Halloween Too Soon?
Disneyland started Halloween festivities a month ago. When I got the chance to visit, the pumpkins were out along with the Nightmare Before Christmas decorations. Jack Skellington had taken over the Haunted Mansion, decorating it to the nines and inviting all of Halloweentown to entertain the human guests. If a person wanted to pay extra -- I didn't, since I was lucky to get some discounted tickets for regular Disneyland admission --
The August sun was still blazing. In fact, I had just left Miami when it was reaching record-high heat and Los Angeles was marginally better. Pumpkins bars hadn't entered the conversation, although a special ghost-themed sundae was available for purchase. The pumpkin baked goods are one of the best parts of Halloween; the costumes, however, rank supreme in terms of enjoyment level.
Was it too early for Halloween? While I adore the holiday, bringing the October chill into the November heat felt like a bit much. We judge when Christmas comes that early, after all. On the other hand, I wouldn't have gotten to enjoy the Jack Skellington takeover at the Haunted Mansion; waiting for thirty to forty minutes at night was very much worth it. I also found a cool t-shirt to gift my brother that was overpriced but very worth it.
Enjoying Disney as a kid means you focus on enjoying the rides. Partaking in Disney as an adult means thinking how to interact with the same company that has removed LGBTQ representation and laid off a good portion of their staff, not to mention cutting their child actors loose as soon as the latter is no longer useful. It's not just saying, "It's too commercial!" but also thinking about how the harm that the company causes others meshes with the joy you received as a kid.
I've been learning that multiple truths can exist. You can say, "I love Halloween. Seeing Halloween in August is great. And Disney in engaging in blatant exploitative capitalism so they can sell more merchandise." Having to let the truths exist at the same time is the hard part.
Links of Works Published:
Personal Blog
After WorldCon: Thinking About Predecessors
Medium
The 2026 WorldCon Resolution I Never Submitted
Welcome to the “Pretty Pretty Please I Don’t Want to Be A Magical Girl” Fully Animated Pilot
Why Did Coyote vs Acme Transcend Its Hybrid Predecessors