Halloween should be on Saturday every year, not just this one

This Saturday, kids around the nation will take to the streets to trick or treat. They, and their parents, will do so without the usual stress and strain that comes with having to rush home after school or leave early from work to get a few hours in before sundown.

It will likely be such a more enjoyable experience for all involved, from the kids, to the parents, and to even the homeowners who will have more opportunities to be around to welcome the five year old princesses and the seven year old Spider Men.

So the question is: Why don’t we designate Halloween to be the last Saturday (or Sunday) in October every year?

The door knocking can start at noon rather than four pm. It can be wrapped up before dusk, mitigating potential traffic accidents or the type of mischief that accompanies the dark.

Parents won’t have to tussle with the option of taking off hours from work or shooing them off to grandma and grandpa to make the rounds with them.

No rushing home from work. No more battling the sunset. No more having the kids get home at 6:30 to start gobbling wads of sugar and having them bounce off the walls right before bed.

Moving the Halloween festivities to a Saturday will make it more of a family affair and enhance safety for all involved.

To make this work, we would need our elected officials to pass advisory legislation that officially designates Saturday the day for trick-or-treating. It, of course, could never be a mandate. And there would be glitches in the first few years where some would go on the Saturday and some would continue to go on the 31st. But we believe that after a few years, it will be ingrained that Saturday is the way to go.

Is there a legislator out there who will take on the cause?

Steve Levy is President of Common Sense Strategies, a political consulting firm. He served as Suffolk County Executive, as a NYS Assemblyman, and host of the “On the Right Side Podcast." He is the author of “Solutions to America’s Problems” and “Bias in the Media.” www.SteveLevy.info, steve@commonsensestrategies.com.