Is Halloween the new Christmas?


I noticed a trend in my neighborhood of elaborate Halloween decorations. Is Halloween the new Christmas?

As I walked around my neighborhood this week I noticed that there are more and more houses decorated for Halloween this year. Not just with carved pumpkins and black paper cutouts in the shape of cats or witches hats (depending on which way you squint at 'em) like when I was a kid, either. Nope, now we've got orange "icicle lights" (I'm sure there is a new marketing term for the Halloween version of these Christmas favorites) strung under the eaves. orange lights strung on the landscaping, bones scattered in the front yard. One house erected an elaborate lighted tunnel over the walkway to the front door. Another projected an large image of glowing ghouls and goblins on the wall visible through the front window (cool!).

Every year at Christmas my neighborhood encourages a friendly house decorating competition. We have a contest with prizes for "best decorated house" and "best decorated block" and stuff. It is fun, and the neighborhood looks festive all lit up for the Christmas holiday season. Perhaps the elaborate Halloween decorating is fallout from the escalation of the Christmas competition, like some sort of mutual assured illumination policy.

Next year I think I'll decorate my house for Columbus day (in early October). I wonder what color icicle lights were hung on the Santa Maria.

Posted: Fri - October 31, 2003 at 12:16 PM        

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