Halloween is the worst holiday. There, I said it. I’m not afraid of the consequences for saying so either. (Mostly. Please do not come after me, I am small and I don’t know how to fight.)
I know plenty of people who begin putting out spooky decorations and listening to “Spooky Scary Skeletons” as soon as August rolls around. So, why would I think that Halloween is simply “not it” when so many others do?
Other than my old-fashioned view that it seems a little demonic, I mostly see it for what it truly is: a marketing ploy generated to make money. And it isn’t even a fun marketing ploy, at least for those of us who don’t like scary things.
No one talks about those of us who really don’t want to see a decapitated zombie head on someone’s front porch when we drive home at night or an animatronic of a killer clown with glowing red eyes.
While that might seem silly, it’s still important to think about. Though I’m aware there is a certain amount of sensitivity in the world and we can’t cater to everyone, I hope that people will at least try to be mindful of decorations and if they are fun or just plain horrible.
Think about the children who like the fun side of Halloween but might be traumatized by a lot of the scary things that appear on television or in their neighborhoods. Think about people with PTSD related to violent imagery and how it might affect them to see things like that so casually out in the open.
There is nothing wrong at all with having fun and celebrating something with friends and family. I love a cute little ghost sticker or pumpkins on tables. However, the basis of Halloween revolves around horror and some rather scary topics, which are not the same as pumpkin spice lattes and crunching dead leaves in autumn. The holiday can be fun, but some people go overboard with it.
On a lighter note, here are some other, more humorous reasons why Halloween is the worst holiday:
1. No one gives you handfuls of candy anymore since you’re not a cute little kid dressed in a sheep costume.
2. Actually, you get no candy at all, unless it’s the day after Halloween and you manage to get some of the leftover off-brand candy on clearance. Trick or treating at our age is practically a sin.
3. All that is on TV for weeks on end is horror when you just want to watch “The Office” reruns. Why is “The Nightmare Before Christmas” playing in September?
4. Your friends will play “Spooky Scary Skeletons” on a loop.
5. You’ll see a lot of social media posts of sexy cat costumes on Oct.. 31 which is the equivalent of “I didn’t put a single thought into this costume and still wanted to look cute.”
6. Christmas items will begin showing up in stores before Halloween is even over.