#141: Halloween 2021

The Story Behind Halloween 2021

Halloween is my favorite holiday, and what better way to spend it than with family? My wife and nieces contributed to this year's Halloween comic, each adding her own idea to the family haunted house. We also included memorials to Otho and Sherry, our pups that we've lost in the past couple of years.

The history of Halloween fascinates me, from the Celtic festival to the modern celebration of chocolate and costumes; but I make a point to celebrate something that is bit closer to home for me: Dia de los Muertos. Specifically, I love honoring the memory of lost friends and family members. My wife and I have our own versions of ofrendas to her parents in our living room, and I've made it a habit to read the book my grandmother wrote about my aunt who passed at a young age. I feel that one of the best things we can do for those we've loved and lost is to keep their memory alive. I've learned that, for me, both the pain and joy of these memories last as long as I allow them.

Plain Text Description of Halloween 2021

Night. A dilapidated three-story house sits on a hill. A crescent moon and haze hang over the house. Outside on the left are two tombstones with "Otho" and "Sherry". The Other tombstone has a bone, the Sherry is adorned with a heart. Otho and Sherry are the two dogs we've lost in the past two years. The right side of the house has a wooden outhouse. The yard is covered in weeds, and a cobblestone path leads up to the steps of the front porch. The first story has a front door with the Horror Smiley face. A skeleton peers from one window, two eyes and teeth from another. The second floor has a ghost floating by and a bloody crime scene. The attic has a green goblin looking right at you.