Taking delight in fright: Readers share their love of Halloween

I was taken with Luciana Coutchie’s choice of fundraiser to honor her son, Jon Coutchie, a Laguna Beach police officer who died two years ago while responding on duty to a report of a speeding motorist.

The Coastline Pilot reported last month that she thought about putting together a 5K run but decided instead to celebrate her son’s life with a Halloween-themed family-fun day. He loved Halloween.

Every year, Coutchie would construct a haunted house for his three godchildren and the neighborhood kids. After he died, Luciana found a blueprint of the haunted house he was working on for that year’s event.

What a wonderful tribute to a son and to a holiday that, while not ordinarily linked to that sort of reverence, has deep meaning for some people.

I’ve grown to love Halloween, though it took a few years to get there.

I was born two hours before Oct. 31, close enough to be considered a Halloween baby.

Every birthday party as a kid was a festival of orange and black streamers and pin the stem on the pumpkin — no donkey or tail in sight.

While all my friends could have any variation of a party theme, mine always seemed preordained. It got a little tiresome.

Now, as an adult, I can’t get enough of Halloween decorations and the mirth surrounding the occasion. It has become my favorite holiday.

I’m not sure why the change happened. But at some point I came to really love the promise of Halloween, and not only as seen in the faces of little children in costume, but also in the expectation of fall and the chance to slow down from summer busyness, get away from oppressive heat and cocoon a little with a blanket, tea and a good book or old movie.

But I also love pumpkins and orange and ghosts and goblins and all things ghoulish now. It’s great fun.

According to the responses from readers to our request for their views of Halloween, many people feel the same way.

Here are excerpts:

From Hilarie Moore of Orange: “As a descendant from a long line of Irish mystics, I’ve loved Halloween all my life. (Maybe being born in October has something to do with that!) My husband and I dressed up when our kids were small and still do. Dressing up keeps you young. As for Halloween haters, well, they must be lacking music in their souls.”

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From Debby Lang of Garden Grove: “My favorite holiday is Halloween and getting to decorate my home inside and out. Halloween recalls my 1950s costumes of plastic faces and full-body costumes. The plastic faces always fogged my glasses and the full-body costumes were torn by night’s end.

“The 1950s treats were outstanding compared to today’s treats. Our treats were cookies, large popcorn balls, full-length candy bars or a few coins wrapped in plastic wrap, and we could eat them immediately.

“All Hallows Eve was originally based on the belief that ghosts of the dead would return to Earth and reek havoc or destroy crops. All Hallows Eve wasn’t thought to be evil when I attended a parochial Lutheran grade school, which held parties to celebrate Halloween for the children. The church I attend today has a harvest festival the week of Halloween.”

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From Connie Winkleman of Irvine: “I never was a big fan of dressing up for Halloween, especially at work.

In 2012, some of us talked about dressing up, so we came up with ‘Disney villains’ as our theme.

We had so much fun that year that we even dressed up for the following two years and are thinking about dressing up this year already.”

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From Cameron Yanoscik of Seal Beach: “I love Halloween. There is a deep-seated magic that surrounds this holiday, which has very ancient roots, as I have discovered from the Celtic festival of the dead known as Samhain to its many influences over the centuries.

“Everything about this time of year is special to me, from choosing a costume to don, picking the perfect pumpkin from the patch, watching a few favorite Halloween flicks and trick-or-treating. There is more to this holiday than meets the eye — and it is this mystery that makes it so wonderful.”

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From Masako Popick of Costa Mesa: “Halloween is my late father’s birthday and my most favorite time of the year. I like it so much that I keep the scary decoration in our guest bathroom all year around.

“My husband and I are in a rock band, and we play Halloween songs (Oingo Boingo’s “Deadman’s Party,” “Stairway to Heaven,” “The Time Warp” from the “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” etc.) at our private home party. We move all the furniture out of the living room to create some dance space.

“Lately, teenage children pick up instruments and play their songs while the band members eat and socialize with the guests. It is neat to see some talented kids playing their original pieces of music. My husband barbecues tons of meat, everyone brings potluck food items and we serve it outside to make cleanup easier. Most guests dress up in pretty elaborate costumes, and it is always fun to figure out who’s who.

“It is so much fun, and the high energy from the party lingers and invigorates me for a week afterward.”