Considering how much I love Autumn, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I associate the fall season with a whole stream of nostalgia. Whether it is the Pumpkin Contests, seeing who could use that little plastic carving tool to the best of their ability to chisel a conniving grin, or peering eyes. Or, the tactical planning of my halloween costume months in advance just to parade around the neighborhood with a pillow case, calling out for desired treats. Lastly, to decorating my house with extravagant decorations. Our family decorates our porch with dead trees, spider webs, and looming bats to mimik a haunted forest. I’ve always loved doing this, whilst listening to some Halloween bops on my wireless speaker. However, as I’ve grown up, I’ve become less excited about these parts of halloween, and more excited about parties, shenanigans, and being the distributor of candy rather than the receiver. So, to get to the halloween decorations around my neighborhood. They suck. I have been taking very long walks each night to make sure to cover significant ground. I have been taking notes about which decorations I am able to spot, which is very few.

Here’s the thing, perhaps it’s too early, but people haven’t decorated yet. I gave people the first weekend in October before getting too upset about it. Then, I proceeded to drag my mother around town, driving me out of my neighborhood, and into Federal Heights, and the bordering avenues. While I found one, maybe two, really elaborate decorations up there, it still fell short. So I decided to do some research at home on various halloween websites to see what the actual product being sold was currently. While it seems dependent on the particular store, Party City was selling a variety of animatronics. Boy, how far we have come since sheet ghosts were standard decorations. There are also scary things based off of recent shows, and current pop-culture. So where were these decorations? The decorations that I did happen to take note of where orange lights, pumpkins, hanging ghosts, a variety of blow up figures, wreaths, gravestones, and a couple movie themed pieces such as a Jack Skeleton lawn stake. That is all. So I hate to be a harsher of people’s vibes, it could be too early, but I’m currently writing this on October ninth, and by proper halloween etiquette, you could have started decorating as early as late September. So, get up your decorations quick! Because soon, it will be somewhat late.  

So here’s my prediction as to why there are perhaps no decorations. Things like trunk or treating, where kids walk around a parking lot to different car trunks, and parents driving their kids to neighborhoods that aren’t theirs, and getting a ride from house to house. I see it all the time. I understand that in some urban areas, that is the only option, and that’s fine, but when trick or treaters are going to be coming to your car rather than your house, there’s no need to decorate, is there? Alternatives such as these are a thing of the present, and most likely of the future. That’s honestly so sad to me, we are so wrapped up in technology, and the most successful way to handle things that we lose sight of traditions. Not that there’s anything inherently “wrong” about Truck or Treating, but is that not the most American thing you’ve heard? Put up your decorations, I will keep my eye out for them.