What Halloween and Christmas both have in common

[Alolan_Apples]

I haven't written an entry in like a week or so, but I only write when I have something to write. It's another of these seasonal/holiday entries, and this time, I'm here to discuss the similarities between two of the most secularized and commercialized holidays: Halloween and Christmas.

Yes, we know that they are different. Halloween is all about dressing up and collecting candy while Christmas involves opening presents. Halloween is a fall holiday and Christmas is a winter holiday. Halloween is in October and Christmas is in December. But those are obvious differences everybody knows. Today, let's take a look at the similarities, and this time, both really have became similar, but they still kept their traditions.

Here are the similarities I found between both holidays:

1. Halloween and Christmas are both on a fixed date - some holidays are on a fixed date (like your birthday or New Year's Day), but others are always on the same day of the week (like Martin Luther King Day and Daylight Savings adjustment days). Halloween and Christmas are both in the former group. Halloween is always celebrated on October 31st and Christmas is always celebrated on December 25th.
2. Both are celebrated very late in their months - despite both holidays dominating the entire months they go to, Halloween and Christmas appear to be celebrated within the last week of their months (or last seven days). The last week of October is the 25th to the 31st, with Halloween being on the 31st, and the last week of December is the 25th to the 31st, with Christmas being on the 25th. On a related note, they are both observed within the last three months of the year, when the year is already dying.
3. Both have white in the main color scheme - Halloween's main color scheme is orange, black, and white. Orange is to pumpkins, black is to bats and spiders, and white is to ghosts and skeletons. Christmas's main color scheme is red, green, and white. Red is to Santa Claus and some decorations, green is to Christmas trees, and white is to snow and snowmen. Even the other colors in their color schemes seem to bleed over. In Halloween, red is the color of blood and evil, as green is the color of some monsters. In Christmas, black is the color of snow boots, and orange is the color of some ornaments. But more importantly, white appears to be in the main color scheme in both, and blue is a neutral color to both holidays.
4. Both have candy - everyone loves candy, except for some people. But this is a similarity that's not just true about these holidays. We see them in Valentine's and Easter. You can even get candy for your birthday or at a birthday party. I got KitKat Mini's for my 23rd birthday. What's even more interesting is that both holidays have candy containers. I'm talking pumpkin buckets and stockings.
5. Both have many holiday specials - doesn't every holiday have some sort of holiday specials seen in many TV shows?
6. Both have people in costumes - the only difference is that Halloween is all about that. You can dress up like anything you want for Halloween. But I wouldn't advise dressing up like Santa, reindeer, snowmen, or winter villagers. Save that for Christmas. Yes, even Christmas has costumed characters. They can even be creepy like the traditional Halloween costumes. Strangely enough, Halloween can have toys distributed, but that's not traditional.
7. Both have overboard decorating - this is true. Here in the United States, both holidays have a lot of hype. We got parties, contests, prizes, everything. But the decorating is the big picture. Halloween has a plethora of decorations, including yard decorations, house decorations, and even some stranger ones like fog machines and cobwebs. Christmas isn't any different in this issue either. In fact, there's much more than Halloween. We have tree decorations, outdoor decorations, wreaths, and decorations for the mantle. Not only that, but Halloween is all about horror while Christmas may extend to other aspects for the winter and its religious background. But what both have in common is decorative lighting. Isn't that crazy that Halloween is having that too?
8. Both are closely related to Thanksgivings Day - this may be a cheap similarity to post in today's entry, but if there's any holiday they're the closest related to, it has got to be Thanksgiving. Both Halloween and Thanksgiving are fall holidays. But here in the United States, Thanksgiving is closer to Christmas in similarities than Halloween, even if they're on two different seasons and two different months. After Thanksgiving is Black Friday, which begins the shopping season. They both have feasts. They both have vacations from school (Halloween doesn't). And one more thing. 8 out of 28 years, they have date coincidences. In years like 2003 and 2014, they're both on Thursdays. In years like 1999 and 2010, they're both the 25th days of their months. I was born in 1993, which was a year when Thanksgiving is November 25th. And Christmas is always December 25th.
9. Both have traditional music - other than birthdays, not many holidays have music that follow their traditions. But there are traditional Halloween songs. Some of the same scary tones are played every year. And Christmas, there's a whole bunch of Christmas carols. It looks like Christmas is more well-built than Halloween, judging by what I written today.
10. Both have similar elements - believe it or not, there are some elements that both Halloween and Christmas have in common. Let's talk about ghosts. It's one of the many elements of Halloween. As for Christmas, just read the Christmas Carol. Mr. Scrooge had three ghosts to visit him to talk about his selfish personality and how it's affecting society. Another is the weather. From wherever I live, we don't get proper fall weather until December, the month Christmas is set in. But in some places like New York, snow can come in as early as October, which makes Halloween just as snowy as Christmas. Oh, and both Halloween and Christmas decorations can be sold in September and October. It's normal to see Halloween decorations in September and October, but for Christmas, that seems too early. You can also see Halloween decorations being sold in July and August, which is what September and October is like to Christmas. But then it starts to make sense. Because after 4th of July, there's still many holidays left in the year, but only three festive holidays. The festive holiday after the holiday in early July is a holiday in late October, which is nearly four months away. And between those two, there really isn't many holidays to decorate for. So once the fireworks show is over, it's time to talk about Halloween plans. And once the mid-year is over, it's time to talk about Christmas plans.

If you have anymore to contribute, feel free to comment.

 

[Taj]

At least only one of the two holidays forgot the Jews