Halloween: Cancelled or Continued as Usual?
We’re now only days away from the celebrations-the candy, costumes, haunted houses, corn mazes, trick-or-treating, parties, etc. The hype is increasing, as is the anticipation.
While we’re waiting, though, let’s take a minute to contemplate whether or not Halloween can actually be cancelled.
Sound crazy? Not so.
After all, last year, the White House announced on Oct 31 that it cancelled its annual Halloween celebration due to hurricane damage to Washington, DC, and the surrounding area.
And New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed an executive order postponing Halloween celebrations across the state until the next Monday.
But as one Brooklyn resident said, they needed a party. Everyone had been cooped up inside for the previous four days so they held a party anyway!
And folks in a 70-unit apartment building in Hoboken, New Jersey, out of power and surrounded by water, gathered in the lobby, encouraged the kids to dress in costume, and went trick-or-treating throughout the building.
If anything, the disaster caused neighbors and friends to band together to created a unique Halloween experience unlike any other.
So how about you?
So how about this year?
Has anyone else noticed how we’ve taken another holiday to the extreme? Houses decorated to look haunted, expensive costumes that are only used a few times, 
Halloween cookies and cakes and pies. And 6 display aisles at WalMart, not including the candy. And every kind of candy repackaged into orange foil.
How Much Does it Cost?
Those folks who track the dollars tell us that last year (and again this year) we will see spending of $7 billion for the holiday: costumes, decorations, food, etc. And that the average per respondent to their survey is $75.
Maybe we could cut that in half and donate the other half to our local food banks? They need the help and they can make that
money go a lot farther than we can! And what a fitting way to share our abundance this harvest season!
So how about you, Reader?
Are your Halloween plans cancelled or continuing as usual?
How are planning to enjoy the holiday?
4 Comments
My halloween spirit is kinda ok, but the kids coming is a total flop! I guess I’ll have to advertise my house is haunted or somethin’!
George, we don’t get kids either. I guess the downtown merchants have picked up the slack! I don’t mind, though, as the last couple of Halloweens had some really big (and old) kids?!
Rest easy, George. We have lived in the wooded mountains of northeastern Washington for 16 years and are still waiting for our first trick or treater.
The idea of taking half or even a third of what we might spend on any holiday and giving it to the food bank is awesome, Pat. I am going to try to start that tradition in my home. Oh, I still want to put up a few scary ghosts and give out candy. Don’t get me wrong. I love to see the really young kids all starry-eyed when they come to the door. Also remember: Treat the older ones well too. It always pays to have the junior-high boys that live in your neighborhood think that you are ‘cool’.