Halloween is not dying
I’m not from the Midwest, so I can’t say for certain what Halloween looks like around here, but where I’m from in New York, Halloween definitely isn’t dying anytime soon.
In my experience, children started trick or treating right when they got home from school, Halloween parties persisted throughout October and into November, and the decorations were put up well in advance.
Maybe it was because these streets were located right behind the high school, but everyone, local or otherwise, crowded into the same streets near my house for wild Halloween festivities. It was the known spot to be on Halloween night, and thousands of pounds of candy were given out on those streets alone.
The houses on the street would set up projectors on their front lawns playing classic Halloween films, hire live DJs with dancing crowds and flashing disco lights, and even construct homemade haunted houses that still both terrify and amaze me. The streets would be packed the second it got dark out, and even when the houses ran out of candy from the thousands of people crowding the streets, it was still a fun experience for all.
To say Halloween is a dying holiday is absurd, especially when there are still communities celebrating the night so passionately.
But even if Halloween isn’t celebrated as devotedly in every area, it doesn’t take away from the fun of the holiday. Watching scary movies in the dark, binging on a ton of sugary candy, and getting dressed up are all things done solo or with a smaller group of people.
Even in smaller towns, stores have been selling Halloween decorations since before the start of August. Plus, it seems like everywhere you look nowadays, Spirit Halloween stores are popping up in every shopping center.
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Just seeing the immense amount of Halloween-themed products stores keep in stock must mean there is a demand for them, even in the places that don’t celebrate Halloween as devotedly as others.
Don’t let social media fool you, Halloween is still a widely celebrated holiday. Nobody is going to be able to stop the Spirit Halloween empire from taking over, and those overpriced bags of candy are here to stay.
Halloween is dying
I love Halloween. Even though horror is too much for me to bear, we rarely get fun friend-centered holidays. That being said, I feel many communities lack the togetherness they once had.
I think about my own neighborhood. Most kids who lived there were around my age, so to say I have noticed fewer trick-or-treaters does not automatically validate my argument that the holiday is dying. But I live in a very active suburb of Chicago with young couples always moving in and the elders moving out, so young kids aren’t lacking.
Instead, I find they participate in trunk-or-treat.
What was originally a temporary solution for the COVID-19 pandemic became an annual tradition in many communities, mine included. Just last weekend, my sisters went to volunteer for it at our local Catholic church.
For parents who worry about their kids’ safety, trunk-or-treats offer a fun alternative. Parents don’t need to have their child walk around late at night to search for candy.
I don’t blame these parents for choosing this option. It seems distrust in the community has risen since the pandemic, with fear of what would happen if your child goes to the wrong house, stays out too late, or eats candy, hiding something nefarious.
What I also find contributes to Halloween fading is the push to shop just to buy. Of course, with costumes, this is a norm in the holiday. What I mean is the surplus of pink pumpkins and black cat mugs at stores like HomeGoods and Target. The push to buy instead of participate changes the purpose of the holiday.
Halloween is important to many people, myself included. I hope things change and it has a resurgence. But with these trends, that doesn’t seem likely any time soon.