As October rolls around, there is only one thing on my mind: Halloweekend. It’s my favorite weekend of the whole school year. I have not stopped thinking about it since the last Halloweekend.

For any that are unfamiliar with the term, Halloweekend is the weekend before Oct. 31. in which college students celebrate Halloween. Candy is optional, costumes are essential. If you are like me and my friends, two or three will usually suffice.

Let me give you the rundown of how it all works.

First, you remember to take off work ahead of time. If you work somewhere that the majority of employees are college students that are also taking off, you will need to do this around two months in advance.

You also remember to do this for the bar crawl two weeks prior (if you’re of legal drinking age of course) and homecoming the week before. Cross your fingers your boss doesn’t hate you.

Then, you buy your costumes. This is the fun part. Do this weeks in advance if you want your package to come in time, or if you don’t want to look through the extremely slim pickings left at the mall.

Keep in mind that you are probably going to go from extremely sweaty to tremendously freezing the second you step outside in your costume which I’m assuming you’re neglecting to put a jacket over.

Trust me when I say that angel/fairy wings do not move gracefully in crowded basements, garages or bars. Take pictures ahead of time before your costume breaks or you lose parts of it.

I also suggest buying a costume that is durable and doesn’t just cost next to nothing. Yes, you are probably only wearing it for one night, but I learned this the hard way. One year, my skirt somehow tore almost completely in half. Thankfully, one of my friends conveniently kept a mini sewing kit in her bag and she was able to repair it immediately.

Another important aspect is to remember that if you plan on drinking the entire weekend as some 21 and older college students do, you should buy your Pedialyte ahead of time. Do not forget to charge your phone before going out and try to remember to stay with your friends.

The scariest part of Halloween is the hangover on the Sunday that follows Halloweekend. You also unfortunately might end up getting a very bad cold the morning after because of the amount of people that are out, as well as it being nearly winter. Stay strong everyone.

My hopes are that following reading this article, you will be better prepared for the weekend. It is also partially me trying to convince my roommate, Kendall, that she has to participate again this year contrary to her disdain for this incredibly important event.

My last words of advice are to have so much fun. Happy Halloweekend month.

Jochum can be reached at [email protected].