My favorite time of year is finally here. I’m all for Christmas and enjoy the festivities of Easter, the romanticism of Valentine’s Day and tidiness of National Clean Off Your Desk Day (Jan. 14, in case you’re curious), but my heart truly belongs to the fall and, of course, Halloween.

The leaves are changing color, the temperature is dropping and you never can be sure if that low moaning sound is a crisp breeze or a ghost coming out to socialize.

I’m a year-round horror fan, but I really put the pedal down this time of year, watching spooky movies and television shows every day throughout October. The house was decorated by mid-September, too. I figure if some stores were already selling Christmas decorations by then, well, I was allowed to deck the halls with oranges, blacks, spiders and skulls. It’s décor I wouldn’t mind leaving up 12 months a year, so I consider just a month and a half of cobwebs and jack-o-lanterns to be an impressive display of self-restraint.

One of my favorite Halloween traditions has become a visit to downtown Fountain Hills for the annual Halloween in the Hills celebration on Oct. 31.

This event has grown tremendously over the years, with the folks at Sami Fine Jewelry doing a great job of bringing the town together for an evening of candy, fun, costume contests and maybe a few scares along the way. Complementing those efforts are dozens of Fountain Hills businesses, clubs and organizations, eager to dress up and offer fun activities for youngsters to enjoy. It’s not exactly the trick-or-treating I grew up with, but it’s definitely a great alternative that brings the community together for a ghoulish good time.

I love seeing how excited the kids get for the treats and games, all while zig-zagging up and down Avenue of the Fountains decked out in creative costumes.

I’ll be photographing the event for the paper again this year, so here’s hoping I snap some shots that capture even a fraction of the excitement that will be on display from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday evening, Oct. 31, in downtown Fountain Hills. I encourage everyone to come out and join in on the festivities.

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Speaking of getting dressed up, I had the pleasure of attending a wedding over the weekend with activities spanning four days.

Jenn’s brother, Joe, was getting hitched and the family took advantage of the opportunity to spend as much time together as possible while everyone was visiting from out of state. That amounted to a lot of food, plenty of lively conversation and did I mention there was a LOT of food? Combine the wedding weekend with the upcoming holidays and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to fit in my suit again.

The actual wedding fell on my birthday and the lovely couple led their guests in singing to me during the reception, which was very sweet. They did not, however, agree to my plan to split the presents. Either way, that was easily the biggest “birthday party” I’ve ever attended.