Why Moms Need Halloween This Year Just As Much As Kids Do

Every year, when Halloween comes around, a good time is had by all, especially by our kids. But this year, as a mom, I’m equally thrilled. Let me be totally honest, I really need the spooky season this year. Lately, getting through every hour of every day seems like a herculean feat. And this mom needs to cut loose, get dressed up, have fun, and indulge in all the delights that come with Halloween.

October this year feels sacred. While the world has been engulfed in all sorts of chaos, tragedy, and difficult conversations, I’m looking forward to deep inhales of freshly fallen leaves, a quart of spiked apple cider, and a happy Halloween. Truly, who doesn’t want to surround themselves with a little magic, a bit of escape, and a whole lot of chocolate? It’s time to disassociate a bit.

To express just how much the season means to moms this year, I’m sharing an ode to the season. Allow me to wax poetic about all the wonderful things that come with this time of year. Yes, as moms, there’s a lot of running around we have to do to get ready, but that doesn’t mean we can't enjoy ourselves too.

Here goes nothing. Don’t mind my dramatics, I’m just wildly thrilled about the season.

Dearest spooky season, the most hallowed of holidays, thank you for arriving at just the right time this year. Every year, my beloved Halloween, you show up without delay. The timing is perfect; not long after the mayhem of back-to-school has started to settle, but before the hectic holiday season sets in. It’s pure pumpkin spice bliss, really.

When else can you dress up in a crazy costume, binge-watch all your favorite Halloween-inspired movies, and eat tasty treats and delicious chocolate to your heart's content? I suppose you can do it whenever you want, but it’s way more fun when you aren’t doing it all on your own.

Dressing up to go out on the town is one thing, but why don’t we all lean into suspending reality for a minute in a costume (I don’t know about you, but being anyone I want for one night feels like the ultimate escape)! Usually, I don’t get dressed up–instead, I have a backup witch's hat to throw on. Or, maybe if I have the energy, I'll dabble with some fun face paint (which usually doesn’t happen because it’s all about getting the kids ready and out the door), but not this year.

This year, I have the urge to go all out—cosplay on a theme that caught my ear (and a bit of my heart). The plan is to escape reality as a character from my favorite movie of the moment (three cheers for all the other adult K-pop Demon Hunters fans out there). I’m pretty excited about it, and I think my tween is too, although she made me promise not to do any public serenades or randomly burst into song.

But even before the big day, do you know what else I’m looking forward to this year? A non-stop Halloween-inspired movie marathon with my minions. Yeah, I’m kind of a wimp when it comes to scary movies, but some of these classics will strike just the right balance between humor, Halloween, and goofy (if not all too spooky) storylines.

I mean, who remembers Twitches and Double Double Toil and Trouble? Or Casper (the OG, not the prequel) with a swoon-worthy short glimpse of Devon Sawa as Casper’s human embodiment. Of course, it would be Halloween heresy not to add Hocus Pocus to the list because what mom doesn’t need one of the witchy trio's calming circles right now?

Every installment of Halloweentown (no matter how awkwardly they progressed) will also have a spot in the lineup, because right now this mom needs a feel-good film with a wild plot that makes me smile (and makes my kids cringe a bit). In fact, I think we might be able to make it a whole Halloween movie month!

When it comes to the big day, I’m not sure if I’ll be at home passing out candy to all the cuties that come to my door, or if I’ll be strutting my stuff around the neighborhood. Honestly, I probably won’t walk my kids around because they’ll be going with their friends (and because they’re a tween and a teen who think they’re 20), but I’m still going to enjoy tasty treats when they get home. What can I say? I love my parental candy tax to be paid in Twixes and classic Hershey minis.

How will I top off the night after the kids go to bed, you ask? By continuing the party… and when I say party, what I really mean is diving into ‘The Haunting’, a YA Halloween-inspired thriller from an author I adore. After all, Halloween falls on a Friday this year, so why not stay up all night and enjoy every last minute?

So thank you, season of spooks, for the joy, silly fun, and mischief you bring. I’m grateful that we have a chance to chill out, dress up, eat allll the candy, and focus on having a good time when the world feels particularly hard..

Life has felt like an impossible season lately for everyone, but it’s also okay to fully enjoy a fun, playful holiday like Halloween. You can acknowledge that everything kind of sucks right now, but still go all in on the spooky season (as my therapist says, both bad and good things can be true at the same time). So gear up, ghouls and goblins, the witching season is upon us. Let's enjoy a moment where the biggest horror is the house down the street and not… everything else.

Holly Garcia writes about parenting, mental health, and all the lifestyle things. She hails from the Midwest, where she’s raising her daughters and drinking copious amounts of coffee.