Revisiting- November 1st: Our Next Federal Holiday
Hello Gimme A Minute Readers,
This is a post I originally published last year. I still believe this is an important movement more people need to get behind. We can’t be out Trick-or-Treating late into a Tuesday night, then be expected to work the next day. Let’s rally behind this issue now. Who knows, there are a lot of desperate people running for president right now. Maybe on them will add this to their platform.
Enjoy!
November 1st: Our Next Federal Holiday
Congress needs to act now and make November 1st a National Holiday. That fact is indisputable. We could quibble over the official name of the holiday, “All Saints Day” or “All Hallows Day.” It could be called “National Cook for Your Pets Day” for all I care. The important thing is that Congress act now and declare November 1st a Federal Holiday. This way schools are closed and people have the day off from work.
The underlying reason for this is obvious: Halloween. I know October 31st, not November 1st, is Halloween. But December 31st, not January 1st, is New Years Eve, and which of those days traditionally hosts the bigger celebration? November 1st would essentially be a federally recognized Halloween recovery day.
When you reach out to your congressman encouraging him or her to act, here are the three major talking points to stress.
Halloween is the second biggest retail holiday in the United States. Candy, costumes, parties, alcohol, these purchases go through the roof at Halloween. This article from Investopedia estimates that Americans spent over $10 billion on Halloween in 2021. That’s a lot of candy corn. Economically speaking, Halloween is second only to Christmas in terms of its impact. Christmas is a federally recognized holiday. It stands to reason that Halloween should be as well.
Halloween is a Season, not a day. The Christmas Season has long been a part of American culture. Traditionally stretching from Thanksgiving to New Years, Christmas is not confined to a single day in contemporary America. Like it or not, Halloween is now a season as well. From the moment the calendar flips over to October, we are in the grip of the Halloween Season. Horror film marathons begin. Spirit Halloween stores materialize out of nowhere. And, the delightful Michael Myers makes his annual return. October and Halloween are essentially synonymous at this point. Like the Christmas Season, the Halloween Season needs to culminate with a day off.
Halloween is exhausting. I have four kids ranging in age from fourteen to one. My wife and I are tired all the time. On a typical Monday night we have a packed schedule of work, activities, homework, and other obligations. You throw in a forced march around town to collect candy from strangers, and we are ready to collapse. Never mind the mental toll listening to my kids talk about what they are “going to be for Halloween” for the three months prior. Oh, after listening to fifty different ideas, you are going to be Harry Potter again. How original. I just need a day afterwards to clean up the pumpkin carcass, eat the castoff Almond Joys, and maybe take a nap before having to put up Christmas lights. Is that really too much to ask?
As Americans, I really feel that we ask so very little of Congress. No rational people actually expect Congress to pass legislation on immigration reform, health care, or budget deficits. Those issues are really challenging, and people have lots of different (and conflicting) ideas of what to do. My proposal is easy. Who doesn’t like a day off? It is not likely we are creating a new holiday. Halloween is already an essential part of American Culture. All I am asking is that it receive the official recognition it deserves. The best way to do that is to make November 1st a Federal Holiday.
Do your part. Write or call your local Congressman today and say, Gimme a break! Gimme a break! Make November 1st a Federal Holiday!
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