[CrypticCuriosity]

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Halloween and it is by far my favorite time of year. But I was explaining to my mother tonight how Halloween is like Christmas for me. It's the best, I love it, but I do SO much work. Leading up to it there is a lot to get done, and then all day long the day-of I'm cooking for multiple people, setting up the inside and outside, getting ready for trick or treaters, doing mine and everyone else's costumes and make-up, and on and on and on.

I'm sad when it's done, but there's also a big sense of relief. All the good stuff is over, but fortunately so is all of the planning, paying, and stress, at least for a little while. I know I can kick back and let the rest of my family do most of the work for the next couple of holidays!

Anyone else feel this yet? Or at all? How big of a toll did the season take on you this year?

 

[Vysse]

I was up til 4am this morning, finishing my scarecrow that I had issues with, when I had work and had to be up at 7:30am. Totally worth it but I feel ya.

 

[ghostuponthefloor]

I absolutely know what you mean...

 

[DesertSasquatch2011]

About 24 hours ago I had about just gave up, I was close to not doing anything, haunted yard about 25% done. The whole family was bummed that I could not get my spirit up. I don't know where it came from, got a major Halloween adrenaline and completed my haunt. Everyone liked it.

 

[Zombie Sean]

Relief when everything is taken down and put away. I hate doing that and try to do it as quickly as possible.

But this year was different than any other. For the first time ever, most my display went up on Halloween. I even worked at night to get things up and going - but the bulk of the display was up by around 3:00 Halloween. Normally, I get everything up on October 1st (or that first weekend) and just add to it as the month goes on. However, with work, it's been impossible. So, part of me is sad that I invested so much energy into something that is pretty much going to be taken down within 47 hours of putting it up - worse, I didn't get many trick-or-treaters. I'd say we had maybe five rings all night (some large groups, tho). :/

 

[UnOrthodOx]

This year has been HARD.

Emotionally, financially, physically. Work has been up in the air, making any kind of budgeting dicey at best, I'm battling several injuries to the point I had to ask for assistance for setting up, and there's a whole big issue with my (not immediate, my wife/kids are great) family.

Of the 3, the work one is the biggest threat to what we might do next year.



I'll be relieved when I get things actually put away, and I've got some thinking to do over next year.

 

[Lumpy]

My Dad died Oct 20th. We spent a week making preps for his services. He was put to rest on the 28th. I was busy working a haunted trail on the 25th and 26th. I was up for over 24 hours on the 30th due to work.

It has been hectic to say the least.

I will spend today trying to get stuff dried out and packed away.

Yes, I'm glad its over. With luck I will actually get to enjoy it a little more next year.

 

[ezekiel]

My Dad died Oct 20th. We spent a week making preps for his services. He was put to rest on the 28th. I was busy working a haunted trail on the 25th and 26th. I was up for over 24 hours on the 30th due to work.

It has been hectic to say the least.

I will spend today trying to get stuff dried out and packed away.

Yes, I'm glad its over. With luck I will actually get to enjoy it a little more next year.

Very sorry to hear of your loss. I could not imagine going forward if something like that had happened to myself.

For me "Halloween Burnout" usually manifests itself full force about a week before the 31st. But once the first scream happens I am amped right back up and then there is that huge moment of relief after the last guest finishes our haunted house and then there is the "Halloween Hangover". And no the "Halloween Hangover" has nothing to do with excessive alcohol it is from being totally tired and exhausted (physically and mentally) from all the planning, preparation, and stress of making sure things go just right.

Now I can finally rest.

 

[Ween12amEternal]

Lumpy, I'm so sorry to hear your dad passed away. Really makes it a struggle to get in the swing of Halloween. Seems everyone was challenged this year. I too am feeling relief & just enjoying our Halloween stuff without the pressure, and making notes for next year.

 

[myerman82]

Every year I treat Halloween as a season and start in August. Every year around this time I feel the same way. I love Halloween but once it's over it's over and I can't wait to get everything put away for next year. Next year I think I will remain low key for Halloween. I think I will take the year off from my annual Halloween party and just go out for that weekend. I do enjoy the hunting for Halloween stuff and decorating the entire house inside and outside but I think each year I burn myself out. It gives me just enough time to get excited again when August comes next year. Every year I tell myself I'm not going to go all out and every year I always do. I wasn't going to decorate the outside this year but I did it and hearing the neighbors get excited was worth it. However, next year I will cut back a bit so I can enjoy things and not have to worry about going all out and plan a party.

 

[chaoscat]

I have a fitbit that tracks my daily steps. On a normal working day, I get about 11,000 which includes taking the dogs for their walk. Yesterday, I had 19,000 steps and about 8.5 miles on it. By the time trick or treating started I was so tired, I was just waiting for it to be over so I could go to bed. All that work, for 2 hours of entertainment. It gets harder every year to motivate myself to do it.

 

[CrypticCuriosity]

For me "Halloween Burnout" usually manifests itself full force about a week before the 31st. But once the first scream happens I am amped right back up and then there is that huge moment of relief after the last guest finishes our haunted house and then there is the "Halloween Hangover". And no the "Halloween Hangover" has nothing to do with excessive alcohol it is from being totally tired and exhausted (physically and mentally) from all the planning, preparation, and stress of making sure things go just right.

Now I can finally rest.

This sounds similar to what happened with me this year. I was feeling pretty burnt out the week before, but Halloween day I got my second wind and had a great time. Today, I slept until 1:30pm! I haven't done that in ages, but I definitely needed it.

 

[DaveintheGrave]

I totally know what you mean. It absolutely wears me out setting up the yard by myself all Halloween day and still not getting everything done that I want.
I told my neighbors that I hate Halloween day, but Halloween night is my favorite night of the year.

I do feel a sigh of relief when it's over and I'm ready to take a break for a while. Even though at the same time, my mind is always churning with new prop ideas for next year.

 

[Cloe]

I totally know what you mean. It absolutely wears me out setting up the yard by myself all Halloween day and still not getting everything done that I want.
I told my neighbors that I hate Halloween day, but Halloween night is my favorite night of the year.

I do feel a sigh of relief when it's over and I'm ready to take a break for a while. Even though at the same time, my mind is always churning with new prop ideas for next year.

My sentiments exactly though the day of I did get quite a bit of help. Since it's all my ideas I'm left to my own and the last week I have worked frantically on minimal sleep. I woke up this morning sore all over but still thinking about what I could change and add next year. I'm all on my own now to the repacking and by the looks of the weather related frantic pick up it's even more scary looking than most Halloween haunts.

 

[mariposa0283]

this halloween was extremely stressful for me. im pumped full of hormones right now so everything is extra emotional. then i had a not so wonderful event happen during the summer wich has pretty much put me in a funk for a while. im hoping i snap out of it in time for thanksgiving and christmas or can at least put it to the back of my mind for those 2. i tried for halloween but it obviously didnt work. so on top of all the hormones, depression and stress... we're financially strained this year due to medical crap with no end in sight. just nothing about 2013 has been good, halloween was no exception. im glad its over, im sad it wasnt fun for me but i'll be glad to say good bye to this year come january 1st.

 

[lizzyborden]

I think I suffered burn-out in the last week. Our truck is in the shop, I have a huge pit in my yard that was formerly a septic tank and I have a week to transfer our flooring and stored items out of my MIL's basement so she can have a furnace installed. So I simply had to quit work on the props and start back to work on our house.

 

[Chewbacca]

Our Halloween party was the 26th and I've been recuperating for the last week. In the 20 years we've lived here we've had exactly zero TOTs so Halloween itself has never been a big deal. We always have our party on the last Saturday of October and I'm really looking forward to 2015 when the 31st actually falls on a Saturday.

 

[JLWII2000]

I know one thing, after the amount of work I did setting up and tearing down all on Halloween day I am relieved. I don't mean a little relieved. I mean Maury telling me "You are not the Father" relieved. I just want to chill out and do nothing for days, weeks or months on end now. But I have to go back to work on Monday.

 

[mamadada]

i just realized that this is my suoport group, and i thought i was the only person that went through this. Its almost a love hate issue with me. love it because i like to play with everything and see the fruits of my labor. hate it becsusr of my labor. love it because everyone else loves what we do and hate it because of the let down when its over. come June here we go again!

 

[CaliforniaMelanie]

Yeah, sure, a little bit. Even if you don't have an official walk-through haunt (we don't...yet), it's still a bit stressful trying to get in every last drop of fun, make every last prop look great and make the ToTers happy. And for us parents, taking our kids all around the place so they get in all their Halloween jollies. So it's a relief when all went well and there's a little down-time after for a change!