A couple years back, there was a petition circulating on the social media circuit about changing Halloween to the last Saturday of Halloween, instead of having it on the 31st. That way parents didn't have to worry about rushing home from work to get their kids ready if the holiday was in the middle of the week. I remember thinking to myself just like Americans to want to change a whole holiday to fit their consumeristic agenda.  In the words of Allison from Hocus Pocus, "It just so happens that Halloween is based on the ancient feast called All Hallows Eve." It marks the day before Day of the Dead, and to change Halloween would mean changing a period of observance honored by people all over the world.

I've never been one to celebrate Halloween. I love horror films, and admittedly, I watch Hocus Pocus multiple times throughout the month of October, but dressing up in a costume? Trick or treating? It's never been my thing. My mom didn't celebrate when I was growing up; my dad would take me to the mall to get candy with my makeshift pillowcase sack, but even he wasn't that into it. As an adult, I never got the hype, and maybe it's because of what it's turned into: a night of frolic, where children wear costumes and run amok (again, to quote Hocus Pocus).

However, the older I get and the more funerals I attend, the greater an appreciation I develop for day of the dead. It's a beautiful celebration of the ones we've loved and lost in this life, and I especially admire the way Latin Americans (rooted in Mexican heritage) take time to honor their memory in a tangible way. Every year around this time I pull out my día de muertos adult coloring book and try my hand at a colorful portrait. Am I any good? No.

But my heart is in the right place.


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