Fall is a season that carries a rich cinnamon aroma and a captivating coldness. Where the leaves transform into an array of earthy colors that leave a crunch as they fall beneath your feet. The season where you can wear your favorite sweater as you stop to pick up your pumpkin spice latte while drenched in your apple and honey Bath & Body Works perfume. A time when children run around in their favorite costumes and knock on the doors in rich neighborhoods to be greeted with a lifetime supply of candy.
This season brings joy to people of all ages, backgrounds, and social statuses. So why is that the autumn that once brought everyone a sense of blissfulness is slowly disappearing in front of our eyes?
During this time, to escape the chilly weather outside, it’s been a tradition to huddle around TV screens and put on the latest Halloween/fall movies. Over the past few years, however, there’s been a decline in this tradition due to a lack of seasonal movies being released around this time. Hollywood used to make heartfelt, humorous, and mysterious seasonal movies, but in recent years, the number of new films that have managed to evoke those same memories and magic has decreased.
It’s become difficult for new filmmakers to compete with the already brilliant ideas and iconic movies that graced our screens years ago. Horror comedies with a campy vibe full of theatricality used to fill theaters and were a lot of fun to watch during the Halloween season. But the current cinematic landscape has drastically transformed when you fast-forward to the present.
The same goes with fall movies that bring romance into the air and a cozy atmosphere to celebrate the season. Shows like Gilmore Girls and Dawson’s Creek showcase small towns that evoke an autumnal environment. They haven’t been replicated in the new shows of today. Seeing that representation allowed people to fall in love with the season and immerse themselves in the festivities surrounding it. However, there’s been no great blockbuster hit from Hallmark or Disney that gives off the same feeling.
Without this, some people may find it harder to find joy in the season. This unfortunately has trickled down to children. The nostalgic feeling of going door-to-door and requesting candy from people around the neighborhood seems to be a foreign feeling to the current children of our generation. Adults have seen fewer children stopping by and grabbing candy around their communities. Instead, they are participating in a trunk or treat.
Trunk or treat essentially is where kids can go to different trunks rather than doors to get treats. This new way of collecting candy was pushed as a safer alternative for children, seeing as it usually takes place in parking lots where parents and other children are together. This takes away from kids seeing all the Halloween decorations houses have, social interactions, and the mysteriousness of walking around their community.
This decrease in fall euphoria has not only impacted the Halloween holiday but Thanksgiving as well. Thanksgiving is a time when families come together and commemorate thanks to the people in their lives while eating fall favorites such as pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, sweet potato, and turkey. This holiday elicits the warmness fall entails but, with the push of Christmas as soon as November starts, Thanksgiving essentially floats in the background. This does nothing but decrease the love that once surrounded fall.
As a fall advocate, it’s unfortunate to see the adoration of the season slowly fade as the years go by. But I will continue to fight for that nostalgic feeling to be regained in our communities. I hope after reading this, you will as well!
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