ESTATE PLANNING NEWS & ARTICLES

What Do Halloween and Estate Planning Have in Common?

estate planning

This year, many of us are looking forward to Halloween. No matter how you choose to celebrate (Trick-or-Treating socially distanced or movies at home among other ways), we are determined to keep this fun holiday on our calendars despite the pandemic. Believe our not, because of the history of Halloween, estate planning and this holiday have a lot in common.

 

According to History.com, Halloween dates back “to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced ‘sow-in’).” The Celts, who lived thousands of years ago, celebrated the New Year on November 1st with the end of summer and the harvest. It was also the beginning of a harsh winter, often associated with death. “Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31st, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.”

 

It’s About Connection

While we don’t actually connect people with the spirits of their loved ones (that is a different “profession” all together), Estate planning does give people one last opportunity to “communicate” with the dead. Through the documents, letters and plans left behind, we hear from them one more time. This last interaction can provide peace and comfort during a very difficult time for family and friends.

 

Taking the Fright Out of Planning

Getting the help of an attorney also makes estate planning a less scary and overwhelming process any time of year. Though you can seek out different ways to generate certain documents, you don’t know what you don’t know because of the twists and turns in the law. As for Halloween, well, making that less frightening would not be quite as fun. 

updated 9-25-2020