Cool temperatures, sweaters, warm drinks, and brown leaves seem on everyone’s minds. Summer has lasted too long, and collectively, we are fed up with this heat. However, is it officially time to pull out the spiders and skeletons? Should we be preparing the candy and looking for pumpkins?
Stores like Costco, Jo-Ann’s, Hobby Lobby, and others believe that the time for spooky and kooky decorations is now and has been since June. Some stores even celebrate “halfway to Halloween” in May, and while it is fun to take part in starting the celebration in Spring, it is a bit excessive. Spirit Halloween has also hopped on this early Halloween train, opening its doors nationwide as early as August 1, two months before the beginning of October. While seeing these decorations in stores almost year-round is fun, it is just a way for companies to make more money. So when should the Halloween season begin? Should we start celebrating once the decorations pop up?
Interviewing various Quartz Hill High School students, I found a frequent response concerning when the Halloween season should begin.
According to sophomore Cate Jensen, “September because that’s when it starts to get cold, and the pumpkin spice is at Starbucks.” Many other students agreed with Jensen. People want Halloween to begin when the weather starts getting cold, which makes sense. Dressing up in costumes and hanging decorations outdoors can be hard to do in the summer heat, but sometimes even starting the Halloween celebrations in September can pose problems.
Another sophomore, Hannah Tomczak Schmidt brought up a great point, “The gifts and atmosphere of autumn should be celebrated before Halloween.” Halloween can make us forget to admire the change of the season and the beautiful autumn weather, especially with stores pushing for earlier celebrations.
Another possible repercussion of celebrating too early is Halloween burnout. Something I have seen family and friends experience with holidays like Christmas, where it becomes over-advertised or advertised too early. Social media is no different, Instagram and TikTok, are already promoting Halloween advertisements and videos. However fun it may be for some, it can get repetitive and annoying for those who aren’t the biggest fans.
Even so, I can’t wait for Halloween to begin. Halloween is when my family connects; we decorate our house, watch spooky movies, and bake treats. The colder weather is a much-needed change from the consistent 90-100 degree weather from the last few months. I can’t wait for such a comforting season to begin, and I welcome its early beginning.
