It’s October, and whether it is Spring or Autumn, October only means one thing for many people. Halloween. That’s right. October is the month for spooks, ghosts and ghouls. Where everyone decks out their houses in the creepiest decor, the costumes come out, and all you can see in the stores is the spooky-themed candy. Personally, I’ve never been one to celebrate the haunted holiday, but I can certainly see why so many others love it. However, I can also see why many people raise their eyebrows at the mere thought of Halloween and say that it is merely a waste of time and money. There are two sides to every coin, and there are certainly pros and cons to the spooky Halloween holiday so today that is what I’d like to dive into. The pros and cons of Halloween. Is the holiday a delightful treat as everyone makes out, or is it more of a trick than we realise? Today, we’re going to weigh up both sides and decide, so without further ado, let’s talk about the pros and cons of Halloween.
The Cons
It can get pricey
Let’s get this one started right off the bat. Halloween can be expensive. If one takes Halloween seriously and wants to go all out, that means getting all the right decor for your house, investing in or buying costumes that could cost the same as a small car, and sweets. So many sweets. That means that the costs can add up pretty quickly without you even realising it. Is it worth spending all of that money (particularly on sweets) for just this one holiday?
It’s spooky. Really spooky
For those who are not fond of the creepy or maybe faint at heart, this holiday is definitely not for you. From the massive number of horror movies that leave your heart racing and your popcorn on the floor to the haunted houses, pranks and sometimes terrifying costumes, Halloween isn’t what people could call a happy, festive holiday. Even those who are scared of spiders need to be weary on Halloween, and I’m not a massive fan of getting my socks scared off by random people in masks. This right here is reasoning enough for me to stay in my room until Halloween is over.
Lots of sugar
The joy of dentists everywhere and the misery of all our poor teeth. One thing that makes Halloween special is the sheer amount of sugar that gets passed around and eaten. Chocolates, lollipops, caramels, gummies, sour strips and more, there is a plethora of sugary junk to go around on Halloween. The only problem with this is that while sugar may make us feel happy, it makes our teeth feel the opposite. Sugar equals cavities, so with so many sweets available on Halloween, it is an excellent time for dentists and a terrible time for our poor teeth.
You’re giving away perfectly edible food
So, not only do you spend tons of money on sweets, but you then give away those perfectly edible treats to other people. Now I’m all for sharing, but if I have to spend extra money on the themed sweets in the stores, then I’d rather eat it myself and make that money worth it. If you are going to spend money on sweets, you should at least get to eat and enjoy them yourself. Plus, by giving away all those sweets, you are contributing to the cavities developing in young teeth. The only people who gain from this holiday are the companies that profit off all the themed goods and dentists.
Is it even safe?
This is the big question to ask nowadays, isn’t it? As much as I’d love to think that it is safe for children and even adults to walk around at night collecting candy, the world is not so friendly. Halloween is the perfect time for mischievous people to let loose and so pranks, bag-snatching and even crimes make the trick-or-treating experience more of a nightmare than a joy. Even more so, not all neighbourhoods and people are innocent and friendly, so many parents have to watch out that nasty surprises haven’t been added to their children’s hard-earned container of sweets. The holiday glorifies vandalism, pranks and bad-behaviour, and it doesn’t make the streets any safer, so why should we celebrate it?
The Pros
SO MUCH CANDY
This should be reason enough, right? Halloween is the perfect reason to eat as much candy as you’d like, and no one can really get mad because they are doing it too. During the Halloween season, there is so much candy available that I’m surprised people don’t just fall into sugar comas walking around shopping malls. For anyone with a sweet tooth, Halloween is the best because everyone can stock up on their sugary needs without feeling an ounce of guilt. Sounds like a good reason to me.
An excuse to dress up
There are very few opportunities where we get to break out of our boring, standard wardrobes and wear something fun, especially if we don’t want stares of judgement and disapproval. Well, Halloween is the perfect excuse because you can dress up as strange and crazy as you’d like and it is considered perfectly normal. I love this part of Halloween because people get to express themselves, and they have an opportunity to wear fun things that they could never usually wear. So, the fact that this holiday encourages people to be creative, dress up and have fun in the wildest way they wish is enough to convince me that it can’t be all bad.
Fun movies to watch
I am not a fan of horror movies. Ask any of my friends. I can’t watch them because they freak me out too much but thankfully, Halloween movies aren’t all horrors designed to give you heart failure. There are plenty of fun Halloween movies to watch, even for wimps like me which means that there is a Halloween movie out there for everyone. Personally, I really appreciate that there are mild Halloween movies because then even people who don’t like spooky can enjoy a film during Halloween.
Pumpkin everywhere!
Pumpkin is my favourite vegetable. I could eat it all day, every day, so Halloween is the best time ever. There is an excess of pumpkin so that means pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup, pumpkin fritters, and anything else pumpkin you can think of. Not only that but stores latch onto this delicious vegetable too, so drinks become pumpkin-spiced something and sweets become pumpkin-shaped or flavoured. Halloween is pumpkin heaven so for all those who enjoy that delicious orange vegetable, Halloween is definitely a positive and not a negative.
An excuse to do things with friends
This is one of my favourite pros. Halloween is the best excuse to call your friends and do something fun together. There are always plenty of Halloween events to go to, both spooky and mild. You guys can dress up and go trick-or-treating together. You can even do something lowkey like a Halloween movie-marathon or have a themed get-together at someone’s house. There is no shortage of great things to do with your friends during the Halloween season, so take advantage of it because who isn’t looking for an excuse to spend time with friends?
You make it what you want
Probably the biggest pro of the whole holiday is quite simple – you can make it what you want. Halloween is not like Christmas where there is usually dinner, and you give gifts to each other. You aren’t obliged to cook anything, throw any parties or events or even take part. If you want to go all out, decorate your entire house and make your costume by hand, then that is awesome. If you’d prefer to have a scary movie marathon with your friends and order takeouts or have store-bought food, then that’s okay too. You don’t even have to take part in the holiday because if it’s not your thing, then so be it. You can do anything you want with the holiday, and that is totally okay, and I think that makes Halloween pretty cool.
And so there you have it! I hope you all enjoyed today’s blog post but pros and cons aside, the choice is up to you. If you love Halloween more than anything else, or if you’d far rather pretend the holiday didn’t exist, either option is entirely okay. There is no right and wrong or specific reasons why you should or shouldn’t celebrate Halloween. At the end of the day, it’s all your choice, and you can enjoy (or not enjoy) Halloween in whatever way you’d like. For my questions of the day:
- Do you celebrate Halloween? Why or why not?
- Are there any pros or cons that I missed out?
Please leave your responses in the comments section. I am really looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Thank you all so much for reading today’s blog post. If you enjoyed it, please don’t forget to hit that like button at the bottom of the post and subscribe, so you don’t miss out on any future posts. You guys are all amazing, and whether you are preparing for Halloween or not, I wish you all a fantastic weekend.
Lots of Love
Blondey on a Mission xxx
Tall Blonde Tales 
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