Helping Kids Cope With the Halloween ‘Hangover’

By Jillian Amodio, LMSW, Mental Health Contributor

Halloween seems to get bigger and more exciting every year! Kids are planning what they want to dress up as months in advance, and endless events from fall festivals and pumpkin patches, to haunted trails and trunk or treats fill the family calendar. Like many exciting events, the build-up is part of the fun! The weeks and days leading up to Halloween feel like an endless party full of surprises. But what happens when it’s over? 

Halloween FOMO

Many kids experience big emotions when a much-anticipated event or experience has come and gone. The palpable excitement is often replaced with a deep longing for it to last just a little longer. When November 1st rolls around, some kids might even experience regret that they didn’t get to do that one activity, see that one display, or wear their second-choice costume. 

Acknowledge the Big Feels

While we might be tempted to dismiss these big emotions as being overly dramatic, a child’s world is very small. To them, this really might be a big source of emotion and they might need some help easing the transition. Listen– I am a full-grown adult and I have experienced an intense emotional response to finishing a good book or television series. Humans are emotional creatures! It can be hard to say “goodbye” to things we love, even if that goodbye is just another year away from returning. 

Tips to Ease Transition

Transitions from things like vacations and summer breaks are often challenging for kids, so it’s really no surprise that holiday transitions can be challenging as well. So what do we do to help ease the heartbreak of the Halloween Hangover?

1) Validate your child’s emotions. It might not be a big deal to you, but it’s a big deal to them. Acknowledge their feelings and let them know it is okay to talk about it!

2) Create a visual memory, such as a photo collage, a framed photo of their favorite Halloween festivity, or a scrapbook page. 

3) Remind them that the reason holidays are so fun and exciting is that they are special days that don’t last! If it was Halloween every day (as cool as that sounds), it would lose its wonder pretty quickly.

4) Keep a piece of the holiday present. If your child wants to keep a bit of Halloween happiness on display, let them! Stick a festive sweater on that scarecrow and he’s ready for winter fun! 

5) Start prepping for what’s next! There is always something else to look forward to. Set their sights on planning for the next fun event and keep the joy going year-round. 

Putting a hard stop to things can be jarring. Kids can often use a few days to ease back into normal. Give your child time to come back down from the Halloween high… and when in doubt, have another piece of candy for the serotonin rush! 

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