Halloween Sunday? What that might look like in New Jersey

The fall season has officially arrived throughout the Great Garden State. That means cooler air, shorter days, and of course, Halloween. But is Halloween as big of a deal as it once was?

Think about this for a moment. How many of us have tons of leftover candy in the evening due to a lack of trick-or-treaters coming to the door? Or, of the trick-or-treaters that do come around, how many prefer to stroll around during the daytime as opposed to night?

Was it different when you were a kid? When you went out, did you do it during the day or wait until the street lights came on? It used to be that the younger kids with parents went around first early, with older kids heading out later that night.

Now of course there will be some exceptions to this, but by and large, Halloween during the evening doesn't seem to be what it once was. Older kids and teens simply don't tend to go out in the dark on Halloween night like they used to.

Now, there is one thing that has changed over the past 17 years that most likely contributed to this. That's when Daylight Saving Time was extended through the first weekend of November. That meant an extra hour of daylight for Halloween evening.

So that could explain in part why kids and teens don't go out in the dark anymore. But that doesn't explain the lower number of trick-or-treaters overall. Could it be that we're just too busy nowadays? Perhaps school is getting in the way of enjoying the night?

With that in mind, what if New Jersey made a change and designated an entire weekend to Halloween? How might that work? And what would happen to Oct. 31 if such a change was made? Let's dive into it.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host & content contributor Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.