We said goodbye to summer in September and are now enjoying the cooler temperatures of an Arizona fall. We know it’s the change in season around here when the days are shorter, we have our windows open in the morning, the license-plates colors start to change, and all students are looking forward to Halloween with anticipation.

This year Halloween falls on a Tuesday. All classes are cancelled Tuesday, October 31st. Long a tradition that we all looked forward to at that age, we won’t challenge the custom now and wish you well whatever your family’s custom.

 

If you’re looking for ideas, here are five (5) Mesa events coming up this October:

  1. Frights in the Lights Halloween Drive-Thru, Friday October 6th – Tuesday October 31st
  2. The Nightmare Before Christmas Skate, Saturday, October 14th
  3. Coach Decker’s Fall classes resume (i.e., Mat Monkeys, Jr. Judo & Judo), Tuesday October 17
  4. Potts Tea Party 4th Annual Not-So-Scary Halloween Event, Saturday, October 28th
  5. Preschool Storytime Presents: Halloween Boo! Tuesday, October 31

 

October is synonymous with Halloween, but there’s a lot more to enjoy this season than just Trick-or-treating.

Common customs and activities include:

  • Costumes: Costume parties and parades are common.
  • Decorations: Many homes and businesses are adorned with Halloween decorations like cobwebs, skeletons, and ghosts.
  • Pumpkin Carving: Carving pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns is a beloved Halloween tradition. People create intricate designs and light their creations with candles.
  • Horror and Scary Stories: Halloween is a time when people enjoy watching horror movies, reading spooky stories, and visiting haunted attractions. It’s a celebration of the eerie and macabre.
  • Haunted Houses: Haunted houses and attractions, often designed to scare visitors, are a popular form of entertainment during the Halloween season.
  • Dia de los Muertos: In some cultures, particularly in Mexico and among Mexican communities, Halloween coincides with Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a holiday to honor and remember deceased loved ones.

 

If you do decide to go out Trick-or-Treating this year, I want to remind you, as I do every year, to stay safe. Have fun but do maintain a “warrior mindset” and “situational awareness” during America’s holiday of the macabre, mystery and mischief. I’ve written two previous articles on Halloween safety. They are still relevant, and I recommend you review those:

Halloween Safey, September 30, 2019

Halloween Safety Tips for 2021, October 21, 2021

 

Please comment below if there are any good safety tips I missed or if you have a Halloween tradition I haven’t mentioned. We’d all like to hear about it.