It's a different story with Halloween, however. Other than maybe accompanying your son, daughter, brother, or sister on their trick-or-treat route, there's no real expectation for actually celebrating the holiday as you get older. You have to go out of your way to arrange a party, buy a costume, go to a haunted house, etc. But, because it's not socially expected of us, many of us don't worry about celebrating a holiday like Halloween.
The thing that more Americans need to realize is how cathartic a holiday like Halloween actually is. By Cathartic, I am comparing the psychological effect of Halloween to Aristotle's view on Greek Tragedy. According to Aristotle, the audience viewing a tragedy like Oedipus is purged of the emotions of fear and pity by vicariously experiencing them through someone else.
In recent years, I've tried to celebrate Halloween more through going to parties, corn mazes, haunted houses, watching scary movies, etc. I've found that I'm able to stay more focused on the spiritual aspects of Christmas because I've already gotten a lot of the fun out of my system. I'm cleansed of the subconcious temptation to get too immersed in the commercialism of Christmas because I was already immersed in the commercialism of Halloween (as a Christian, that's the side that I should stay on, since the religious aspects of Halloween are Satanic) and I'm thus ready to be spiritually uplifted by Christmas. I'm also better able to be realistic about the commercial side of Christmas, and I can enjoy it in a way that is psychologically healthier.
So, if you're like me and you want to enjoy Christmas in a more healthy, realistic, and spiritual way, try celebrating the holidays in between first.