Halloween is approaching, and I think it’s time for me to share some of my favorite Halloween traditions I have with friends and family. At home, I enjoy carving pumpkins with my sister and brother, and my parents would judge whose pumpkin looked better. This pumpkin carving contest became a family tradition over the years. It was a fun, friendly tradition I enjoyed and it brought out the competitive side of me very quickly at a young age.
Now that I am in Williamsburg, instead of carving pumpkins, I enjoy going to pumpkin patches with friends and indulging in all the fun activities they have to offer. I went a few weeks ago with two of my friends, we took silly photos, went to a maze and bought some fun stuff from the gift shop. We bought honey sticks and ranked the different flavors. I personally don’t like them, so I ranked them very low. They had all kinds of flavors ranging from strawberry, mint, apple, lemon, orange, watermelon and many more. I absolutely hated the mint-flavored honey stick since it essentially tasted like toothpaste. Despite my feelings towards the different honey stick flavors, I had such a fun experience at the pumpkin patch, especially while going through the maze. My two friends and I were stuck in the maze for almost 30 minutes because we were all bad at directions. We eventually found an exit, but in those 30 minutes we had a great time.
I also love watching spooky, Halloween movies such as “Halloween Town,” “A Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Scary Godmother,” “Twitches,” along with some horror and thriller movies. I am not sure if I can rank these movies, but my all-time favorite will always be “A Nightmare Before Christmas” because it is nostalgic from my childhood. I love munching on my favorite Halloween candies while watching these classics, such as Crunch, Twix, SweetTarts and caramel corn. Along with these sweet treats, I enjoy sipping on tea or other fall-related beverages. I enjoy drinking apple cider, however, I don’t like the taste of pumpkin-spiced lattes. I would personally rank apple cider higher than pumpkin spiced lattes because it has a stronger taste whereas pumpkin spiced lattes taste bland. However, I can be indecisive sometimes, so maybe I’ll enjoy pumpkin spiced lattes next month, or even next year.
In Williamsburg, I enjoy trying new fall-related treats during the spirit of Halloween. For example, I enjoy eating pumpkin bread, cupcakes and pastries in the local coffee shops nearby campus. However, at home, I enjoy baking homemade pumpkin bread, poppy seed lemon cake, along with banana bread and also making homemade jam. I usually bake with my mom and an older sister, who are more experienced in cooking than I am. Originally, I was never really into baking, but now I enjoy these bonding moments when we make these special treats with both of them.
Bushra Bablu ’24 is planning to double major in government and economics. Bushra serves as an Associate Opinions Editor for The Flat Hat Newspaper and the Business Manager for Flat Hat Magazine. Outside of The Flat Hat, Bushra is also involved with One for the World and Women in Business. Email Bushra at bebablu@email.wm.edu.