9 Reasons Gen Xers Love Halloween

photo by rachel a. k. via flickr

Have you heard? Forty is the new 20. Halloween is the new Christmas. Here are nine reasons why Generation X (by broadest definition those folks born between 1961 and 1981) has fallen in love with the spooky day, reclaiming it over the last 10 years for not only their children, but for themselves.

1. There are no presents to wrap and no silver to polish.

Part of what makes Christmas and Thanksgiving stressful for everyone is the production. Since the Great Recession hit, Gen X has had to reduce spending more than any other generation. This is compounded by the fact that today nearly 75 percent of kids under 18 are parented by a Gen Xer. The production involved in making costumes or getting dressed up for Halloween can actually be pretty enjoyable compared to what goes into getting ready for Christmas.

2. It’s not religious.

I love observing religious holidays, especially Easter, which is my favorite holiday of all. But, the commercialization of religious holidays, especially Christmas, also stresses me out. So does having to celebrate holy days with family who out oppose church and God. Halloween may have roots in religion, but today, it is not a religious holiday. Generation X, more than any other generation, has rejected their parents’ faith. That is not to say Gen X is a godless generation, only that they’ve become disenchanted with church. Thus, a holiday absent of religious pressures and overtones makes Halloween a more enjoyable holiday experience.
By the way, satanic overtones continue to bug me, and I don’t do gross and gore. I expel all that, which brings me to my next point.

3. You Can take a Sledge Hammer (and Sickle) to Your Fears.

Generation X came of age with the Cold War and the constant looming threat of being nuked. At precisely the same time most of us were starting to either have sex or think about it, we had to contend with AIDS and the notion that sex could kill you. Moreover, we presently live in the culture of terror and based on terrorism (they tell us), we’re fighting not one, but two wars.
The thing is, we all have plenty of valid fears to assuage these days (check your local sex offender registry). Now that we’ve left our 20s in the smoke and some members of our generation are approaching 50, we’ve figured out our fears aren’t going away. Halloween offers a way to actually control our fears. For example, I fear death, but I still put fake tombstones and a cemetery sign in my hard. In addition, the things we have to fear the most aren’t ghouls and goblins, but normal looking people masquerading as, well, normal people!

4. It Helps You Escape Your Troubles For Awhile.

From the Great Recession and concerns about Social Security to constant talk about Gen Y, not the elder Gen Xer replacing Boomers , Gen X has plenty of woes to nurse. Halloween is the perfect night to put it all aside and give in to the simple urge to have fun.

5. It’s All About the Kids.

Generation X parents have responded to their own neglected childhoods by over-parenting their own children. I paid more for my daughter’s pirate costume two years ago than I did for the $99 wedding dress I found on a rack at David’s Bridal. Tonight, we’re having tombstone cake and eyeball salad. Creating happy childhood experiences is one of my top five priorities as a parent. Why else would I string lights on my house at Halloween, Thanksgiving AND Christmas? It’s all about the kids and making memories!

6. We Get To Pretend We’re Someone Else.

Halloween presents the perfect, socially-acceptable opportunity to dress up as someone else. Didn’t make the NFL? Not a problem. Weren’t elected Miss America? Not a problem. On Halloween, you can live out your harmless fantasy. In fact, the adult costume market has grown like gangbusters over the last several years. You can totally pull off the nurse or ninja costume at age 35 as long as you do it in the name of Halloween.

7. It's Cheap Fun.

China continues to make tons of cheap stuff, which has made costumes and the wide variety of Halloween decorations more affordable. Having the party supplies makes having the party that much easier, if not flamboyant.

8. It Helps Us Reclaim a Portion of Childhood.

Trick-or-treating began as innocent fun in the 1940s, but by the early late 60s and early 70s, reports of kids finding razors in apples and people handing out poisoned candied, sent shivers up and down the spines of parents far and wide. Halloween’s reputation was sullied, and to this day, some communities have banned it. Pretty much gone are the days kids were dumped in neighborhoods with pillow cases to fill with candy from strangers.

Still, Generation X has totally taken back the holiday, and marketers seized upon their ripe ambition to parent well and reclaim their own youth. For example, if you want to see 1,000 Gen Xers on Halloween night, just make your way to the most populated street on the south central plains - 18th street in Oklahoma City’s Mesta Park. You’ll see no less than 1,000 Gen Xers going door-to-door with their kids. It’s a sight to behold, trust me!

9. Free candy!

Who doesn’t like that? The only people still handing out smarties they got from the bank and complimentary peppermints from Sonic are those Depression Era Silents. Gen Xers give and take the good stuff. Despite early reports that said Halloween sales this year were going to slump a bit, candy sales actually appear to be on the rise. Buy the chocolate, people.

How will you celebrate the holiday this weekend? If you could dress up as anything for Halloween, what would it be and why?