Tomorrow is Halloween! Personally, I could take it or leave it as a "holiday". Being that it falls during the week is the part I like least about it. It's not the 31st that is really the problem but rather the day AFTER halloween when you are a teacher. While I don't mind an hour or two of "celebrating" on the day of, dealing with sugarcoated tired little kids for 7+ hours the next day is NOT my idea of a good time. I have a pretty good group this year, so fingers crossed that they don't completely lose their minds (or that I don't lose mine) on Thursday.
For years, I've been saying I want to get a proposition on the California ballot (it only takes 350,000 signatures) to celebrate Halloween on the last Friday of the month rather than on whatever day the 31st happens to fall on - which is the day before a school day 5 out 7 times! Just this past week, I read an article that there is an online petition on change.org for making that move. Actually, theirs is moving it to Saturday. Friday is a much better choice...more days to recover before going back to school or work, but I'll take a Saturday over a Wednesday any day.
Speaking of Halloween articles, I read one this weekend about some towns making it "illegal" for children older than 12 (some 14, some 16) to go Trick-Or-Treating. I don't know how I feel about this. When I used to man the door for trick-or-treaters back in the day, I will admit it was a little irritating to have some 6 foot 4 ninja, zombie, or trench coat wearer show up at the door and take the candy you bought for the little ones. However, if they weren't causing trouble or being mean or nasty to the little kids, who really cares. Kids 12-15/16 are at that odd age where they are thought of as too old to don a costume and trick-or-treat, but they aren't really old enough to party either. If the older kids want to celebrate by going door-to-door for candy, I'd prefer that to them TPing or vandalizing the neighborhood.
Happy Halloween!
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6 hours ago
Halloween is SOOO different now than when I was a kid - and even from when my own kids were small. I've always loved it, but I also live off the beaten path enough that I can't recall a trick-or-treater coming to my door in at least 10 or 15 years!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of moving holidays to weekends, but then I don't have to deal with the aftermath like you do. My younger daughter works for a state office in Louisiana and they get tomorrow off!! All Saints' Day!
We had a few years that our powers that be arranged professional development for the teachers on November 1 so we worked, but the kids had a pupil free day. It was great!
DeleteMy high schoolers were soooooo squirrely today! Not looking forward to tomorrow at all.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure which is harder - squirrelly little kids or squirrelly high schoolers. Good luck today! :)
DeleteWhen I was young, trick or treat was always on a Friday or Saturday. Now it always falls exactly on the 31rst and people raise hell at the mere mention of moving it to a different day. I'm with you though, it is a holiday I could take it or leave it.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, we ALWAYS went on the actual day when I was a kid, but a lot of places have been offering "safe" trick or treating on the weekend before. Malls, the police station, etc. A lot of parents do opt for that instead. I had several kids tell me yesterday that they weren't going out because they went this weekend.
DeleteTraditions are hard to break from I guess. It's not one that I'd die by, but for some people it's a big deal.
The thing is, Halloween isn’t really a “holiday.” To my knowledge, workplaces and/or government offices are not closed. So in my opinion, individual municipalities should make the rules/suggestions about trick-or-treating. And I tend to think moving it to the last weekend of the month makes perfect sense.To me it would be more fun knowing you didn’t have to get up and go to work or school the next day.
ReplyDeleteI also tend to think once you’ve reached about 12 years old, you should be done with trick-or-treating. Dress up and go to a party if you like, but give up on the door to door stuff and leave that to the little ones.
For some reason, I am not notified when you post a comment like I am with the others. Weird!
DeleteI agree, the Halloween festivities like parties and trick-or-treating aren't really what the original All Hallow's Eve was about. It's not a bank/govt holiday, so what does it matter moving it.