Here we are, friends, August 1, and according to everybody on the Internet that means one thing: it’s Halloween.

Granted, October 31st is a full three months away, but it only takes a brief glance at social media to see that people have already begun preparing for it. Plans are being made, movie marathons are being scheduled, decorations are going up, and Spirit Halloween Stores are about to open their doors for the year. I’m not exactly sure when it happened, but a large percentage of the online space has decided August 1 is the date at which this sort of activity becomes acceptable.

It drives some people crazy. It’s part of “holiday creep.” It’s bad enough, they will cry, that stores start pushing Christmas in October – is Halloween in August really necessary? And the answer, strictly speaking, is probably “no.” We’re talking about entertainment, after all, and entertainment is virtually never “necessary.” But here’s the thing guys: it may not be necessary, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t welcomed or desired. When I say it’s not “necessary” to put out Halloween decorations in August, what I mean is that the decorations SPECIFICALLY are not necessary…but they do meet a need. They fill something in the person who is doing it, they make them smile a little bit, make them feel better. It is, as much as I hate the term, a form of “self-care,” to immerse yourself in those things that make you feel good. And while it could theoretically be something else other than hanging that scarecrow wreath on your front door, why is it bad if it IS? 

The same, of course, goes for starting Christmas in early November or people in the New Orleans area who are ready to put out Mardi Gras decorations on Dec. 26. It seems early if it’s not something you’re into, sure, but for those people who want these kinds of things, it’s not early at all. In fact, if you really love a certain holiday, there’s often no such thing as too early.

Let’s talk about August Halloween specifically. Why has this become the thing that people are latching on to? Well, to be blunt, August kind of sucks. It’s ridiculously hot outside. School is starting up again, which students of course equate with a loss of freedom. The best summer movies have already come out, so there’s not much reason to get hyped for the box office (although this year, the new Naked Gun reboot looks surprisingly good). And there aren’t even any holidays coming up soon to get excited about. That’s one of the best things about major holidays, after all, the anticipation. Buying gifts for Christmas, planning the meal on Thanksgiving, and watching scary movies in the run-up to Halloween are all primary seasonal activities that cannot be restricted to a single day. And for the people who love these holidays, we wouldn’t WANT them to be.

August, however, has nothing like that to offer. Once the Fourth of July has passed, the next holiday doesn’t come until Labor Day in September, and even then it’s not the kind of holiday that eats up an entire season. For most people it’s just a three-day weekend – we’ll take it, but it’s not something that will keep us going for months. I’ve tried to solve this problem, friends. More than once I’ve offered up my birthday (August 25) to members of Congress for use as a national holiday to help break up the seasonal doldrums by starting new traditions like eating pizza while watching Star Trek and making charitable donations in the form of purchasing hundreds of copies of my books to give to libraries, schools, hospitals, or your loved ones. But apparently this plan is – in the words of a certain Congresswoman from the southwest who shall remain nameless – “ridiculous” and “grounds for an FBI investigation if you keep calling my private number, how did you get it anyway?” So until they get their act together, I think early Halloween is our best bet.

There is an irony, I think, in that many of the people who love early Halloween are also the people who reject early Christmas. Some of the REALLY hardcore Halloween fans – the ones who enjoy “extreme” haunted houses and particularly dark horror movies – are likely not the type who are also into elves, reindeer, or (oddly enough) pumpkin spice lattes. I think there’s more overlap among the people who prefer their Halloween to be family-friendly. If your decorations include stuff from Disney’s Haunted Mansion or a Minion dressed up like Dracula, you’re more likely to be the sort who switches to a Santa inflatable on November 1.

Regardless of which type of Halloween fan someone might be, though, there’s something important that detractors need to remember: it doesn’t hurt you, so let people be. It always amazes me how many people need to be reminded of this simple principle. Look, I get it – “Spooky Season” being extended to the middle of (meteorological) summer has been elevated to a kind of meme status, and like any meme, if it’s overused it can get kind of annoying. But nobody is forcing you to participate. You don’t have to put out a Jack O’Lantern if you don’t want to, and nobody will think less of you if you keep that banner with the sun with a smiley face basking down over the beach until September. But by the same token, it doesn’t do YOU any harm when the guy next door is out on his lawn in 105 degree heat trying to figure out how best to position his 12-foot skeleton from Home Depot. 

For me, it all goes back to the idea of having something to look forward to. Day to day life, even if you’re the type of person who has a job they love to go to in the morning or one of those weirdos who actually enjoys spending time with their family, can get monotonous. There’s an important psychological need that is fulfilled by having something to look forward to, and things like holidays are a good way to scratch that itch. It gives you a reason to get excited, even if that reason is something as silly as deciding when to add “Monster Mash” to your Spotify playlist. 

For example, my son informed his mother and I a few weeks ago that this year he intends to be Superman for Halloween. I don’t need to tell you that this is something I – as a parent – have been hoping to hear my child say from the day Erin informed me that she was pregnant. I am already imagining helping Eddie pick out his costume, dressing him up, taking so many pictures that I may need to purchase a new external hard drive for my computer, and maybe even putting on the Superman long pajamas he and Erin gave me for Father’s Day to accompany them. In fact, the only reason I haven’t ordered him a costume already is because the kid grows faster than a Chia Pet and I’m afraid of him outgrowing any costume if I buy it too early. Something tells me, though, that once we get closer to the date, such costumes will not be in short supply.

We all cope with the world in different ways, and as long as doing so doesn’t harm anybody else, there’s nothing wrong with that. And no, “forcing” you to see somebody’s Casper the Friendly Ghost cutout before Labor Day doesn’t count. For those of you who aren’t into it, just relax. Spooky Season will be over far too soon for a lot of us.

For those of us who DO celebrate, buckle up. We’ve only got until the end of October, so let’s dig in and have some freaky fun while we can.  

Blake M. Petit is a writer, teacher, and dad from Ama, Louisiana. His most recent writing project is the superhero adventure series Other People’s Heroes: Little Stars, volume one of which is now available on Amazon. You can subscribe to his newsletter by clicking right here. He’s also started putting his LitReel videos on TikTok. He’s already made a chart of which movies he’s going to watch this year. He knows he won’t make it through half of them.