I Love Halloween on Mondays

This was the best Halloween I've had probably since I've been back from my mission. Growing up, Halloween was always a huge affair in my neighborhood. There were so many kids around--I know, so strange for Utah County--that the streets were almost crowded at 9:00 at night and my parent's candy bowl was always almost empty at the end of the night. Sadly for everyone, this hasn't been the case for most of the new millennium. These last few years Halloween has gotten progressively worse. Trick-or-treaters no longer come by my door, decked out in their cutest or scariest costumes demanding candy and delighting in my expertly carved Jack-o-lanterns. The only ghosts that come to mind nowadays are the old western ghost towns as I see the empty, abandoned streets on Halloween night with nothing coming down the sidewalks except for the leaves driven before the howling wind. I hate it.

So, why did I title this post "I Love Halloween on Mondays?" Well, anyone who lives in Utah or is a Mormon might be able to answer that question. The reason is also tied directly to what has made Halloween into the most pathetic community celebration of the year.

Trunk or Treat!

Trunk or treat. Even writing it gives me a foul taste in my mouth. Trunk or treat is based on an idea that lets kids who live in dangerous neighborhoods do trick-or-treating without having to go door to door and possibly exposed to harm. That's perfectly OK. The problem began when some paranoid, but I'm sure well-meaning person decided that Trunk or Treat would be a great idea for a Halloween church activity. Kids would go get their candy at the ward Halloween part dressed in their costumes walking from car to car in the parking lot, taking candy from people standing by the open trunk of their cars. Great! because these kids were in such danger on the rough streets of Happy Valley UT.

So, why do I think this ruins Halloween? Picture it if you will. Trunk or Treat on Halloween night at, let's say 5:00 p.m. Parents take their kids, take their candy and get home by 7:00 p.m. Logically, you would think, ok, now its time to start real trick-or-treating, but nay, not so. See, parents don't want to buy extra candy, and they will do anything to avoid having to actually WALK AROUND with their kids. So, they go home and turn off the lights and ignore the few kids who go out on their own. This translates into having maybe 5-8 kids come by your house on Halloween night and a big bowl of un-gifted candy.

What really bothers me about this is how it is ruining Halloween as a celebration that builds community. Consider this. I don't have actual statistics, but I would guess that where I live probably about 75% of the people are active church-going members of the same religion. So, when they are all doing this same thing that excludes the 25% of people in the community who aren't church members or who can't or just didn't want to go. They miss out completely on Halloween. Not only the kids, but the parents and grandparents who have fun seeing kids in their costumes. And don't tell me that non-members can still go to Trunk or Treat because we both know that most people don't want to go to activities done by other churches and religions. I know I wouldn't feel comfortable.

This year, however, was an exception. There were a lot of houses open for business last night, with their decorations turned on in all their orange glory. There were trick-or-treaters out by the scores wandering the streets in search of sugary bliss. It felt like Halloween to me for the first time in almost 10 years.

Why did this happen? What special circumstances contributed to the return of a community-based Halloween? Any member of the LDS faith by now knows. It was a Monday. Monday is the night for Family Home Evening. A time to spend time learning and growing and bonding as a family. No Church Activities on Monday. Thus proving my point that chruch-sponsored Trunk or Treat is ruining Halloween.