Halloween has come and gone. The ghoulies and creepies can never last! The end of Halloween also signals the end of October generally, and as soon as November rolls around, many people take this as their cue to replace the pumpkins with wreaths to decorate their doorstep. But is this move too presumptuous? Are we moving too quickly from one holiday to the next and never truly enjoying the lingering spookiness of Halloween past? 

Certainly major department stores capitalize on Christmas a tad too early: from the beginning of October, there are already several Christmas decorations hidden in a back corner of the Halloween decor section. I’m of the opinion that this kind of behavior stems from a lack of appreciation of Halloween, which as everyone knows, actually spans the whole month of October. As soon as October ends, however, then it seems fair game to start playing Christmas carols. 

Why is that? Well, arguably major holidays like Halloween and Christmas last two months – Halloween is coextensive with the start of fall in September, as this is obviously ghosts’ favorite season. Therefore, it is appropriate to whip out the Halloween decor by Sept. 1 and remain in this mood until the end of October. Because November is coextensive with the start of winter, and winter is synonymous with Christmas, then it is appropriate to begin Christmas celebrations in November. Knowing how to decorate is a matter of paying close attention to the seasons, which isn’t difficult, as Mother Nature herself will tell you by either not snowing (probably fall through Halloween) or snowing (probably winter through Christmas).

What about Thanksgiving in November, you might ask? I consider this the American version of pre-Christmas – the food for Thanksgiving seems to me to be the same (or nearly the same) as that of the food served on Christmas. It seems appropriate to just lump Thanksgiving into a category of preparatory Christmas. For those who are keen on capitalizing on all decorative potentials, it is appropriate to buy little turkeys and little pilgrim boy and girl dolls to include amidst Christmas decorations. But because Thanksgiving is not as widely celebrated as Christmas, it seems fine to omit such Thanksgiving decorations.

Shortly after the law passed, opposers suspended it by gathering enough signatures to require a veto referendum, known as Proposition A or the Right to Work Referendum.

Unions generally oppose the law and advocate its repeal arguing that it would hurt labor organizations and lead to lower wages. We Are Missouri, the leading campaign opposing Missouri’s right to work law, states, “Right to Work is WRONG for Missouri. It is an unnecessary, unfair government overreach into the workplace that distracts from the real issues like creating jobs and improving schools.”

Supporters believe it increases the individual workers’ liberty. Missourians for Worker Freedom, the leading supporting campaign, states “Missouri’s Right to Work law not only empowers the individual worker. It also creates jobs, grows wages, and attracts business to the state.”

As of late February, Political Action Committees (PACs) opposing the right to work law have raised $3.26 million while PACs advocating for the law have raised $2.17 million.

As the voting date approaches, both sides have intensified their efforts. Opposers in particular have garnered mass support among working class individuals, holding events such as the recent pro-union rally on the steps of St. Louis’ Old Courthouse Feb. 24. Support for the law has been extracted mainly from corporate donors.

The referendum will appear on the ballot Nov. 6, 2018. A majority “yes” vote will uphold the right to work law, while a majority “no” vote would overturn it.

Photo courtesy of UMKC.