Halloween celebrations warrant a day off

By Michael Bolcato

Every Oct. 31, a special holiday comes around: Halloween. Kids get dressed up as their favorite characters or spooky icons, go trick-or-treating in their local neighborhood or even stay at home watching their favorite Halloween movies and specials. This is truly the greatest feeling as it shows people of all ages can enjoy something about Halloween. If that is the case, why is it not nationally recognized as a day everyone can have off from work and school? Kids still have to go to school and adults still have to go to work on Oct. 31 despite how they may be celebrating.

What I am saying is that Halloween should be recognized as a true holiday. This gives adults and kids the time to plan for their festivities. Kids do not want to be in school learning about math and science on a day when they would rather be hanging out with friends in costumes. Adults would also rather be at home helping their kids getting ready to go trick-or-treating or putting up a Halloween display in front of their house, than working a 9-to-5. Having Halloween as a day off  will give everyone a break from everything going on in their life.

As someone who absolutely enjoys Halloween, I feel that it is important for everyone of all ages to get ready for any festivities and events that happen throughout the day. Halloween is almost as big as Christmas when it comes to retail sales. I see Halloween as being bigger than Easter and Thanksgiving, in terms of commercial success, but yet everyone has a day off from their jobs on those holidays. From a study that was conducted by the National Retail Federation this year, total Halloween spending is expected to reach a record $13.1 billion. That is well above 2024’s $11.6 billion and even tops the 2023 record of $12.2 billion. These are impressive numbers, especially considering price hikes on imports this year alone. This goes to show that people are willing to spend money on costumes and to dress up and bring joy to the world. This is very exciting to know, as it sets a new high standard for next year’s Halloween. This can lead to more people buying Halloween-related items in the coming years. This also leads to an increase in the amount of people who get dressed up each year as it brings more excitement in the air. This could be partially due to trends on social media.

I had spent approximately $200 dollars this year on Halloween accessories and a costume to go out in, dressing up as Jason Voorhees. Alongside my costume, I got the knife and the mask as accessories, which added up to nearly $100. I also bought Halloween candy to pass out in my neighborhood, as we got plenty of trick-or-treaters this year. 

I had a blast this Halloween. From the fun time I had at Scream Screen to the decorations on the houses this year, something about Halloween this year felt extra special. Fall and Halloween were always two things that I really enjoyed, even as a kid. Something about dressing up as somebody else for a day always excited me and I have always liked the spooky vibes around Halloween. It always brings a certain energy that cannot be matched anywhere else, even on Christmas. I truly believe everyone of all ages deserves a day off of regular activity from school and work on Halloween.

Michael Bolcato is a junior communication studies major