Boo Bashes, Trunk-or-Treats—There's Too Much Halloween Before We Even Get to October 31

Am I the only parent who dreads the dozens of events leading up to Halloween?

Fact checked by Sarah Scott

Starting in September, apparently, it was already Halloween. That is if you judge by the influx of Halloween-themed event invites that started flooding my inbox.

First, there was the Boo Bash mother-son night at the school, with the date set for more than a full month before October 31. So yes, that meant I had to figure out a costume for my son in mid-September. As for me, I was literally one of the only moms there who was not in costume, A.K.A., apparently the sole parent not organized enough to figure out what to don at a Halloween party just after Labor Day.

Flash forward a few weeks, and after my son’s first introduction to stuffing himself with candy while wearing a costume in 80-degree heat, my parents told us about a local trunk-or-treat. We’re still talking about the first week of October incidentally. But, OK, we got our younger kids in costumes, and on a hot, sunny Saturday, they proceeded to gorge themselves with lollipops and Skittles. Days to Halloween? More than 20. But who’s counting?

And by the way, in case you were wondering, my son who was my date to the Boo Bash didn’t want to wear the same costume to the trunk-or-treating event as he did to the party. Because that would be boring—and too easy and economical.

Now, as we near the actual holiday, my calendar is packed with more trunk-or-treats and even a witch's ride that involves neighborhood moms dressing up in their own iterations of the seasonal staple and tossing more candy out to costumed kids.

While each of these events is fun and amps up the excitement around Halloween, one has to wonder if all the lead-up really does is dull the finale. By the time kids get to the 31st, they’ve already dressed up in costumes several times. They’ve overindulged on candy several times. So what’s the big deal about Halloween?

Not only do the slew of events serve to slowly zap the festiveness right out of increasingly Halloween-weary wee ones, but for us parents, it’s like, enough already! I too am sick of sweets, applying cat noses, and washing Spider-Man suits—and we still have several days to go until the big hoorah. Meanwhile, I haven’t even mentioned how many times our family has gotten “booed,” which means we have to reciprocate by surprising a neighbor with a basket of candy and other assorted Halloween junk, er, goodies.

Sorry to sound like the equivalent of a Halloween Grinch (you should see my take on the Halloween switch witch!), but I’m just worn out from the influx of candy and the constant costume rotation that takes over the weeks-plus pre-Halloween—and I’m missing the good old days when we celebrated the holiday once, on October 31, and that was it. The only silver lining I can think of is that by the time we trick-or-treat our hearts out on Halloween, we really, truly have taken in every last little morsel that the season has to offer, from inhaling dozens of Kit-Kats to wearing the heck out of pricey costumes.

I’ll just leave you with one more thought: I’d love to see the holiday itself be enough. But since that’s unlikely to happen, I guess I’ll go ahead and RSVP “yes” to the track-or-treat taking place on my daughter’s high school track this weekend. Because at this point, I give up. I’m at the point where I’m thinking, what are a few hundred more sugary snacks going to matter—especially if my son gets to dress up in his fifth costume of the year… so far.

For more Parents news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Parents.