Why Old Traditions Like Daylight Saving Time and Neighborhood Halloween Hayrides Just Won’t Let Go 

When I bought my house 20 years ago, my neighborhood was a small, rural place—just three streets wide and three streets deep, built on old plantation land. Back then, it made perfect sense for parents to meet at the local middle school, load kids onto hayrides with police escorts, and take them around the far-apart neighborhoods to trick-or-treat safely.  

It was a wonderful tradition that fit the rural lifestyle.

But today, so much has changed. Farms have vanished, oak trees have been uprooted, and houses now fill every open space. Our once quiet neighborhood has transformed, yet that same Halloween hayride tradition stubbornly continues.

Many homes don’t even turn their lights on anymore, and have grown to resent the tradition and the expectation that we are somehow required to spend hundreds of dollars on candy each year.  

Watching kids arrive each Halloween evening, it’s clear that those who have participated in the past are often deflated when they reach neighborhoods like mine, where enthusiasm has faded. They can sense the tension and disappointment from residents who no longer want to spend hundreds of dollars on treats, dampening the spirit for everyone. With the rising cost of treats—projected to hit record highs this year—more families are budget-conscious and hesitant about large gatherings.  

What was once a joyful, close-knit tradition has become a costly, exhausting obligation for many, and a letdown for the children who still show up hoping for that old magic.  

Sadly, the adults in charge seem unwilling to let go of the tradition, holding tight to a custom that no longer fits the reality of our neighborhoods or the burdens it places on residents.

Then we have that semi-annual disappointment - #timechange.

DST started for practical reasons you could understand back in the day—saving energy, syncing daylight hours with farming and industry schedules. But now? It’s just this twice-yearly hassle, a relic that everyone grumbles about but nobody’s willing to fully ditch because it’s stuck in the system.

Which outdated traditions or stuck rules frustrate you the most, and that you believe should be retired once and for all?