They can do that?

October 31, 2019 1:09 PM

In Montreal, Halloween has been postponed until tomorrow. Reactions are mixed.
posted by clawsoon (50 comments total)

Trick!
posted by chavenet at 1:13 PM on October 31, 2019 [3 favorites]

Towns around my area have postponed trick-or-treating until tomorrow night, due to the awful weather coming down right now. My town has not done so, so we hope to have a few brave souls tonight.
posted by Thorzdad at 1:15 PM on October 31, 2019 [1 favorite]

This may seem silly, but even those of us south of Montreal here in Milwaukee are experiencing an unprecedented snowstorm that would seem substantial even in winter. Montreal is not being unreasonable. Chicago is being hit too.
posted by eschatfische at 1:17 PM on October 31, 2019 [7 favorites]

My township has not delayed. I'm disappointed. I'm mainly concerned about a ton of impatient, questionably skilled drivers making their way through kids dressed in black while sheets of rain come down. Considering the school district delays for safety when it's 10 degrees F or below with wind chill, this just seems like a peculiar safety decision
posted by bfranklin at 1:21 PM on October 31, 2019 [4 favorites]

As a counter point, I submit the Halloween Blizzard of 1991 that hit Minneapolis. However, with rain, wind, and/or well-below-freezing temps, I can see why sane people would postpone Halloween. All we got in 1991 was a lot of snow.
posted by ZeusHumms at 1:24 PM on October 31, 2019 [1 favorite]

The weather here in Toronto isn't looking great so if it is going to be a lot worse in Montreal I could totally understand wanting to postpone it. Strong wind, rain, and cold temperatures is a recipe for making people sick. It also won't be good for visibility/road safety and no one wants a trick-or-treater to get hit by a car.

Ordinarily I'm all for dressing for the weather and getting out but I can understand the thinking behind the postponement. Plus Friday night Halloween means kids won't be tired at school the following morning.

We're going to be scrambling a bit for Halloween today because our son is going out as Luffy from One Piece and he has just realized that most people don't know who that is. He ended up not wearing his costume to school today so we'll see how he feels about it tonight.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 1:27 PM on October 31, 2019 [1 favorite]

Well back in my day not only did we, children, trick or treat in hurricanes, but we smoked while doing so
posted by Automocar at 1:39 PM on October 31, 2019 [25 favorites]

Safety is a good reason to postpone, as is everyone being wet and miserable when the whole point is to have fun.
posted by Capt. Renault at 1:48 PM on October 31, 2019 [4 favorites]

Down here in NYC it’s a humid 70 degrees!
posted by FGR at 1:56 PM on October 31, 2019

Anything that pushes back the Christmas marketing surge is fine with me. Team Goth Christmas is out there holding the line against the Jingle Onslaught, and they need any edge they can muster.
posted by mhoye at 1:57 PM on October 31, 2019 [11 favorites]

Two inches of slush on the ground and I'm about to suit up and take the kid out.

The only bright side is that hopefully everyone overbought those mega-packs at Target and will be giving away too much candy.

Downside is that snow-heavy limbs are starting to crack and fall off trees. Seriously hoping nobody gets hurt out there.
posted by JoeZydeco at 2:08 PM on October 31, 2019 [1 favorite]

My town's Facebook group has been nothing but continuous "Is Halloween Still On???" posts for the last week, I think there must be upwards of fifty at this point.

THE SKELETON PARADE CANNOT BE STOPPED. JOIN THE SKELETON PARADE
posted by selfnoise at 2:15 PM on October 31, 2019 [6 favorites]

Ottawa is today and it's raining so hard the cats and dogs won't even poke their noses outside.

Lots of people at work today were talking about picking up clear garbage bags on their way home.
posted by bonehead at 2:16 PM on October 31, 2019

We're going to be scrambling a bit for Halloween today because our son is going out as Luffy from One Piece and he has just realized that most people don't know who that is. He ended up not wearing his costume to school today so we'll see how he feels about it tonight.

I feel triggered by this, which seems very much like a pathetic geek story from my childhood.
posted by thelonius at 2:25 PM on October 31, 2019

I wish every Halloween would be delayed until the next Friday or Saturday. I remember the 1991 blizzard and I think it would have been delayed if the internet access was more common back then. All we had in St. Cloud was the public access tv station (Channel 10) and radio stations.
posted by soelo at 2:35 PM on October 31, 2019

I was in Hartford during the 2011 storm and the ct governor declared a state of emergency.
posted by brujita at 3:05 PM on October 31, 2019

Update: after several weeks of discussing the implications of rain during Halloween... it didn't rain.

THE SKELETONS SURGE FORTH TRIUMPHANT
posted by selfnoise at 3:39 PM on October 31, 2019 [3 favorites]

We’re actually getting a steady stream of kids tonight. Wind chill is 17 out there. Ah, the lure of chocolate.
posted by Thorzdad at 3:49 PM on October 31, 2019 [1 favorite]

I absolutely do not get the level of outrage over this delay. It’s a made up event to send dressed-up kids in the streets to collect candy, the actual date isn’t important. Do we really have to pick an evening we know will make everybody miserable? Who’s gonna take care of all the kids who’ll catch a cold because their Halloween costume sucked at protecting them, those outraged people?

And adults will have Halloween parties Friday and Saturday because it’s a more convenient day to get drunk, some give me a break.
posted by WaterAndPixels at 3:57 PM on October 31, 2019 [1 favorite]

In our town there would never have been a delay because all our politicians do is argue about who tore down whose yard signs for the upcoming election and who else would make the call?
posted by selfnoise at 4:02 PM on October 31, 2019 [1 favorite]

I guess maybe it's a Calgary thing, but growing up all costumes were designed to be able to fit a snow suit underneath; there were more white Halloweens than Christmases in my childhood.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 4:06 PM on October 31, 2019 [12 favorites]

Oh the arguments are really petty about this, the people on my community Facebook pages are split between those condemning the city for making a decision that's not theirs to make (whose is it then?) and those that are Ok with it. If they hadn't postponed and a kid got hurt by a falling branch or something, those same people would have condemned the city for not cancelling it, so you really can't make everyone happy. I'd rather they be overly cautious (we are talking about CHILDREN after all) than not cautious enough. It's raining hard but the wind isn't as bad as they had predicted so some are using that as a "I told you so!" moment. Weather is unpredictable, they made an informed decision with the information that was available to them yesterday, and I'm glad they made it. I really don't want to have been walking outside tonight. If anyone braves the weather and does ring the doorbell tonight, I have candy ready, but I hope for their sake they stay warm indoors and wait for tomorrow.
posted by Hazelsmrf at 4:17 PM on October 31, 2019 [1 favorite]

Once when I was a little kid, Halloween was cancelled on our rural route one year because of an awful ice storm. The next day, after we came home from All Saints Day Mass, a big batch of candies was just dumped on the floor for a wild free-for-all. I thought that was pretty cool.
posted by ovvl at 4:20 PM on October 31, 2019 [2 favorites]

I guess maybe it's a Calgary thing, but growing up all costumes were designed to be able to fit a snow suit underneath

Edmonton too -- I recall one where it was like -20 or something equally ridiculous. I froze my ass off, but I persisted dammit.
posted by aramaic at 4:29 PM on October 31, 2019 [3 favorites]

Hey, if the people of Montreal want to open themselves up to the dead's last chance to get revenge on them, then I guess they gotta live with the consequences.
posted by clawsoon at 4:36 PM on October 31, 2019

In Mtl the weather you’ll get on Oct 31 is hard to predict, so either you wait till the week before to plan the costume appopriately or you choose something that can be adapted. And I find rain a lot harder to protect from than snow or cold. Tonight it’s heavy cold rain, road visibility is so so, that’s not a good night to send kids in the streets.
posted by WaterAndPixels at 4:44 PM on October 31, 2019 [1 favorite]

In Central PA ( and it seems to be spreading ) they don't actually have Trick or Treat on Halloween anymore. Usually the Thursday before, unless that's actually the 31st then that Wednesday.
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 5:17 PM on October 31, 2019

condemning the city for making a decision that's not theirs to make (whose is it then?)

Depending on your religion, either the Pope, the Orthodox bishops, or whoever, if anyone, is in charge of your Protestant sect, would have the proper authority to change the day for the observance of the Feast of All Hallows. As for the secular celebrations commonly occurring on All Hallows' Eve going by the Catholic and Protestant calendars, that decision is up to Society, in which we live.

Do they do eggs and TP in Canada? I would hope these individuals are getting some eggs and TP for their presumption. If Canadian governments want to mess with holidays they can move Canada Day. (And they should probably should, to March.)
posted by save alive nothing that breatheth at 5:25 PM on October 31, 2019

Do they do eggs and TP in Canada? I would hope these individuals are getting some eggs and TP for their presumption.

Not sure how well TP and egging would work out during a massive storm.
posted by clawsoon at 5:48 PM on October 31, 2019 [1 favorite]

The only time Halloween got changed in Alabama was if it fell on Sunday, because we were not allowed to evoke our satanic rituals on the day of the Lord.

Apparently satanic rituals were AOK any other day.
posted by halfbuckaroo at 5:54 PM on October 31, 2019 [6 favorites]

You cannot "postpone" or "cancel" Halloween. You can postpone or cancel trick-or-treating for children to a night other than Halloween, but your pathetic mortal municipality does not have the ability move the Eve of November to a date other than the night before November.

OBVIOUSLY the raging storms and howling winds that are moving people to flee to their safe sunny weekends are the manifestation of the vengeful spirits of the coming November asserting themselves on November Eve, so there has never been a truer or more natural or more spiritually pure Halloween than THIS VERY NIGHT
posted by elsilnora at 5:55 PM on October 31, 2019 [8 favorites]

I still have most of a case of beer (out of 36) pumpkin beers here in St.Louis because of low attendance. (I give candy to the kids, and beer to the adults.) Usually I'm all out by 7:30.
posted by notsnot at 6:11 PM on October 31, 2019

I thought it was a joke when a neighbor friend told me yesterday that Hallowe'en was postponed. But, yep, not happening.

It was weird here in Montreal tonight. As I walked home from work at about 6:15 the decorated houses all had the porch lights off. A few brave kids turned up on our street and one came to the door for candy. Then the rain started bucketing down and the wind picked up that was the end of it. I've got four 11 year olds in the basement for a planned sleepover and they're deep into the Costco candy I had picked up for trick or treaters. They're coming out ahead, especially if they head out tomorrow. It's an alternate Hallowe'en universe.
posted by Cuke at 6:25 PM on October 31, 2019 [3 favorites]

As long as there are Kerr's Kisses it doesn't matter what day Halloween is on.
posted by Ashwagandha at 6:35 PM on October 31, 2019

As for the secular celebrations commonly occurring on All Hallows' Eve going by the Catholic and Protestant calendars, that decision is up to Society, in which we live.

Well yes, I didn't mean to imply that the city had actually changed the date on which Halloween falls, but they did change the date for trick or treating. At least here on the south shore of Montreal, the city provides cops and closes off popular streets for safety, so really it's up to them on which date they feel is the safest night for them to offer those services that we've come to expect from them.
posted by Hazelsmrf at 6:52 PM on October 31, 2019

In Central PA ( and it seems to be spreading ) they don't actually have Trick or Treat on Halloween anymore.

Is this due to some religious consideration, or what?

Our tally of trick-or-treaters varies wildly from year to year. This year, we had wind and a little rain, but zero visiting kids.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 7:36 PM on October 31, 2019

Is this due to some religious consideration, or what?
No clue. All I know is from 1972 until 1986 it was the 31st, as that's my birthday and I remember. My best guess is that it was in response to some sort of 'Devil's Night' hysteria.
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 7:44 PM on October 31, 2019

It appears to me that, as parents, community officials, and schools, we have become so intent on keeping our children safe that we've neglected to teach them how to be safe. Tonight is Halloween; it's raining with high winds; it's snowing; there is little visiblity - hey kids, we're gonna have to skip trick or treating this year; it's dangerous for you AND for other's that have to be out on the road. If it's possible have a few neighborhood kids come over for a candy swap. Most schools might have already rescheduled their school parades. But really, shitty weather on halloween presents some really good life lessons: how to handle dissappointment; how to share dissappointment with others; figure out what is safe where you live and what is not; science (you can't beat mother nature); etc.
posted by iamhere:youarethere at 8:12 PM on October 31, 2019

My kids and I were out for two hours in the pouring rain and cold here in Ottawa tonight. They thought it was awesome as they got their biggest haul ever with less than usual competition on the streets. People were just shovelling candy into their bags. It wasn’t really that bad out there. At least there wasn’t snow this year. Seems un-Canadian to me to give up over a bit of off weather.
posted by fimbulvetr at 8:40 PM on October 31, 2019 [4 favorites]

As a kid, I would have loved this. With the right strategy you could get an amazing haul.

Oct 31: Bundle up and go out. Get extra large helpings of pity candy on account of the weather. Also probably hot chocolate and such.

Nov 1: Go out again like the greedy pig you are.

on preview: see above
posted by ryanrs at 10:02 PM on October 31, 2019 [1 favorite]

That time I went out as an Eskimo,* I would have welcomed cold weather. As it was, the night was unseasonably warm, and I roasted in that winter coat.


* Apologies for the cultural appropriation.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 3:30 AM on November 1, 2019

Normally our doorbell would have started ringing around 5:15pm - just enough time for parents to get home and pour their pre-schoolers into their Halloween one-sies. This year the torrential waterfall of rain meant we didn’t get our first trick-or-treater until almost 6:15pm. We opened the door to a very determined 5 year old in a rainbow unicorn costume and a rain slicker huddled under an umbrella. Her parents said she’d insisted on going out even though the rain hadn’t let up at all. She’d been counting down the days ‘til Halloween all week. No way was she going to miss it.

We thought for a while she was going to the only one, but the rain and wind died down a little bit and the crowds ventured out. Our narrow porch was a-jostle with umbrellas and we pretty much ran out of candy by 7:45pm.

This morning half the city is without power and the wind gusts are making me wonder how well anchored everyone’s Halloween decorations are - especially those inflatable figures that are so popular around here now.
posted by Secret Sparrow at 4:29 AM on November 1, 2019 [1 favorite]

We didn't have nearly as many kids as we did last year, but it was still a relatively steady stream. Toward the end, it was mostly teens in coats and hats and not much in the way of costumes. We gave everyone a choice between chocolate or pretzels. The pretzels were remarkably popular.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:14 AM on November 1, 2019

My kids went out with their friends from 7-7:30. We all got fairly soaked but it was warm so we were ok. They got a ton of candy and we stopped off at one of their friend's houses for some fresh brownies. When we got home around 8 we went to our neighbors figuring they'd be waiting for us (they were). The rain had stopped but the wind had picked up. Not great when you're already wet but if we had started at 8 we would have been pretty comfortable.

Only 10 groups of kids came to our door which seems to be average for us. I think the increased decorating we did was offset by the weather.

Also, my son did go out as Luffy. One person knew who he was and for everyone else who asked he said he was "a Japanese character". We'll see if he decides to be something more recognizable next year. Maybe I should take him to some anime/comic event where people are doing cosplay so that he can be Luffy there and people will recognize his costume.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 6:32 AM on November 1, 2019

I had about 30 kids, when usually I get 100-120. The weather wasn't great, and only terrible in spurts, but it was manageable. First kid didn't show up until six, and I gave up at 7:45 (when usually I go until nine). I didn't even get the non-costumed neighbourhood kids who aren't looking for candy so much as food.
posted by Capt. Renault at 7:42 AM on November 1, 2019

I had two kids show up at 3pm. I always wait downstairs during normal trick-or-treat hours, but I didn't expect anyone that early and I couldn't get downstairs fast enough. So I missed opening the door to them; I just saw them from my upstairs window as they ran onward.

By 5pm the rain was bucketing down in earnest and no other kids came.
posted by elizilla at 9:31 AM on November 1, 2019

I was out for 2 hours in the slush and snow, the kids had a blast and - as predicted - they took in a ton of candy. People were literally throwing it at the kids saying "HEREJUSTTAKEITALL". Meanwhile we counted 14 visitors, not groups, visitors at home.

The bummer were the people that yelled at the kids for cutting across their lawns in the snow. Kind of wish I had some eggs with me for those people. Adults suck.
posted by JoeZydeco at 12:30 PM on November 1, 2019 [4 favorites]

I'm glad they had moved the date, yesterday was really bad. There's a huge tree that fell onto a house a few streets over, it uprooted all the cement from the driveway and everything. A ton of houses in the Montreal area have been without power since 2am, and they're saying it can be several days before power is back. The wind was really nasty.
posted by Hazelsmrf at 6:02 PM on November 1, 2019 [2 favorites]

Had to run to the grocery store to buy more candy tonight, so a big success. it was cold (especially manning the door) but everybody had enough sense to dress appropriately, except me.(well I had a vest + HEAVY socks).
posted by WaterAndPixels at 7:15 PM on November 1, 2019 [1 favorite]

My city postpones trick or treating until tonight, since there were strong winds on Thursday (like, trees down, power outages, really nasty winds). People -- mostly, from what I've seen, people without kids -- are SO MAD. All ranting about how when THEY were kids they weren't such delicate snowflakes that they couldn't go out in some wind and rain! And I just roll my eyes.
posted by sarcasticah at 1:19 PM on November 2, 2019 [4 favorites]