A Spooky Girl's Guide To Summerween

In childhood girls are often found to gravitate towards certain obsessions. Some girls are horse girls, some girls are soccer girls, or barbie girls or dirtbike girls, and then some, like myself, are spooky girls.

Ghosts, cryptids, vampires, werewolves, zombies, mummies, it didn’t matter, if it unsettled the rest of my family, it was most likely something I was into. Halloween was bigger than Christmas for me, and I would meticulously plan out my costume for months in advance. I grew up in a tumultuous household and my VHS tape (I know I am dating myself here) of The Addams Family was worn to almost shreds, constantly on repeat as I escaped into my dream family. Scooby Doo, Goosebumps, and so many other series served to deepen my obsession. The nineties really were a golden age for spooky kids.

This childhood fascination dwindled, as so many things do, as the nineties gave way to the aughts and my childhood gave way to puberty. Suddenly boys and parties and dances and elaborate makeup looks took precedence over Mothman and the Gila monster. It wasn’t until I reached my early thirties and was in the middle of a self actualization journey that the spark for all things spooky reignited after smoldering in the ashes of the back of my mind for so long.

So what is Summerween? Summerween is widely accepted to have originated in a 2012 episode of the show Gravity Falls. Basically in the show the townspeople love Halloween so much that they can’t wait until October to celebrate, so they throw festivities twice a year.

People liked the idea presented in the episode so much that they started implementing it in real life and thus, Summerween was born.

Why? It is simply fun. Do we need more of a reason than that? But in all seriousness I look forward to Summerween every year not only because of the spooky delights it brings, but because it can be a good escape during a time of year that can be challenging for some people. I love summer, but it is HOT where I live pretty much from May to October. As someone whose mental health correlates pretty strongly to the ability to spend time outside, the intense heat and time indoors in the summer can mess with me sometimes. Summerween is a fun, novelty escape from that, and a reminder of the joy that fall will bring in a few months.

How to celebrate Summerween:

The beauty of a holiday like Summerween is that you can celebrate it in whatever way and whenever it sounds fun to you. In Gravity Falls they give a specific date, I think it’s June 22nd or 23rd, but I have taken to celebrating whenever it feels needed. Here are some of my favorite low cost and low energy ways to do so.

1. Rent a scary movie. I love a good scary movie, anything with a good jump scare or suspenseful slasher, so I have a whole host of movies I like to revisit during this time like Jaws and I Know What You Did Last Summer. I like to collect old dvd’s from thrift stores and secondhand bookshops, and my local library always has a bunch on the shelf as well. If you don’t like scary movies that’s okay! You can still celebrate with something witchy and fun, like Practical Magic or The Craft, or TV shows like Sabrina the Teenage Witch. I also love to revisit halloween movies from my childhood, like The Addams Family that I mentioned earlier, and Halloween Town. Even a little Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown hits the spot sometimes.

2. Read a Spooky Thriller or Mystery. This is something I definitely do all year long, but like to focus on around Summerween. Some of my favorites to set the mood are The Sundown Motel by Simone St. James (all of her books are great!), Anything by Riley Sager, but especially Survive The Night and Home Before Dark, and the Truly Devious Series by Maureen Johnson. This year I added Summer’s Never Over by Darby Bozeman, Play Nice by Rachel Harrison, and Smile for The Cameras by Miranda Smith.

If you don’t like spooky books, there are plenty of lighter books that still give off Summerween vibes, like Soul Searching by Lyla Sage, and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna.

3. Celebrate with some spooky snacks. In my mind, no holiday is complete without an elaborate snack menu. You can keep it simple by adding a little pumpkin syrup to your coffee or buying coffin shaped ice cream sandwiches or you can get fancy by carving watermelons (just like you would a pumpkin!) and making smores.

Summerween is so fun on your own, but it’s even more fun to celebrate with friends! So make a little punch and have some people over to watch a movie or two!

What are your favorite ways to celebrate Summerween?