Trick or Treat on Saturday Night?
Back in 1999, 10-year-old Jaclyn (my youngest daughter) told me that Halloween should be on the Saturday BEFORE October 31st. She wanted to be able to trick or treat until midnight, sort and trade candies with her friends, and gorge herself on her favorite Sour Patches without having to worry about doing homework and going to school the next day. Apparently she was on to something.
Jaclyn created petitions, got local dentists and politicians to endorse her plans, and gathered friends to join her in trick or treating on the Saturday before Halloween. She held banners at major intersections in Santa Cruz, passed out fliers in neighborhoods, and rallied her friends. Jaclyn was interviewed by several TV stations, radio stations, and newspapers. That was in 1999.
Fast forward to 2018, 40,000 people just petitioned President Trump to change the date that the US celebrates Halloween to the last Saturday of October. Although Halloween is not a federal holiday, these petitioners – just like Jaclyn back in 1999 – are starting a movement to change the day, regardless of the jurisdiction that makes these decisions (it’s a social holiday). I hope they get some traction because it make sense to trick or treat on Saturday night!
