Parents know that getting the kids decked out in the costumes they’ve been planning for months in advance and roaming the neighborhood in search of treats for Halloween is only made tougher when the big night falls on a school night, too. And obviously, that’s going to happen more years than not.
That’s the driving force behind a petition that’s really gathering steam and getting attention.
The petition , started on Change.org , is seeking to change the date everyone celebrates Halloween from October 31 to whatever the last Saturday in October happens to be.
So far, as of this writing, more than 133,000 people are on board with the idea.
As the petitioners explain, there’s more to it than merely making sure kids — and tired parents — can get to bed on time.
They also want to make Halloween safer by allowing little ones to go door-to-door during daylight hours, which might not be as spooky as tradition would have it, but it’s undoubtedly safer.
It would also allow for a day-long celebration in a way that generally isn’t possible right now, unless the big day just happens to fall on a weekend.
In addition to the hordes who have already signed the petition, the movement has received one particular ringing endorsement.
The maker of one of the most popular Halloween candies is not just on board, but it’s putting its money where your mouth is. Snickers announced that, if the petition is successful in getting the date changed, they’ll treat America to a million free candy bars.
They’re not taking half measures here.
“Snickers is all in on celebrating Halloween to the fullest,” Snickers’s brand director Josh Olken told Today . “More hours in the day. More families being able to enjoy it. A more satisfying celebration. So if the federal government makes this thing official, we’re offering up to one million free Snickers to America. No tricks, only treats…we’re serious.”
Other candy makers have followed suit, to a degree.
The Twitter accounts for M&Ms and Skittles both retweeted Snickers to push the petition to their followers, as did Twix and Starburst , but none have gone as far as promising free candy if the feds approve a date change.
Mind you, the promise of free candy hasn’t been enough to sway all of Snickers’s fans.
People are pretty passionate about whether Halloween should be on the 31st or not. “Snickers will definitely not be included in my shopping list for Halloween,” wrote one person.
“Congratulations, you just lost a customer for life,” wrote another. “Way to be a greedy corporation trying to steal a holiday for your sales figures.”
What do you think? Are you down with a new Halloween or are you done with Snickers?
