I remember when I was growing up we would count down the days until October 31st. We would swap costume ideas with friends and family members alike, weeks and weeks in advance. The pumpkin-carving ordeal was quite the family affair back then. My sisters and I would literally draw sketches of different jack o' lantern styles, submit them to my father, and he would judge and select what the ultimate design would be. We would carve the pumpkin as a group and then roast the pumpkin seeds for a snack later. My mother would purchase ample amounts of different candy (good candy too, no tiny tootsie rolls in my household) a week or two in advance to avoid the rush, in preparation for hand out on the final day of October. Back then Halloween was truly…a holiday.
Now all grown up, and having lived on my own for close to 10 years…I have yet to carve my own pumpkin. I have never bought candy for handing out. And most surprisingly, I have never had a trick or treater knock on my door or likely have never been there to answer. I like most have forgotten its even still celebrated.
Halloween is on the verge of being the next holiday to be rejected. Now I am not talking about not celebrating a holiday for religious reasons or beliefs. I am talking about those holidays that we as people just eventually give up and forget about celebrating. You know…like St. Patrick's Day? Don't you remember a time when you were young when there were some futile attempts to celebrate St. Patrick's Day at your school or even your home? Do you even know when St. Patrick's Day is anymore? It's like we just got to a point and thought: "Why are we doing this again…with all these shamrocks and green table cloths? And why do I have a leprechaun as a centerpiece on my table?" And with that we just stopped celebrating St. Patrick's Day (well maybe some Irish folk still do).
Halloween is next on the chopping block.
The reason being is it's a bit outdated and there is really no thought or creativity behind it anymore. Times have changed and children and young people are a different breed. It takes more these days to entertain them kids. There has to be a little bit more incentive then just candy to get today's youth to dress up and walk around the neighborhood. Most would likely rather just stay home and watch DVDs or play video games. Most adults don't really participate anymore due to either fear of today's youth or a general disinterest in just handing out over priced candy. Due to the reduced amount of trick or treaters each year, less homes are handing out candy, which in turn furthers more to give up going out for Halloween. (It's a vicious circle my friends) Young adults would rather just go to costume parties and get drunk (bless their little hearts) so they are responsible for morphing the holiday into something entirely different altogether. And finally, Trick OR Treat? When was the last time someone had to do a trick?
In order for Halloween to remain a viable holiday it needs to be updated for the new generations. A reboot if you will. Now its been said that in order to move towards the future, you must look to the past for the answers. So I did a little research and found this interesting nugget on the origins of Halloween:
"During Medieval times and places, costumed holiday parading, singing, and dancing at Halloween, became popular in Ireland and the British Isles. Originally these costumed celebrants were adults and older teens, who would go from house to house demanding ales and food in exchange for their performances."
Knowing this, here is what I propose that will appease all demographics: A select group of homes in each neighborhood plan Halloween parties with candy, food, booze, bobbing for apples, video games, and other such extracurriculars. Now the only way to be granted access to a particular event will be to walk door to door and do a performance or trick you could say. If your trick is approved by the event planner, then you are allowed in the party, if not you are sent to the next house to continue to shop your wares. Now these tricks can range from a number of things including singing, interpretive dancing, juggling, monologues, you name it…get creative kids! And these performances may even be better supported by…a costume?
This way the children have more incentive to plan for October 31st and can flex their young creative muscles. Adults can get to know their neighbors better and ultimately feel safer by having control over who comes to their homes. But most of all it best illustrates the true value and importance of Halloween. Its not about candy and dressing up in costumes. It's about community. It's about planning and doing something with our families. It's about eliminating our fears of strangers and strengthening the social bonds with our neighbors. And oh yes…the young adults can get drunk.
…but that's just my opinion.
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