This past weekend marked Halloween — a day I typically adore, perhaps my absolute favorite — yet as I hurriedly dressed my children in their costumes, I found it hard to muster any enthusiasm. Sure, Halloween happens just once a year, but this time around, it felt like a three-month-long celebration.
It all kicked off in early August when the countdown to pumpkin spice lattes and cozy scarves began. By September, the first list of whimsical family Halloween costumes hit my feed, along with an array of costumes and decorations already filling the aisles at my local Target. They even had a Christmas section set up because, let’s be honest, Halloween has become just the prelude to the holiday season.
When Halloween night finally arrived, my excitement was running on empty. Yes, a baby dressed as the pope for a White House trick-or-treat was amusing. And sure, Viola Davis’ daughter dressing as her mom made a powerful statement about representation. The kids were undeniably adorable, and we enjoyed our time trick-or-treating, but honestly? I had been bombarded with vampire teeth and Reese’s peanut butter pumpkins for two straight months. Enough already with the tiny candy bars and talking skeletons!
There’s a limit to how much holiday spirit one can handle, and I think we’ve finally hit that wall. My inbox was flooded with holiday gift promotions the morning after Halloween, and ABC Family is already hyping its “25 Days of Christmas” lineup — which doesn’t even start for a month! As for Thanksgiving? It feels like it’s been completely overshadowed, akin to Jan Brady being shipped off to boarding school and forgotten.
Holiday fatigue is very real, and it’s creeping in earlier every year, merging Halloween with our mid-summer festivities. Soon enough, we’ll be draping lights on our houses in June and filling our homes with festive witch-elf hybrids and red-hatted pumpkins, all while inundating our kids with gifts and treats for a prolonged Hallo-giving-mas extravaganza.
Can we please pause for a moment between the celebrations? I love the holidays just as much as anyone else — I pull out my fall decorations on October 1st, start planning holiday cards early, and I cherish having my Christmas tree up. But even I’ve had my fill. I’d prefer to relish the brief periods each holiday offers instead of stretching them into a never-ending marathon.
Rushing into the holiday season doesn’t enhance its significance; it merely leaves everyone feeling drained, annoyed, and eager for the festivities to conclude.
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In summary, holiday fatigue is setting in earlier than ever, and the rush to celebrate is diminishing the joy of each occasion. Instead of blending the holidays into one long stretch, let’s take a breath and appreciate each one for the brief time it has to shine.