Pexels/Reddit

Some traditions start out as a labor of love and end up feeling like more of a second job.

The following story is about a mom who transformed her house into a full-blown haunted attraction every Halloween, starting back when her son was little.

Hundreds of trick-or-treaters showed up every year, completely wowed by the immersive experience.

But lately the joy has worn thin, and now it feels like an expensive chore. She doesn’t want to scale it down— she just doesn’t want to do it at all.

Now she’s wrestling with guilt over disappointing an entire neighborhood.

Keep reading for the full story.

WIBTA If I didn’t do my elaborate Halloween this year

I’m really torn and guilt-ridden about not wanting to do Halloween this year for the neighborhood. I’ll get 500-600 kids who come by walking, dropped off in cars and vans.

She still put out a few things, but nothing compared to what she did in the past.

I’m a very scary witch, and aside from my 2 giant skeletons from Home Depot that go out early, everything is set up the day of and brought back in the night of.

I’ve heard parents say their kids questioned if they were dreaming last night because now, the next day, my house looks normal.

The whole endeavor has started to lose its allure.

I started doing it for my son when he was 3. He’s 26 now, and it’s just become a chore and really expensive.

There will be many disappointed kids and parents if I don’t do it.

I don’t want to scale it down either. I just don’t want to do it.

Sounds like a real dilemma.

What did Reddit have to say?

This commenter thinks of a fun homage to the early years of going all out.

If this mom is waiting on permission, this user provides hers.

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Disappointment is a healthy thing for kids to experience every now and then.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who moved her mom in after her dad passed, but doesn’t want to fill the role of a spouse.

This user shares their take.

This woman has handed out joy to a few thousand kids over the years, and somewhere along the way nobody asked her whether she still had any left for herself.

She doesn’t owe the neighborhood a scaled-down version, and she doesn’t owe them a farewell tour either.

Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened!

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Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.