Dear Abby on Trick-or-Treating

[ettiquit]

Don't offices hold their Christmas parties on days other than Christmas?  Same situation here.

Christmas parties aren't ever held on December 25. Halloween is always October 31. Call it what you want, but if it doesn't happen on October 31, it's not trick-or-treating.

Sure it is. Even it is on Halloween a lot of places offer trick or treating at other times as well. I doubt the entire country recognizes the authority of Hotdish of e-hell so if some community somewhere offers trick or treating tomorrow instead of tonight, it will be trick or treating no matter how you or I feel about the term or the date.

There have been many years in my area in which ToT was on a day other than the 31st.  It's still ToTing because everyone still dresses up and goes house to house asking for candy. 

[Giggity]

I give up. I'm just gonna keep Halloween today, because that's when all my calendars say it is.

[mstigerlily]

I agree, October 31 is Halloween. However, my birthday is on (a date) and I often celebrate it on the weekend nearest. I view the moving ToT the same way.

The worst excuse to move ToT was the one my hometown used to use- the big high school football rivalry game (and the last game of the season) was always the Friday around Halloween. If the game and Halloween fell on the same day, guess which got moved?

[snowdragon]

I agree, October 31 is Halloween. However, my birthday is on (a date) and I often celebrate it on the weekend nearest. I view the moving ToT the same way.

The worst excuse to move ToT was the one my hometown used to use- the big high school football rivalry game (and the last game of the season) was always the Friday around Halloween. If the game and Halloween fell on the same day, guess which got moved?

That would work if the suggestion were only to move it to a weekend, but there are suggestions here to move it several weeks so that kids affected by the Hurricane can t-o-t.  I see that as beyond the pale. 

[Diane AKA Traska]

I agree, October 31 is Halloween. However, my birthday is on (a date) and I often celebrate it on the weekend nearest. I view the moving ToT the same way.

The worst excuse to move ToT was the one my hometown used to use- the big high school football rivalry game (and the last game of the season) was always the Friday around Halloween. If the game and Halloween fell on the same day, guess which got moved?

That would work if the suggestion were only to move it to a weekend, but there are suggestions here to move it several weeks so that kids affected by the Hurricane can t-o-t.  I see that as beyond the pale.

I'm just suggesting wait until things return to a semblance of normal.  Streetlights working, streets clear, homes have power.

[snowdragon]

I agree, October 31 is Halloween. However, my birthday is on (a date) and I often celebrate it on the weekend nearest. I view the moving ToT the same way.

The worst excuse to move ToT was the one my hometown used to use- the big high school football rivalry game (and the last game of the season) was always the Friday around Halloween. If the game and Halloween fell on the same day, guess which got moved?

That would work if the suggestion were only to move it to a weekend, but there are suggestions here to move it several weeks so that kids affected by the Hurricane can t-o-t.  I see that as beyond the pale.

I'm just suggesting wait until things return to a semblance of normal.  Streetlights working, streets clear, homes have power.

  that could be weeks or even months in some areas. Life moves on. Moving it a day or two, I'd said is marginally ok, moving it weeks into the future,,,not so much,  Months? forget it.  When we had the October surprise here, I had friends with out power for 6 weeks afterward, and that was not nearly as devastating as this is....so let's give a 4-6 week conservative estimate, people are supposed to hold T-O-Ting in December because the kids missed out? I really think that's more than a bit much.   4 weeks would put it at thanksgiving weekend.  From personal experience, in something of this magnitude, even if power is on and streets clear the adults in this situation will be eyebrow deep in dealing with FEMA and other aid agencies for ages. It can take weeks to get help where it's needed. For the most devastated areas, people may just be getting out of temporary shelters over the course of the next few weeks.
    So this year the kids will have to do with out.
 

[Sharnita]

On every calendar I see Christmas is on December 25 and yet some families open gifts the evening of the 24th, does that mean those aren't Christmas gifts?  Or if a parent goes into the hospital on December 20th and gets out the 30th and presents their child would gifts would you say "I don't know what those are but you mom didn't give you a Christmas present this year?" 

If the date is that important no matter the holiday then you are consistent but it seems really callous.  If you would never dream of applying that standard to Christmas why is Halloween the one sticking point?

[Betelnut]

On every calendar I see Christmas is on December 25 and yet some families open gifts the evening of the 24th, does that mean those aren't Christmas gifts?  Or if a parent goes into the hospital on December 20th and gets out the 30th and presents their child would gifts would you say "I don't know what those are but you mom didn't give you a Christmas present this year?" 

If the date is that important no matter the holiday then you are consistent but it seems really callous.  If you would never dream of applying that standard to Christmas why is Halloween the one sticking point?

As noted by someone else, Christmas is a personal, family event.  You can open your presents or celebrant in a way that is convenient to you.  Go for it.  Trick-or-treating is a community event and affects a lot of people at once. 

For me, Halloween doesn't compare at all to Christmas in emotional resonance, in importance, in almost any way.

[Sharnita]

On every calendar I see Christmas is on December 25 and yet some families open gifts the evening of the 24th, does that mean those aren't Christmas gifts?  Or if a parent goes into the hospital on December 20th and gets out the 30th and presents their child would gifts would you say "I don't know what those are but you mom didn't give you a Christmas present this year?" 

If the date is that important no matter the holiday then you are consistent but it seems really callous.  If you would never dream of applying that standard to Christmas why is Halloween the one sticking point?

As noted by someone else, Christmas is a personal, family event.  You can open your presents or celebrant in a way that is convenient to you.  Go for it.  Trick-or-treating is a community event and affects a lot of people at once. 

For me, Halloween d

But then we have the rejection of the community decision of when to celebrate it.

[Betelnut]

On every calendar I see Christmas is on December 25 and yet some families open gifts the evening of the 24th, does that mean those aren't Christmas gifts?  Or if a parent goes into the hospital on December 20th and gets out the 30th and presents their child would gifts would you say "I don't know what those are but you mom didn't give you a Christmas present this year?" 

If the date is that important no matter the holiday then you are consistent but it seems really callous.  If you would never dream of applying that standard to Christmas why is Halloween the one sticking point?

As noted by someone else, Christmas is a personal, family event.  You can open your presents or celebrant in a way that is convenient to you.  Go for it.  Trick-or-treating is a community event and affects a lot of people at once. 
 

But then we have the rejection of the community decision of when to celebrate it.

That's right--I am not agreeing with the community to hold Halloween on any day besides the 31st.  (I can't get the quotes to work right--sorry.)

[ettiquit]

I give up. I'm just gonna keep Halloween today, because that's when all my calendars say it is.

Of course today is Halloween.  ToT is a Halloween-related event that can occur on any day on or near the 31st.

[snowdragon]

I give up. I'm just gonna keep Halloween today, because that's when all my calendars say it is.

Of course today is Halloween.  ToT is a Halloween-related event that can occur on any day on or near the 31st.

and people can make their own choices as to whether or not they participate or when they are willing to participate.

[Giggity]

On every calendar I see Christmas is on December 25 and yet some families open gifts the evening of the 24th, does that mean those aren't Christmas gifts?  Or if a parent goes into the hospital on December 20th and gets out the 30th and presents their child would gifts would you say "I don't know what those are but you mom didn't give you a Christmas present this year?" 

If the date is that important no matter the holiday then you are consistent but it seems really callous.  If you would never dream of applying that standard to Christmas why is Halloween the one sticking point?

I already said I give up. Dates are dates and words mean things, but not in this case, I guess, so meh.

[Aeris]

On every calendar I see Christmas is on December 25 and yet some families open gifts the evening of the 24th, does that mean those aren't Christmas gifts?  Or if a parent goes into the hospital on December 20th and gets out the 30th and presents their child would gifts would you say "I don't know what those are but you mom didn't give you a Christmas present this year?" 

If the date is that important no matter the holiday then you are consistent but it seems really callous.  If you would never dream of applying that standard to Christmas why is Halloween the one sticking point?

I already said I give up. Dates are dates and words mean things, but not in this case, I guess, so meh.

Of course 'words mean things', but the neato thing about language is that words actually only mean what we say they mean. If a significant portion of the English speaking world decided that "asdfqwer" meant 'a light shade of teal', then it would.

You are hellbent that the definition of the phrase "trick or treating" means "dressing up in costume and going door to door asking for candy on and only on October 31". Other people would define "trick or treating" as "dressing up in costume and going door to door asking for candy". While most people would agree this is an activity associated with Halloween, obviously people disagree about whether the requirement that it be ON OCTOBER 31 is actually embedded in the definition, or rather whether it's more a 'on or around October 31' idea.

Unfortunately, you are not the arbiter of all language subtleties. Words mean what a community decides they mean, why may not always coincide with what you personally think words ought to mean.

[Diane AKA Traska]

On every calendar I see Christmas is on December 25 and yet some families open gifts the evening of the 24th, does that mean those aren't Christmas gifts?  Or if a parent goes into the hospital on December 20th and gets out the 30th and presents their child would gifts would you say "I don't know what those are but you mom didn't give you a Christmas present this year?" 

If the date is that important no matter the holiday then you are consistent but it seems really callous.  If you would never dream of applying that standard to Christmas why is Halloween the one sticking point?

I already said I give up. Dates are dates and words mean things, but not in this case, I guess, so meh.

Of course 'words mean things', but the neato thing about language is that words actually only mean what we say they mean. If a significant portion of the English speaking world decided that "asdfqwer" meant 'a light shade of teal', then it would.

You are hellbent that the definition of the phrase "trick or treating" means "dressing up in costume and going door to door asking for candy on and only on October 31". Other people would define "trick or treating" as "dressing up in costume and going door to door asking for candy". While most people would agree this is an activity associated with Halloween, obviously people disagree about whether the requirement that it be ON OCTOBER 31 is actually embedded in the definition, or rather whether it's more a 'on or around October 31' idea.

Unfortunately, you are not the arbiter of all language subtleties. Words mean what a community decides they mean, why may not always coincide with what you personally think words ought to mean.

My personal definition would be "An activity, associated with Halloween, consisting of children wearing costumes and going door to door asking for candy, accompanied by the phrase 'trick or treat'.  Typically celebrated on October 31st, the day immediately preceding All Saints Day"