I used to hate when Halloween fell during the work week. I mean, as a kid, it didn’t really make a difference. The holiday would be fun no matter when it occurred. Even if it was on a Monday, for instance, the day would be filled with all sorts of spooks and sweets.

At school, I could still dress up as a witch (pretty sure I was one like 7 years in a row) and there would always be some kind of events related to the day in the classroom and out of it. Like in the gymnasium. It would be transformed from a regular ‘ole stinky gym to the annual Halloween festival…pretty sure that was the ONLY day of the year I thoroughly enjoyed my time in there…

Adults would decorate the space, set up booths and create a mini Haunted Hallway. Parents would dress up and volunteer their time to watch us running around like maniacs, jacked up on sugar, and failing horribly at their games. I’m just going to say tossing rubber flying bats into an old toilet is a lot harder than you’d think, especially when you’re a kid! Yet, prizes would still fill our bags – vampire teeth, painted witches fingers, lame pencils and erasers, candy!

Then we’d go home, and the fun would STILL continue! Just when it’d start to get a little darker and cooler, we’d trick-or-treat our neighbors in the surrounding area, and then, we’d pile in the car to hit up our relatives who lived a little further away but divvied up the good stuff. I’m not talking about a single piece or two of decent candy, I mean a whole goody bag!

It just doesn’t really happen that way as you age though. In college, you can dress up and party hardy still during the week, but you’ll regret it the next day during your 8 o’clock class or when you have to be at work in the wee hours of the morning… if you decide to go that is. If you don’t, your grades suffer or you’ll get reprimanded by your boss. Not cool.

Outside of college, in the “real” world, when Halloween is on a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or a Thursday, no fun for you either! Nope. Well…maybe a little, but there’s even bigger consequences! Sure you could dress up at work, in fact I do, but it’s not like you can peace out for a few hours for some festivities and then come back. And you can’t really rage in monster-like fashion in the evening once you’re off because you have to get up and do it all over again the next day. This time, if you don’t, you could be fired, which would stop the money flow, which means pretty soon you could be living in a cardboard box on the side of the road, which means… well you get the picture. It’s a downward spiral! Or, say you brave it, and actually go in. The ghosts and drinks of All Hallow’s Eve will surely be haunting you on the 1st, and it will only be worse if you can’t spend the day at your house on the couch binge watching Netflix and chugging water.

Heck, even when you don’t go out for a few drinks, but stay in and stay up to give out candy and watch late-night Halloween movies, it’s rough on the body! We’re not as young as we used to be. That’s for sure. We need sleep and rest! And you can’t get that if you have to be up early for work the next day.

I guess when I started to view the day (my FAVORITE day) in this depressing, negative way, I tried to find a positive, and I found one!

When Halloween takes place the day before a workday, the community happenings are spread out over two weeks. Some before, some on, some after the holiday. So, while you might not be able to go out ON Halloween, you can the weekend(s) before or after!

So, check out these happenings or others (because this list includes just a few events) in our community to bring back that feeling you had as a kid!

*Although this list is extensive and detailed, double check information with the hosts before heading out!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!