By Kristy Smith
That time of year is here: the fourth quarter of 2026, during which time we will celebrate not one but FOUR event-filled occasions that are commonly and collectively referred to as “the holidays.” I’ll spend my time here discussing the first of the fourth quarter holidays, you know, the orange and black one that’s considered the most lively, but might be even more fun if more menfolk would become more involved in making it even better.
“But I have no trouble engaging my partner in holiday helping,” some of you might be thinking, “it’s his favorite time of year and I have to beg him to wipe the silly grin off his face for photo purposes. He’s so into it!” If that’s you, stop reading and start congratulating yourself for defying the odds of couplehood that indicate fewer men than women generally immerse themselves in the spectrum of holiday goings-on.
However, that seems to be changing among younger generations, where more people from all camps are becoming more invested. That raises the question of whether it’s due to the anonymity of being able to hide behind a mask or because more people are grooving on scary movies that call for clinging to a significant other? It could just be the competitiveness of setting up countless Halloween inflatables in front yards to shoot the electric bill to an all-time high!
These folks of whom I speak are a part of a wave of adults who were surveyed by New Ferrero (candy company) in 2025. More than half (54%) wanted to have their own Halloween night without childcare responsibilities, which the Ferrero website states is “the ultimate declaration that Halloween isn’t just for kids anymore.” Further, the survey revealed 64% bought candy even though they didn’t expect trick-or-treaters.
The “Adultoween” concept is riding high on three premises: 62% of adults believe Halloween is as much for adults as it is for children; 71% of parents agree Halloween belongs to grown-ups, too; and 47% of adults name Halloween as their favorite holiday. I had to laugh at another bit of survey information shared on the Ferrero.com website, that “Adults would rather visit a haunted house than see an ex.” Well, duh!
While I am not a major fan of Halloween or diehard participant in it, I am a major proponent of equal opportunity when it comes to readying for it. When I was a kid, my mother was in charge of purchasing or borrowing (she was NOT a seamstress) costumes for the four of us kids, applying makeup and acquiring or making props.
In addition to mapping out a trick-or-treat route and driving it, my mom also had to remember to purchase Halloween candy to hand out at our rurally-located house to the “relative” goblins who were scheduled to stop by early on Oct. 31. We also distributed candy along our route that evening to the kids of family and friends who were also doing double-duty.
In contrast, my dad’s role was to quickly pop into our house (between doing chores and milking cows) to “ooh” and “ah” over the costumes of the early trick-or-treaters, make silly faces at them, pose for photos with our guests and steal a Payday candy bar or two. Now, you tell me which role required more preparation and execution!
I have a hazy memory of our dad one-time driving us trick-or-treating. It must have been on account of our mother having a bad leg burn from accidentally dropping a teakettle of boiling water on it. It just wasn’t the same with him behind the wheel! He missed stops and spent too much time talking at each house along the route to people he didn’t get to see as often as my mom did. That seriously ate up time on our candy-seeking shot clock, which reduced the number of places we could go and therefore the amount of candy we could collect.
To add insult to injury, my dad asked if he could “borrow” a couple of pieces of candy that I had begged for that evening. Borrow?! I’d never see them again! Makes me wonder why I’ve wished more guys would get involved in that bloodsport called Halloween.
————————
Kristy Smith is a contributor to the Climax Crescent. Smith’s Different Drum humor columns are archived at her blog: diffdrum.wordpress.com.
That time of year is here: the fourth quarter of 2026, during which time we will celebrate not one but FOUR event-filled occasions that are commonly and collectively referred to as “the holidays.” I’ll spend my time here discussing the first of the fourth quarter holidays, you know, the orange and black one that’s considered the most lively, but might be even more fun if more menfolk would become more involved in making it even better.
“But I have no trouble engaging my partner in holiday helping,” some of you might be thinking, “it’s his favorite time of year and I have to beg him to wipe the silly grin off his face for photo purposes. He’s so into it!” If that’s you, stop reading and start congratulating yourself for defying the odds of couplehood that indicate fewer men than women generally immerse themselves in the spectrum of holiday goings-on.
However, that seems to be changing among younger generations, where more people from all camps are becoming more invested. That raises the question of whether it’s due to the anonymity of being able to hide behind a mask or because more people are grooving on scary movies that call for clinging to a significant other? It could just be the competitiveness of setting up countless Halloween inflatables in front yards to shoot the electric bill to an all-time high!
These folks of whom I speak are a part of a wave of adults who were surveyed by New Ferrero (candy company) in 2025. More than half (54%) wanted to have their own Halloween night without childcare responsibilities, which the Ferrero website states is “the ultimate declaration that Halloween isn’t just for kids anymore.” Further, the survey revealed 64% bought candy even though they didn’t expect trick-or-treaters.
The “Adultoween” concept is riding high on three premises: 62% of adults believe Halloween is as much for adults as it is for children; 71% of parents agree Halloween belongs to grown-ups, too; and 47% of adults name Halloween as their favorite holiday. I had to laugh at another bit of survey information shared on the Ferrero.com website, that “Adults would rather visit a haunted house than see an ex.” Well, duh!
While I am not a major fan of Halloween or diehard participant in it, I am a major proponent of equal opportunity when it comes to readying for it. When I was a kid, my mother was in charge of purchasing or borrowing (she was NOT a seamstress) costumes for the four of us kids, applying makeup and acquiring or making props.
In addition to mapping out a trick-or-treat route and driving it, my mom also had to remember to purchase Halloween candy to hand out at our rurally-located house to the “relative” goblins who were scheduled to stop by early on Oct. 31. We also distributed candy along our route that evening to the kids of family and friends who were also doing double-duty.
In contrast, my dad’s role was to quickly pop into our house (between doing chores and milking cows) to “ooh” and “ah” over the costumes of the early trick-or-treaters, make silly faces at them, pose for photos with our guests and steal a Payday candy bar or two. Now, you tell me which role required more preparation and execution!
I have a hazy memory of our dad one-time driving us trick-or-treating. It must have been on account of our mother having a bad leg burn from accidentally dropping a teakettle of boiling water on it. It just wasn’t the same with him behind the wheel! He missed stops and spent too much time talking at each house along the route to people he didn’t get to see as often as my mom did. That seriously ate up time on our candy-seeking shot clock, which reduced the number of places we could go and therefore the amount of candy we could collect.
To add insult to injury, my dad asked if he could “borrow” a couple of pieces of candy that I had begged for that evening. Borrow?! I’d never see them again! Makes me wonder why I’ve wished more guys would get involved in that bloodsport called Halloween.
————————
Kristy Smith is a contributor to the Climax Crescent. Smith’s Different Drum humor columns are archived at her blog: diffdrum.wordpress.com.
