I don’t think that this take is PIPING hot, as I believe I’m not the only jaded adult that thinks this. But, I know that this might still cause some controversy, so let me explain.
The days leading up to Halloween, what we (including myself) affectionately call “spooky season”, is awesome, if not top notch. Social media is the flagship for this, as we all can share how excited we are via showing what Halloween/spooky events are happening in our local areas, what movies/seasons of TV shows are coming out around this time, what new/returning Halloween candy/foods are available, as well as what other people’s cultures are doing around this time, including any personal rituals that are being performed, spiritual or otherwise. Also the praise for the autumn season itself gets me in the mood too! Everything about that time of year is amazing.
The day of Halloween, though…? The anticipation and excitement within myself dies. I don’t remember exactly when this all started for me, but I think me transitioning into adulthood from my teenage years is kinda what killed my Halloween spirit. It’s not socially acceptable for adults like myself to go trick-or-treating anymore, and the only things that us adults are expected to do on Halloween are three things: Go to parties/bars and stay out late into the night, stay at home with candy that was purchased from the grocery store and watch scary movies, or participate in the exponentially dying tradition of trick-or-treating. WHERE’S THE FUN IN ANY OF THAT?
Speaking of trick-or-treating…I am so sad that it’s dying. Of course, parents have valid reasons for not letting their children run loose into the streets at night and take candy from strangers. That sentence in and of itself has multiple reasons as to why trunk-or-treating is becoming more popular. It keeps children safe by having multiple eyes on them, and it keeps an honor system of making sure nothing that is being handed out from the trunks has been tampered with (even though that whole “poisoned Halloween candy” thing is a myth, but ANYWAY). But I can’t help but feel like trunk-or-treating kinda kills the whimsy of Halloween.
All of this could just be me being old and crotchety (I’m 27, which obviously means I’m ANCIENT), but I miss the days where we celebrate Halloween all day long, from having parties and costume contests at school, to going trick-or-treating and doing candy swaps with friends and family at the end of the night. I do realize that I am putting a lot of emphasis into trick-or-treating. I guess it’s because that activity is so iconic and synonymous to Halloween for me, but it’s kind of like I’m wearing blinders. I know that there are so many other things that I can do on Halloween, and I can create my own traditions, or even pivot and focus on similarly iconic traditions. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I miss the community aspect of Halloween. After everything that happened in 2020, holidays like Halloween just don’t feel the same anymore because our sense of community has become so distant and fragile. It has also become so dystopian thanks to late-stage capitalism. Like I can’t even look at a single form of visual media anymore without being blatantly advertised to. Our holidays have become so consumerist that it doesn’t even feel special anymore.
I just wish things felt special and magical again.
Comments
Please remember what subreddit you are in, this is unpopular opinion. We want civil and unpopular takes and discussion. Any uncivil and ToS violating comments will be removed and subject to a ban. Have a nice day!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
Halloween peaks in your 20’s.
So youre saying multiple days are better than a singular day? Hot take.
Everything you mentioned adults can do is the very fun part of Halloween
Dont think its too hot of a take, but I agree. Halloween itself isn’t too great for adults unless you have kids and enjoy the day itself with them.
I sort of agree. The planning and prep for Halloween is fun, unlike most holidays because most people don’t take it too seriously. Decorations and costumes can be a little tacky and its accepted. However, the lead up to most special events is usually half the fun. Day of it’s a couple hours of celebrating, then it’s over. That goes for most thing.
Day after Halloween with 50% off candy? JACKPOT
It might be more impactful if the greedy capitalist c**ksuckers weren’t duping the slackjawed masses into buying f**king candy corn in July.
While I agree, most things are most exciting during the lead up. I read somewhere that we feel the happiest while planning vacation, for example. Even happier than while on the vacation.
But at 27, you are also kind of in the Halloween rut phase of your life. Halloween is magical when you’re a kid. Then it’s full of parties and scantily clad costumes in your early 20s. And then it kind of falls off for a while. But then you have kids of your own and it’s magical watching it through their eyes. We don’t have kids, but we’re the house with the cool decorations and that’s pretty awesome too!
Don’t give up on Halloween!!
I think this is any holiday that people are excited about.
Halloween rocks! It’s for adults now!
I threw a Halloween party when I was about 26. I think it’s the last time I’ve taken the day of Halloween seriously and had a lot of fun. I am 33 now and I am remembering back in my teens how much fun Halloween used to be. Constant scary movies the prior weeks. My friends and I would rent VHS or dvd movies and watch like three horror movies in one night. By the third one you’re not even scared of anything you can watch the scariest movie of all time and you’ll just laugh at that point LOL
> the only things you can do on Halloween is go out or stay in!
Isn’t this every day of life??
Also check this out and tell me this hasn’t always been a corporate holiday: https://youtu.be/NaGQt8pEKvY?si=eoAOr8ubcZSBegXV
Halloween has always been the biggest holiday of the year for my family, mainly because its my mom’s birthday too. We always have a huge Halloween/birthday party for her every year that often includes every house on their block, plus friends, plus family, plus the occasional rando that just walked up and decided to join the party. Their neighbor also works at a food distributor and would get full king sized candy bars by the case that we would pass out to kids. Its a really great time.
I mean I will say trick or treating isn’t dying where I live at least. The streets are packed with hoards of children, lots of neighborhoods have a community bonfire etc. I liked Halloween in my 20s but it’s utterly delightful again when you have kids. My kidless adult friends love decorating their homes and wearing costumes to give out candy, heading down to the bonfire etc.
Had to google trunk or treating, which looks horrific.
I feel this. I’m still a teen and I can say the majority of us do not go though the effort to dress up and go outside anymore.
Nobody in general bothers much in the UK because we have miserable press for Halloween. Barely anything in the shops, not a lot of hype on TV and hardly anyone puts out sweets for trick or treaters.
Also the UK is largely a Christian country, so I think they keep it more low profile here to not offend the pearl clad 80 year olds.
Anyway, now I think about it, I do enjoy the run up rather than the holiday. Since Halloween here sucks, i’m kinda forced to enjoy the run up because the end of it is so much more disappointing. I’m clinging on even though it’s still not up to standard.
When you’re an adult you start providing the magical experiences to others. Not sure why you don’t like parties, I went to a ton of great parties in my 20s. Now in my 40s, single, no kids, and I love giving out Halloween candy, decorating my place, and putting on a costume to participate in the day.
Sounds like another adult who’s just bitter that they’re not a kid anymore. No shit the day of Halloween isn’t that exciting as an adult. You have to make it into something fun if that’s what you want. Throw a Halloween party or something
I think this is also accurate for Christmas
I’m in my 40’s and halloween was a lot of fun back in my day. You dressed up for school, people really decorated their houses and you could trick or treat from dinner time until usually 9pm or later depending if there were porch lights on or not. Once I bought my own house, I noticed less and less decorations and less kids, sometimes just a handful. In my town, you’re only allowed to trick or treat from 6-8pm which is ridiculous as far as I’m concerned. You can’t get far in 2 hours or hit all the houses in your neighborhood. Let the kids have some fun and be out a little longer without trying to control it.
One of my neighbors does a huge display with music and so the last couple years, we’ve had more and more kids to where it was fun. I pass out non-candy items which the kids seem to love. Last year was pencils and this year will be little boxes of sidewalk chalk. I do have candy set aside for the teenagers.
I actually LOVE dressing up and handing out candy on Halloween. I do a bunch of decorations in my yard and kids compliment it all the time saying it’s their favorite house of the night. This year I’m dressing up as the mothman and I think I’m gonna hide and try to scare kids 🤣 I’m so excited. I love the lead up, the actual day, all of it. Best holiday ever! And I’m 41, so you can still have fun on Halloween if you want as an adult.
Think this is just called getting older
This post should just be called I miss trick or treating lol, Halloween parties are the best part of the holiday anyway by far
Yeah, this one of those “the journey is better than the destination” things.
I’ve never been a Halloween person so can’t comment on that but I feel the same about Christmas. Build up is great – going to the markets, present shopping and wrapping, decorating the house, going to the town light switch on etc, I love it all. The day itself is good but the build up is definitely better.
Not a lot of houses decorate much anymore for Halloween. Trunk or treats ruined that, get these fat kids some steps in!!!
I think it depends upon what day the party is. If Halloween is on a weeknight, then yes, the Friday and Saturday night prior to Halloween is significantly better than Halloween day/night itself.
My boys are pre-teens, so on the verge of ceasing to trick or treat in the coming years. I do have some great memories of going out with them for trick or treat – really great times.
I do still enjoy when the neighbours and the kids come to the door – as I have awesome candy, but we are in a low density/hilly area so it’s probably less than 30 visits per Halloween.
Not too hot. I try to savor every day in October because the whole spooky/fall/monster movies/coming of winter/honoring the dead thing is totally my jam. I celebrate Halloween for 31 days!
So you’re saying that your Halloween experience is lackluster because you stopped celebrating it in a fun way.
I have a blast every year. Every holiday is what YOU make it, not what everyone else makes it.
i think the lead up to most things are better… lead up to vacation is exciting and you plan, the key is to live in the moment
Halloween is the GOAT holiday because it’s the only holiday where you can be someone else and let loose with your FRIENDS rather than meeting up with family like usual.
Also because DEATH 🤟💀, now you’ve got me hype
Some of my best Halloweens have been post-college (and I’m currently only 26, slightly younger than OP). My partner and I throw a big Halloween house party every year and really try to do it up. People rave about how much fun they have because no one else is throwing Halloween parties like they used to. We also usually have multiple sober guests who still have a great time.
You have to keep the fun up as an individual. Throw the party. Sit out on the deck and pass out candy. Spend time carving pumpkins or going to a haunted house. Make that costume and go to the rave.
It’s my favorite holiday! And yes I love to get plastered at a party, but there are a ton of other ways to keep things festive.
> or participate in the exponentially dying tradition of trick-or-treating. WHERE’S THE FUN IN ANY OF THAT?
Our house gets a lot of trick or treaters. ITs a lot of fun seeing them be all excited. Our neighborhood goes all out with spooky decorations.
As an adult, the lead up to Halloween is stressful, because I got to get candy before the shelves are picked clean. I got to decorate, etc. Halloween night is just spooky movies while we give out candy.
The magic will return when you have kids. And then it REALLY RETURNS when you have grandkids!
You can’t enjoy the magic till you have been without it for a while…
This can be said about many holidays… as you get older you come to understand depending on your familial or financial situation that they are in some cases pushed by corporate entities to enforce traditions that get people traveling and spending money on exuberant items/experiences and/or cause unnecessary stress upon the individual during a time of what should be leisure. I dare say holidays in general are overrated and, the older you get, suck fucking balls, pardon my french. Once you’re a working adult, the last thing you want to do on day off during Christmas or Easter or Thanksgiving is see various members of your family you haven’t seen in ages/aren’t close to, make awkward small talk, perhaps cook and scramble and fawn over your guests all day if you are cooking or hosting, and at the end of it all, have a meal and then knock out from the tiredness. It’s essentially another day of housework/chores/labor amplified by it’s perceived importance and thus exerts pressure upon the host to, even before guests arrive, clean their homes from top to bottom within a short window of time for a one to two night affair.
When you really get down to it, I think a lot of people would be happier spending time strictly with their immediate families and friends in close proximity rather than making big deals out of keeping appearances no matter how inconvenient it may prove.
Have you tried staying in and reading a vampire novel?
My town goes absolutely wild for Halloween. We rename the town Monsterville and we have tons of trick or treaters. One of my favorite days of the year.
I agree, and feel the same way about Christmas. December 26 is the most depressing day of the year, because everybody’s been celebrating at least since the beginning of the month, then in the blink of an eye it’s over.
Trunk-or-treating to me has the same lack of authenticity as mall trick-or-treating did when it first became a thing. Trick-or-treating isn’t trick-or-treating if you’re not going door-to-door, freezing your ass off OUTSIDE, in the DARK. If the world is so unsafe now (and I don’t disagree that it is) just drop trick-or-treating.
Honestly it just depends on what day it falls on as an adult with no kids really the only thing to do is party and if Halloween is on a Tuesday it’s a bit of a bummer
I sort of agree. I usually get off work, dress up, pass out candy, then go out for a meal in costume. Sometimes the weekend before, I’ll find a haunted house to go to or something like that. I don’t have kids but I think passing out candy is a lot of fun. Sure there’s not AS many trick-or-treaters but there still are some so I like to be available to give candy to them.
I love spooky season! I decorate the house in September. And start the scary movie watching in October. I also like to make spooky themed gift baskets for my friends and co-workers.
You put into words exactly how I feel about Halloween. I say it’s my favorite holiday, but I think I really just love the anticipation of it. I dunno. Maybe it’s cause I’m no longer a kid. Rip me.
Christmas is the same. The lead up for like a month to it is the best. The Christmas carols, setting up all the decorations, doing the tree, baking and cooking all kinds of delicious sweets, skating and snowmen, sledding and smoky outdoor fires with hot chocolate, mint chocolate coffees and winter themed hot drinks, the stores all playing carols and the displays of Christmas stuff in every store. I even like gift shopping. Like going out to buy some presents for people you love and then stopping downtown for some hot chocolate and wandering the town. And all this stuff leading up to Christmas. Then you meet up with friends and family for holiday drinks and sweets. Have people over or you go over. Every day is an excuse to get together and have a rum or a piece of cake and a relax.
And the. Christmas comes and it’s a rush of ripping open presents and busy dinners and rushing around. Dealing with family and possible drama. And then it’s over and there’s no more to do. Then Christmas night you’re just looking at decorations you have to take down and a bunch of stuff you need to find room for and you’re a bit sad because it’s all over.
I feel this way about Christmas, too. I love the ramp up of the Christmas season – trimming the tree, baking, wrapping gifts, and watching holiday movies, but the actual Christmas day is kind of a letdown.
How do you feel about Haunted Houses? I don’t typically go on Halloween because I take my kids in the weeks leading up to, but in my area there are plenty with a party vibe. Bonfires, s’mores, spooky music, characters roaming the grounds, games, etc. not to mention the actual trails, hayrides and so on.
Might be worth checking this out:
https://www.thescarefactor.com/haunted-house-directory/
I sort of agree with this. I got married on Halloween so I always feel like it has to live up to this crazy unattainable standard I’ve built up in my head. Then I stress myself out because I didn’t do everything I wanted, when in reality there is no feasible way to get to everything on my list (haunted houses, corn mazes, parties, screenings, etc.) It gets to the point where I’m in such a bad headspace by the time Halloween arrives, I create my own disappointment.
That said, I’m learning to not bite off more than I can chew. More like take little bites. I agree that Halloween itself can be disappointing if you let it. The build up to it can be lots of fun if you pace yourself.
Now I completely agree with your opinion on trick or treating but there’s lots of ways to still get that aspect as an adult. If you have friends with kids, go trick or treating with them and be the fun aunt or uncle. I personally go to this one community Halloween event that’s technically for kids but I get candy regardless and dress up. Only the minority will judge you, and even then you just gotta not care or it’ll ruin your fun.
I think at times we should look into restricting Halloween because it signals the opening of the portals to hell… when that song emerges…
Literally nobody is trick-or-treating anymore. The stupid fucking “trunk or treat” bullshit completely and totally killed the holiday.
It’s turned in to a candy wellfare program, and half the kids don’t even bother with a costume.
How is trick or treating dying? I used to get 66 kids. Didn’t matter the day of the week or the weather.
Then it crept to over 100, over 300, last year I had over 1000. I know of houses that get over 2500 trick or treaters in one night, and they actually have a 2nd day of trick or treating for treat accessibility.
I don’t understand why stores keep pushing the holiday decor months in advance. It’s not even September. School isn’t even back in session. We still have multiple holidays before Halloween.
I’ve always loved Halloween but I don’t like dressing up and don’t like parties so I feel like I can’t do anything to celebrate it. I just love the imagery of it all, more than any other holiday. I wish more places like shops dressed things up to get in the spirit but then again, it’s usually only a tree at Christmas so I don’t expect a full on haunted house.
I just want some god damn trick-or-treaters to show up. I am the full sized candy dude (I also have a trivia question that will net a big bag of nerd clusters – like a “Should I give myself type 2 diabetes today” big bag.)
I have not had a trick-or-treater come to the door of anywhere I have lived since I was 12 (And not allowed to trick-or-treat because satan)
The real one – Nevada used to have Halloween off every year (Nevada day is october 31 because lincoln was blessedly pulling some shit)
A few years ago (More than a decade I guess) they changed it to “Observed last weekend of october”
Fuck that shit.
Halloween is kind of like Valentines Day or New Years Eve in that it’s a “going out” holiday. But bars/restaurants/large parties suck on those kinds of holidays. If you are lucky to be invited to smaller gatherings it can be cool, but scaled up too big and it’s too much. Scaled down to the point you have nowhere to go and it’s a little FOMO. So it becomes a little pressured like you have to have a certain type of fun on a specific day.
The rest of the season is filled with little treats that make everyday life more fun. Pumpkin beer, a nice drive through fall foliage are little low pressure treats. So it makes those surrounding days more enjoyable.
I agree with the title but for a completely different reason. Wife and I love the excuse of “spooky season” to watch a different horror movie every night of October. But by the time Halloween itself arrives we’ve worn out the excitement to make that day much different. Maybe someday we’ll have the gumption to just host Halloween parties ourselves to cap off the season.
So, just a little perspective: I’m European, but ive always been very involved in the anglosphere. Where im from halloween doesnt exist outside of adults throwing the occasional party. I spent my first real halloween in October of last year in canada, and it was amazing
the decorations, the atmosphere, my god the costumes. it helped there was some very nice weather.
I understand that as you grow up things get jaded and you arent as excited about these things as you once did, but my god, that one halloween was everything i wanted from it and more. I even did some trick and treating.
If you like the idea of halloween, I urge you: dont lose sight of what you have. its pretty damn awesome
I keep seeing people say trick-or-treating is dying but idk where that’s happening. Bc Kansas City absolutely HOPS on Halloween night. Go to any suburban neighborhood and there are masses of kids. My kids go until they can’t and they come home with masses of treats.
I think it’s the other way around, but that’s me
Special? You mean Special Needs?
I wish I had friends that threw Halloween parties. I think that might be the funnest thing. As a parent, my time is spent making sure my child experiences it all and it’s fun in that way.
My(34F) neighbors(of close age) and us( my husband and I) have started a tradition of theme. Last year’s was lord of the rings(we had 10 people plus a baby hobbit) with everyone as a character. I even made a small mt.doom, had a canvas sheet to projects the fellowship movie on and my husband(dressed as gandalf) handed out cheap gold rings. We of course gave plenty of candy and complimented kids costumes. This year is pirate themed. We are constructing the bow of a ship and we are dressing up like ren fair pirates with 6 people involved. We even have a one eyed dog assigned as the captain. We make our own party??? We have a fire in our backyard after passing candy out. It’s been a blast so far. We just got lucky with cool neighbors.
I only find Halloween disappointing because COVID ruined trick or treating in our town. Everyone does a trunk or treat now so the kids have their fill of candy before actual Halloween. Last year I got 2 groups of kids come by. Year before I got like 6 groups.
Halloween has 1000% changed even further than before covid. Kids stopped trick or treating yeeaaaarrrrrsss ago
For me it’s watching horror movies all month…then Halloween comes and I don’t care about it lol
For me it’s just an excuse to turn the lights out and watch all the horror I haven’t been able to yet.
Halloween is just the spooky season for me. I don’t look at what anyone else is doing or make social media accounts to post about what I’m doing, we just set up the house with spooky stuff and enjoy the general ambiance of the area we’re in.
Hell most halloweens now we hang out with friends and cook or do a potluck and play games and stuff. You can actually make all of your own traditions as opposed to what people are doing for kids or college kids are finding the newest excuse to get shithoused.
80’s-90’s Halloweens were my favorites… cheesy horror movies on TV, chilly weather and crunchy leaves, and all the weird novel Halloween candy that wasn’t available any other time of year. It was peak Trick or Treating! I have a kid now and I take her out each year and it definitely does not have the same magic, at least for me. I wonder how she’ll remember it when she’s my age?
OMG I had this thought last year but I solved it. I invited 2 other married couples without children and we carved pumpkins. You have to make holidays fun with an activity. Watching the same old movies or going to a bar aren’t the answer. Make it special. None of us had carved a pumpkin since childhood. At first everyone was kinda being polite but maybe not that into it but then something clicked. We all started to get into it. My husband grabbed a drill to make pilot holes in the pumpkins for easier carving. We all had a great time. I was surprised the guys were into it the most. One woman has never carved a pumpkin before.
I’ve realized I’ve been trying to “rekindle” the magic of childhood holidays but nostalgia isn’t enough. And if you don’t have children to make new memories with the holidays eventually become sad and boring. You have to actually do something. Host a dinner party, carve pumpkins. Last year for Christmas I made a point to book tickets to see Christmas plays and got another couple to come and we drove around looking at Christmas lights after.
If your mother isn’t bringing the holiday magic anymore then you have to do it yourself!
Winter is depressing af and Halloween is just the first harbinger of it. I prefer not to think about it. So everyone please just stop trying to rush that shit, I’m going to enjoy summer as much as I can while I can. And no, I don’t want to hear about football either. It will all be here soon enough, don’t rush it, please, I’m begging you motherfuckers