🎃 I Wore a Paper Bag to Our Halloween House Party and Somehow It Worked 😂

 🎃 I Wore a Paper Bag to Our Halloween House Party and Somehow It Worked 😂 You know it’s officially spooky season when you find yourself standing in the living room with a grocery bag over your head, praying it doesn’t rip before someone takes your photo. That’s exactly how my university Halloween house party went this year: chaotic, hilarious, slightly vegan, and 100% unforgettable.

Halloween parties always bring out the weirdest, most creative sides of everyone. But this year, ours felt like the kind of cozy chaos you only see in coming-of-age films: small house, string lights that flicker like they’re about to give up, and everyone dressed in a mix of “last-minute costume” and “I actually planned this since August.” I went full Nevermore Academy student, uniform and all, because Wednesday Addams energy just speaks to my soul. Then I added the now-infamous paper bag head, thanks to a trend that Tyler wouldn’t stop talking about. You know the one where you draw a pumpkin face, doodle random chaos with black markers, and wear it like a badge of irony.

Tyler was the one who convinced me, saying, “Trust me, it’s low effort but high impact.” And he wasn’t wrong. The look was halfway between creepy and cute, and somehow it matched the vibe of our small Halloween get-together perfectly. Imagine a mix of pumpkin spice candle scents, lo-fi playlists, and people arguing about which version of Dracula is superior while sipping on apple cider.

We kept it chill this year: no loud club, no haunted maze, just a small potluck in the house where I live. The best part? Everyone brought food that could’ve fit in a cottagecore cookbook. Because half the group is vegan, we had tofu skewers, veggie pasta, mushroom sliders, and pumpkin cookies that disappeared faster than gossip after finals. I didn’t even realize vegan food could taste that good until I found myself going for seconds.

What made the night special wasn’t the decorations (we didn’t have many), but how we turned an ordinary space into something magical. We hung fairy lights, carved one slightly lopsided jack-o’-lantern, and played a mix of nostalgic Halloween hits that had everyone laughing, especially when someone accidentally queued a Christmas song. At one point, someone even started reading out loud from a horror book, dramatic voice and all, while the rest of us threw commentary like we were at a bad movie screening.

That’s what I love about these nights. They start as small plans, “just a few of us hanging out,” and end up turning into these memories that linger longer than the glitter in your carpet. Between laughter, terrible photos, and book talk that somehow got deep, it felt like time slowed down for once. We weren’t stressing over grades or projects or deadlines. We were just a bunch of college students pretending to be characters for one night, finding joy in paper bags, thrifted outfits, and shared stories.

I’ll admit, the photos turned out way goofier than expected. Picture me posing dramatically in a Nevermore uniform with a grocery bag over my head that says “BOO” in messy marker handwriting. Tyler photobombed half my shots with his pumpkin grin, and someone added filters so heavy! But that’s what makes it fun. Halloween doesn’t have to be cinematic perfection. Sometimes, it’s just about the inside jokes you’ll be quoting until next year.

The funniest part? The paper bag trend actually became the unofficial theme of the night. One by one, people started grabbing spare grocery bags and doodling their own designs. By midnight, we had a full gallery of weird bag faces: vampire teeth, anime eyes, cryptic symbols, even one that just said “I’m tired.” It turned into this unexpected art jam that made the night feel like a mini creative therapy session.

We didn’t realize it while it was happening, but the whole thing mirrored what we love most: storytelling. Half of us are readers, writers, or bookworms in some way. Between bites of vegan pasta, we ended up trading book recs, talking about the novels we’re working on, and sharing what inspired us lately. The party turned into an impromptu book club with snacks and silly costumes.

That’s the real magic of small gatherings like this. It’s not about fancy outfits or how “aesthetic” your feed looks. It’s about finding people who get you, the ones who can talk about world-building and character arcs one minute, then scream-laugh about how their paper bag is too tight the next. It’s raw, messy, and genuine, which honestly makes it better than any big event with fog machines and overpriced tickets.

And okay, maybe I got a little too into it by the end. Someone played “Monster Mash,” and suddenly I was doing the world’s worst dance moves while my paper bag kept slipping sideways. Tyler kept yelling, “Adjust your pumpkin head!” and I nearly tripped on the fairy light cord. The chaos was real, but so was the fun.

By the time everyone started heading home, the place looked like a cozy battlefield of cookie crumbs, empty paper cups, and laughter still echoing in the corners. We didn’t have professional decorations, we didn’t spend much money, but we created something that felt like a genuine snapshot of college life: imperfect, heartfelt, and a little chaotic.

It reminded me why Halloween doesn’t have to be scary or wild to be memorable. It can be soft. It can be about connection, creativity, and laughing until your stomach hurts. It’s about finding joy in silly trends, weird ideas, and moments that feel like they were written just for your friend group.

So yeah, maybe I looked a little wacky in those pictures, paper bag and all, but honestly, I wouldn’t trade that night for anything. Sometimes the best costume is confidence, and the best party is one that feels like home.

Because when you strip away all the fancy effects and spooky filters, Halloween is just about celebrating life’s odd little stories, the ones you write with the people who make you feel like yourself, even with a grocery bag on your head.

Next year, we’re keeping the paper bag tradition alive. Only this time, I’m drawing something more ambitious, maybe a bat, maybe a book cover. Because if there’s one thing I learned this Halloween, it’s that the simplest ideas make the best memories.