State legislators in Connecticut are debating a bill that could change the way people in Connecticut celebrate Halloween. The bill proposes designating the last Saturday of October as “Trick or Treat Day,” allowing municipalities in the state of Connecticut to observe Halloween on Saturday, instead of whenever October 31 falls.
The idea was started last October when a Connecticut radio host created a MoveOn.org petition pushing to have the trick or treating element of Halloween moved to the last Saturday in the month, while leaving the traditional Halloween holiday intact. At the time of this writing, the petition had netted 771 signatures and appears to still be collecting signatures as news of lawmakers debating the bill spreads.
According to NBC Connecticut, some parents in Connecticut are in favor of the change, suggesting it would make the holiday less stressful for parents and safer for kids. There will be a public hearing on the bill later this month and if passed, the bill would take effect on October 1, 2018, making Saturday, October 27, 2018 the inaugural “Trick or Treat Day” if passed.
For now, this really only affects the people of Connecticut. But could other states follow suit? It’s always possible. As it stands many cities already hold special events competing with traditional trick or treating, or hold events on the last Saturday of the month like the proposed “Trick or Treat Day.” Where I live, trick or treating has been on the decline over the years due to local churches holding “Trunk or Treat” celebrations on or ahead of Halloween. I shared my disgust for the tradition here.
Would you support something like “Trick or Treat Day” or would you prefer things remained as they are? Let me know in the comments!
