The cool weather of fall is finally here, and with it comes the eerie chill that reminds me it is that time of year when people ride hayrides, bob for apples, drink hot cider and children beg for candy. In less than a week, Halloween will be upon us once again.

This is my favorite time of the year. I no longer have to worry about midterms, I can visit haunted houses, dress up as a scary zombie and watch all the horror movies I want on TV. Halloween has always been a holiday full of mystery, magic and superstitions for me, yet the spirit of the season has become lost.

The days of old where ghosts, witches, skeletons, devils or other monsters reigned supreme are gone. Nowadays, when a girl wants an alter ego, they go for, well, a skimpy version of whatever tickles their fancy. I can already hear the outbursts that they are just costumes, or women can wear whatever they want, but don’t get me wrong, please. This editorial isn’t to complain about a little eye candy (even if some costumes are borderline X-rated), nor am I trying to rant about objectification of women. The thing I’m complaining about right now is a lack of creativity at a cost of $49.99.

Just think about it. When was the last time you went to a Halloween party where there wasn’t a sexy nurse, a sexy teacher, a sexy firefighter, a sexy policewoman, a sexy cheerleader or even a sexy crayon (yes, it exists)? It’s funny to me that a lot of girls never want to arrive at a formal dance where someone is wearing the same dress as them, yet they wouldn’t care if they went to a Halloween party where they all wore a similar costume.

A lot of the sexy costumes appear to be the same costume, just slightly altered to fit a different profession. I agree a woman can dress sexy pretty much whenever she well pleases. I’m not a prude or someone with strict, Puritan ideals. But if a girl is sexy all the time, why waste the one day of the year where they can be anything? What happened to the days when Halloween meant portraying a scary or random personality? Or an even better question; where is the creativity? Aren’t the original costumes the ones that win the costume contests anyway?

Last year, for example, I chose to be Sherlock Holmes for Halloween. I was pressed for time in selecting a costume (darn those midterms), and one day I came across my replica of the iconic Holmes hat that I had purchased during study abroad in London. With Holmes being one of my all-time favorite fictional characters, I instantly knew I wanted to be him for Halloween, and not a sexy version of the detective. I quickly searched through my closet and selected actual items of clothing I owned that would make for a passable Holmes costume. There was no pleated skirt, nor too-tight vest and I even had a pipe to go with it. I was a hit at every party I went to. I was even put on a case or two.

Let’s get original here people! Say goodbye to those standby “sexy” costumes and come up with something original. The same goes for you too, my male readers. Remember how special Halloween was when we were young and we spent time thinking about how scary, funny or pretty we wanted our costumes to be? Halloween is a time to be something you’re not. It’s the one night of the year where a nursing student can be a clown, a policeman can be the criminal for a change and a certain A&E editor can be a fictional detective sans the cocaine addiction.

It’s not that difficult to come up with an original costume idea. With some cardboard, glue, glitter and fabric, it’s easy to come up with something completely different from everyone else. Take a well-known phrase such as “killing time,” and create a costume from that. Or add a twist to your favorite fairy tale, such as Goldilocks after being mauled by the three bears, or rather than a generic Greek goddess, go for Medusa instead.

Even doing a group idea is a fun alternative, especially during Halloween. Grab some friends and dress up as the apple, green grapes, purple grapes and leaves from the Fruit of the Loom logo. If you still want to wear your sexy policewoman outfit, get some friends to buy them too and act out scenes from Police Academy when you go out to a party.

Anything goes as long as there is some creative thought put into it. The costume, and your memories of Halloween by proxy, will be just that. Memorable.