After last year’s dullish autumn during the height of the pandemic, I wonder if this Halloween, which I consider the beginning of the holiday season, will be especially festive or if, after all of this, we’ve simply forgotten how to celebrate.
I’m banking on the former and I’m not the only one. According to the National Retail Federation, consumers are forecast to spend a record $10.14 billion on Halloween this year, up from last year’s COVID-depressed total of $8.05 billion. Even taking into account inflation, which is rising precipitously, that’s a lot of cash to spend on candy and costumes.
Right on cue, as the days become darker, Americans stack up some of our best parties. And if you have lived in the Flathead Valley for any length of time, you know the drill: kids will flood the streets during Halloween and, before they consume the last piece of candy corn in that pumpkin-themed sack, Christmas lights begin flickering around town.
Just a few at first. Only in the yards of those locals who can’t resist buying decorations prematurely displayed at area department stores. The tinsel and fake trees lure them in. And, they rationalize, snow is already falling on the mountains so “’tis the season.”
I can’t really blame them. I love Christmas and look forward to snow each year. “Fall in the Northwest,” as my mother tells me, “is great, but it only lasts a month!”
She’s right, of course. Our deciduous trees flash bright yellows and reds and our friends hurriedly post the colors on social media with descriptions like, “stunning!” Then, in a few weeks, the wind blows the leaves away and all we’re left with are trees with bare branches and below-freezing temperatures.
Regardless of the weather, we also, unfortunately, play a role in speeding up the season. We tend to, at least I do, leap frog from Halloween to the end of the year. It’s all a blur as the candy corn becomes turkey then prime rib and, before you know it, we have party hats on and are ringing in 2022.
This year, instead of holding on while each day passes faster than the last, I hope to take a breath. The number of tourists has finally dissipated and I actually recognized other people at a restaurant we ate at last week. This fleeting and shrinking shoulder season will be gone in a few months, but at least it coincides with a perfect time of year to reconnect with your family and friends.
Perhaps we can better appreciate what many of us missed out on last year: Large gatherings with lots of laughter; maybe some game nights that last longer than usual; or a simple potluck to watch football with the neighbors.
The holiday season is traditionally the time of year when stress creeps in and, instead of enjoying what is supposed to be a time of fellowship and reflection, it can feel more like a second job to make sure everything is perfect – right down to the tinsel on the tree.
If COVID taught us anything, maybe it’s that the pomp matters less than the people. And now is a good time to reconnect with them before winter arrives and the valley is overrun again.