The weather is changing, a burst of seasonably cool air took hold today over Eastern Pennsylvania.. But something is equally missing: Halloween decor. Stores aren’t equipped to sell it. Sure, there are some wreaths with leaves, but we are mostly being deluged with “Give Thanks” turkey fanfare and autumnal colors.
Minus the local SPIRIT Halloween shop that opened in a nearby shuttered retail outlet, there isn’t much Halloween spirit to be found.
SEND IN THE CLOWNS!
Or even the witches!? We seem to be forgetting the ritual of Samhain in 2020.
And why? If masks are safe, shouldn’t all Hallow’s Eve be the safest holiday of them all!?
But perhaps the most troubling news of all: PEEPS will not be found in stores this Halloween (and actually also Christmas).
Just Born, the family-owned candy manufacturer behind Peeps, Mike and Ikes and Hot Tamales, confirmed in a statement that the festive seasonal releases “will not be in stores again until 2021.”
2021!
Due to coronavirus concerns, the company “temporarily suspended production” earlier this year, and “resumed limited production” in May “after making extensive changes in our plant that ensure the safety of our associates.”
And now that Halloween candy is being canceled, there are questions if Halloween itself will be as well!
CANCELATIONS BEGIN
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced this week that it has prohibited Halloween activities, like trick-or-treating, and later revised its guidelines to say celebrations are permitted, but are not recommended. It was controversial at first, and then confusing after..
At the end of August, members of Congress asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide direction on the safety of Halloween activities in a letter to director Dr. Robert R. Redfield. The CDC has not yet released updated guidelines to reflect answers to the questions..
But we have grown old and tired of war..
After months of lockdowns and fear, some have turned to tradition as the last bastion of normalcy. They want Halloween to happen. And Thanksgiving.. and by damn they want a Macy’s Santa Claus to let kids on his lap this winter.. They yearn and desire for these annual rituals. Even though none of them may happen..
According to a Harris Poll survey conducted in June for the National Confectioners Association, 90% of millennial moms and young parents and 80% of the general public “say they can’t imagine Halloween without chocolate and candy and trick-or-treating is irreplaceable.” In addition, findings show that “74% of millennial moms and young parents say that Halloween is more important than ever this year.”Erin JensenUSA TODAY
SO WILL COVID BE THE GRINCH THAT STEALS SAMHAIN..
“We anticipate that Halloween, a historically significant season in terms of high sales and positive margin contribution, will be negatively impacted by COVID restrictions, including social distancing,” said Dollarama chief financial officer Michael Ross on the company’s recent Q2 earnings call. “We believe it will have a negative impact, but to what extent we do not know. It won’t only impact the top line, but these are part of our highest margin items, the seasonal items, and so depending on the results it might impact our margins.”
THE CLUBBERS DREAM: NOW A NIGHTMARE
It was going to be perfect!
Halloween 2020 was supposed to be the magic night.. the ultimate party..
This year’s calendar was a Halloween-lover’s dream: October 31 falls on a Saturday. Easy for parents. Easy for kids. Fun for clubs and bars that wanted to host the ‘sexy’ Halloween theme and awful karaoke where people felt they were experts on the “Thriller” dance.
Reality stole that prospect..
Last year, consumers were expected to spend about $8.8 billion on Halloween, mostly driven by costumes, candy and decorations, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation.. The hope was that 2020 would have been even better..
But those figures don’t include spending that takes place at Halloween-themed bar nights, and trips to pumpkin farms, corn mazes and haunted houses…
HALLOWEEN 2020: Meet Karen
IF Halloween happens, you may be greeted by Karen. The famed meme of 2020.. the so far faceless creature who does her part to ruin someone else’s day..
And now thanks to Artist Jason Adcock, “Karen” is set to scare in 2020 IF Halloween happens:
HALLOWEEN WAS CANCELED BEFORE
We stroll down amnesia lane quite often here.. Our latest foray into history concerns this model zeal to shut down Samhain.
Welcome back to 1918.. the Spanish flu wildly blazed across the land, including here locally.
The Danville Morning NEWS reported about Halloween on October 31, 1918 (Which by the well fell on a Thursday night that year) .. As the flu raged, the paper reported on “masqueraders” being forced to keep within bounds..
The paper gave a passing mention of the flu but focused on other less chivalrous intentions, and commented “the prevalence of an epidemic has forbidden a demonstration of any sort.”
Meanwhile, things were a little more tense in Lebanon PA..
Mayor Geo Sprang refused to issue a permit for a Halloween parade.. it was called off and the city said that the young must “forego their annual night of fun and frolic”..
Warren County adhered to the rules..
The Warren TIMES MIRROR reported on Halloween 1918 that ghosts, witches, goblins, and black cats were typical this time of year.. until the pandemic. According to the paper, the streets were vacant.. there was a ban on public and private gatherings. The paper said that “kiddies” who wanted to impersonate Uncle Sam, sailors, or Red Cross nurses must wait until 1919…
According to the Pottsville REPUBLICAN on November 2, 1918, Mt. Carmel didn’t concern itself much with then Spanish flu on Halloween..
The Republican also reported that the city of Pottsville was without its annual Halloween parade that year.
They reported that the street pageant, which was the main attraction, would be Missed “for its gaiety and good cheer.”
Fear and panic continued in 2009 during the Swine Flu pandemic.
Erin Moody wrote about Halloween fear in the Wilkes Barre CITIZENS COICE.. Halloween events at several locations were canceled that year, as well:
Several newspapers ran an AP alert about David Letterman in 2009 stating he gave out swine flu masks for kids on Halloween:
In 2009, Halloween (for the most part) went on.. “Experts” then said that fear over the swine flu should not keep kids home!
Perla Trevizo wrote then:
“I’m not too worried about (the H1N1 virus) because if it’s out there you can catch it anywhere,” said Loretta Morris, who taking her grandchildren and great-grandchildren trick-or-treating today. “We just don’t take any candy without wrappers or fruit, and I make sure they wash their hands before eating it.” Which is exactly what health departments and local doctors recommend. “We recommend that parents follow the same health precautions on Halloween as they do any other day,” said Carleena Angwin, public health educator with the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department “If trick-or-treaters are coming to your house for Halloween, hand out your treats yourself, instead of letting (them) dig into the bowl themselves,” she said.
In 2009… Kleenex and H1N1 were the costumes of the year..
As were “Got Swine” outfits:
The jury is out.. will Halloween 2020 take place?
Will we treat it like ’18.. or ’09…
In the next few weeks if we are afraid of ghosts… or a pandemic.
x x x
