By Emmy Serviss / Boston
It’s happening. It’s going to happen. FINALLY, after two years, I’m going to do it.
I am throwing a party. Not just any party. A HALLOWEEN PARTY.
Collaboration by Boston sketch group SUZZY and Boston cover band Medford Noise Complaint
As we established last year, I am a very serious Halloween enthusiast. I didn’t get to throw OR attend a party last year, but I did get to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters in the suburbs of Boston, so it was a step up from Halloween 2020. But two years without a Halloween party, man, that was a rough stretch for me.
For the past 20 years, I’ve either hosted, co-hosted or at the very least ATTENDED one Halloween party at the minimum. In those days, if I had only one Halloween costume planned, it was a quiet year. (I think I’ve maxed out at four Halloween costumes in one October.) So to be forced to sit home for the past two years without anywhere to show off my very clever and original costumes was a bitter pill to swallow.
BUT NOT THIS YEAR!
This year I am making up for lost time.
This year I am going full tilt for the spookiest of spooktaculars.
An example of pre-pandemic Halloween party snacks – this year’s spread will be MUCH grander
I decorated the inside of my apartment on September 26th. Out of respect for my landlady, I waited until October 1st to decorate the outside. And I’ve bought more supplies and decorations since then, so it’s just been an increasingly frightful scene here in my haunted abode.
The pile of supplies in my pantry for the snacks and treats I’m going to make is slightly ridiculous. I already have a menu planned that includes (but is not limited to) spider hot dogs, witch finger pretzels, festive cupcakes, mummy flatbread pizza, severed-hand charcuterie board and various beverage concoctions.
I’m very excited.
Some of my guests for the spooky shindig
And before I go any further, I will fully acknowledge that Covid is not over. It’s not gone, people are still getting sick, and it’s still a valid concern. BUT it feels that after two years, we’ve gotten to a place where safety precautions and the boosters available have minimized the risks.
A lot of the food I’m making will be in individual portions to cut down on germ spreading. All the guests invited have been vaccinated at the very least, with ideally at least one additional booster. Everyone has been asked to take a Covid test the day of the party to ensure no asymptomatic contagions accidentally sneak through. Windows will be open for maximum air flow and masks will be provided for everyone’s comfort.
I feel as comfortable as possible with these precautions in place that my party will be safe to attend. Does that mean I’m not nervous? Absolutely not. I’m definitely still anxious about throwing my first honest-to-goodness party in two years.
In these Covid years, even two years into the pandemic (endemic?) there are still risks to any sort of social gathering. But we’ve started international travel again. Broadway is back. Schools are open. Masks are optional on public transportation. (Okay, that last one I don’t agree with at all, but that’s another issue.)
My point is that this year, I will put a spell on you to do the monster mash all the way down the Transylvania 6-5000 and we’re gonna party like it’s 2019!
At least up until 11 p.m.
Because now that I’m 40 years old, I want to be in bed by midnight.
Emmy Serviss is a Boston-based writer, actor and video editor. Once it is safe to return to live theater, you can find her performing with ComedySportz Boston and the sketch group SUZZY. When not on the stage, Emmy enjoys indulging in her new pandemic hobbies, laughing way too loudly and counting the days until Halloween.