Sandy in Indy Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 We don't "do" Halloween for lots of reasons but the main one is spiritual. However, we live in a neighborhood where kids are literally bussed in to collect candy. We'll have 350+ show up at our door. To preserve our property, we do hand out candy, which I probably wouldn't mind...except for the teenagers who show up at the door in their regular clothes with a pillow case to hold all the "loot." (At least they could attempt a costume!) Two years ago, my locked car in my locked garage was broken into while we were handing out candy and my stereo was stolen. So now, we have one person watching the back of the house while one hands candy out at front. It's absolutely my least favorite day of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tibbyl Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Not only do we celebrate it, but it is one of our favorite holidays. Costume parties are fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plucky Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 We don't "celebrate" Halloween but we do go trick-or-treating and dress up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamato4girls Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Yes, but sometimes I really wish we didn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krista in LA Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 My dd was born on Halloween so she really sees it has a big birthday party for her! When she was 3 and we were out trick or treating, she was thrilled that all those other people were dressed up for her birthday and asked me what I was going to be for my birthday (which is in August). :D We have a lot of fun with Halloween. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Our neighborhood always did a terrific Halloween event. One neighbor would host a "preparty" for the kids in their garage. Beanie Weenies, caramel apples, etc. We would get some pics of the kids in their costumes. Then all the moms would go home to hand out candy while the dads would take the kids around. I am not sure who had more fun, the kids or the dads. Some of the dads would dress up. Their costumes were always very clever and timely. Even the high school kids would dress up and go door to door. Last year, a couple college kids from our street came around in costume, not so much for the candy, but to visit with everyone. Now, most of the kids are getting older, many have to work on halloween. My kids are the young ones. It is not as much fun any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in VA Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 No -- we don't do anything differently on October 31. Same here. It's just another ordinary day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 We don't go door to door because I never liked doing it as a kid, but we still dress up and go to city and church festivals. The kids are way more impressed with bounce houses and stuff to do than they would be ringing doorbells anyway. I'm going to be a roller derby girl this year. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 We also have a preparty, and in fact have a "parade" through the neighborhood in costumes. A firetruck comes to lead the parade. I don't know how they always get them to come do that, because we are a really small neighborhood, but they always do and the young children love it. Then everyone trick or treats. I know almost all of my neighbors, and it's just fun. It's a good time to see everyone, and the children love it. A lot of people decorate, but there isn't much in the way or "horror." So yes, we celebrate. We also recognize All Saints Day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 (edited) Well duh! Of course I celebrate Halloween, except we call it Samhain. We take ds trick-or-treating for the candy grab, then get together with a bunch of other witches and pagans and make a wild night of it. Lots of heathen romping. Edited October 1, 2008 by Audrey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 We celebrate both Halloween and Samhain, but they are very different things for us (just as Winter Solstice and Christmas or the Spring Equinox and Easter). For us, Halloween, Christmas and Easter are about fun American cultural traditions and celebrations with friends or family---trick-or-treating, Santa stockings, Easter bunny---not religiously oriented, more like the 4th of July. It's about fun, a little safe scariness and trying on a slightly different persona for a little while. Oct. 1 also kicks off my husband's month-long enjoyment of bad horror movies (think the old Dracula/Wolfman/Frankenstein/etc).:) We keep a separation between the religious and civic observances. We may do Samhain earlier in the day or on a day close to the 31st, as we are usually very involved in trick or treating still on the 31st. For Samhain, it's very similar to Mama Lynx's description---a time to remember our ancestors, talk about family history, enjoy the season. Sometimes we've done a ritual with friends, most of the time not. The solstices and equinoxes are actually bigger religious holidays for us than the crossquarter days like Samhain, Imbolc, Beltaine, Lammas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 I answered other. We live in the country and no trick-or-treaters come here. We do not go anywhere to trick-or-treat. Instead we have a family night. We play games and we ask questions of the dc based on what they are learning. Right answers earn candy (we help if necessary). Then we play other games: do a candy toss and a candy search. The dc can get dressed up if they want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangearrow Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 We do! It's my dh's favorite holiday - he loves Halloween decorations. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmac Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 The kiddoes dress up and we take them trick or treating then go home and sort through the candy while we watch Peanuts and Garfield Halloween specials, etc... Besides Christmas, it's our favorite holiday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teamturner Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 We celebrate trick or treating! I'm all for candy and getting out and saying hi to the neighbors. When we're out trick-or-treating it's about the only time we ever see the neighbors. We don't allow our dc to have scary costumes or decorate with spooky stuff. We do carve jack-o-lanterns and put them out on Halloween. Other than that we put a pumpkin wreath on the door and a scarecrow in the bushes. I love fall! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Nope...when in town, it's lights off, put a note on the door, make popcorn, and make it a Reformation movie night. Currently we live outside of town and in an area full of people that don't observe All Hallow's Eve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 It is my Joe's favorite holiday. He marks the calender, and had us all decorate the house, indoors and out, this Monday. He will have me make Halloween-shaped sugar cookies for icing/decorating too this month. Then hubby and I will take turns going out with him on the 31st while he trick or treats as Beetlejuice. Joe is 17. He has autism and likely will still be trick or treating when I am trying to catch up with him in my wheelchair years from now!!! Our neighbors across the street do NOT do Halloween - but they know Joe (the dad is his art teacher at the special school Joe attends) and keep their mouths shut around him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Academy of Jedi Arts Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 We LOVE Halloween. We actually have more Halloween than Christmas decorations. Dd has placed in the top 3 in the town costume contest for the last 7 years and has won 5 times. We love trick or treating! I love it when dd gets peanut M&Ms (lol). Dd wants to go to the insanely well done haunted house this year that I won't even go to. I don't want the poor kid to miss out just because her mom is more sensitive than she is. Hopefully her dad or some other adult we know plans on going. It's such a fun holiday for kids (and big kids too). My church also does Halloween. We don't participate that night because we are always too busy with dd, but they do lots of fun games and stuff to give some less fortunate kids a safe place to celebrate. Everyone hands out candy from their car trunk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 We take the family to ChuckECheese's! We usually have the whole place to ourselves. :D Sure the food isn't the best. But quick service, carnival atmosphere, toy/rewards earned. Good fun for all. We light our pumpkins, turnoff all houselights, and leave just at the first trick-or-treaters are headed up the block. Gpa & Gma's old folks neighborhood hosts a T&T event on Oct. 19th. We go for them and the kids get dressed up. Once gparents aren't here we won't do T&T. My kids spend most of Oct. dressed up so having a costume is just kind of a fall thingy. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in NH Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 I voted "other." We don't really celebrate, but the dc do dress up and go trick-or-treating. I'm trying to convince them that it's not the actual holiday - it's the EVE of All Saints' Day. But until All Saints Day involves bucketloads of candy, I'm afraid it's not going to be as exciting for them. We'll do more celebrating over the next few days - All Saints, All Souls - but we do observe halloween. :iagree: That is just how it is here! However, I really wish I had never taken them trick or treating, and don't really know if I could ever stop it, or if we will be doing this for 6 more years...sigh.... at least the next day we all go to Mass! I am glad they don't hand out candy there...i have a huge problem with candy and holidays....I gave in on halloween and have regretted it ever since... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 I don't like the kids going to stranger's houses. I don't like them taking candy from people they don't know. We usually go out to eat that night. We did do Halloween when my oldest 2 were young. They hated it. As I was forcing them to go door to door, with them in tears, I decided it was stupid and we quit doing it. I'm not fond of the holiday's focus on evil. I do think it can be fun, but it's not for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doran Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 We do. :lol: My favorite year was when dh, dd1 and I all dressed up as bees (no, I'm not brown-nosing SWB). I was preggers with dd2, so I was the bee with a bee-to-be. Hardeehar!!! Wow. That was a long time ago. Apparently, I was just as easily humored then as I am now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanie Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 We do. I've gotten to the point where I could take it or leave it, but my husband loves it and it's something fun he and the kids can look forward to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich with Kids Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 It's my son's birthday! We joined another church since last year and our new church has a big halloween blow-out. We'll probably do that this year and have a sleepover for ds. It's just gotten too expensive for us. I always start out planning to be all creative and make our own costumes, but we end up having to buy something , then someone gets mad 'cuz they didn't get to buy anything and blah blah blah...:glare: Some friends of ours go to Chuck E. Cheese every year. They say it's not crowded and they run some good specials. We might try that when Halloween is on a week night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Dress up and begging for candy always appealed to my two. My teen doesn't go begging anymore, but enjoys a costume and handing out candy. I can't wait until ds is too old too. Halloween is huge in our neighborhood, and I do enjoy the morning after breakfast of Snickers, Mounds, and Butterfingers. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamnkats Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Halloween in Mexico is very different from Halloween in the US. In the tourist areas it is becoming more like the US though, and last year, for the first time, we saw costumes in Cancun stores. If we're in the US for Halloween we definitely let the kids go out but here we celebrate Day of the Dead. Oh, and this was to explain my Other vote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheilaZ Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 We decorate and go trick or treating. I love to decorate for halloween. I do the whole house, inside and out. (I also decorate for Easter, Independance Day, and Thanksgiving.) My son has an October birthday, so he likes to have Halloween themed birthday parties and have his friends dress up. On Halloween, my mom and sister come over to give out candy. They look forward to it every year. My neices and nephews come over to trick or treat with their cousins. We all eat dinner together and then the kids head out to ToT. Our neighborhood is infested with children. We have hay rides in the neighborhood and even the adults dress up. We've lived here almost 10 years so I know most of the kids or my kids know them. And I know the adults from walking or from our kids playing together. It's a great night for the kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 We love Halloween here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenn in Mo Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 I love Halloween--I think it's great that the whole neighborhood gets out and is friendly and everyone says hello and stuff. It makes me love my community! So we pass out candy, go trick-or-treating, and so on. I like trunk-or-treats if they're not on Halloween, but I won't go if it's on the day--I think the neighborhood is too important to neglect. While I TOTALLY agree with you about the camaraderie and the importance of visiting neighbors, this always makes me sad. Every Halloween this discussion comes up and the reasoning that the holiday is necessary for a healthy community. Dangermom, you did NOT use that reasoning, I know! But at some point in this thread it will most likely come up and I used your post as a springboard. Sorry to involve you in my soapbox! My thinking is that how strong of a community is it if we use this one and only day to visit with our neighbors. It just makes me sad to think of neighbors never saying anything more than "Hi" or going through the motions and just waving...if that. There are older people on every street that don't care if you have an excuse to drop by....they just want you to drop by. I'm sure I come across as a party pooper on this one, but the 3 arguments: visiting neighbors, kids dressing up, and getting treats....well, we cover these things on a regular basis. I don't like to celebrate Halloween because it takes those 3 things, which we LOVE and surrounds them with spooky stuff that gives my kids nightmares. Yes, I parent chickens, apparently. lol. We go out of town (because people in our neighborhood don't seem to know what it means when the porch light is off if they see your car is still parked in the driveway) and visit friends in the country every Oct. 31st. It is now a tradition that we strongly look forward to. That and the discount candy the next day.;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
She Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 We used to, but haven't for 6-7 years. My kids loved the dressing up, but were TERRIFIED by the other costumes, and houses. We tried handing out candy, until either an adult, or very large child came to the door in a scream costume. (SCREAMS) The kids were very happy to be rid of it. We get them candy, and they can play dress up any time of the year. The girls have outgrown the dress up part, but now they like to sew costumes for their 3yo brother! He looks darn cute in his fleece Robin Hood costume! 3yo doesn't know much about Halloween, and the only thing he noticed was the creepy costume hanging from the ceiling of CVS last year. He about climbed into my arm pit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Hood Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 I just made the jump to let the kids do it last year. We always did a modified version in the past with church oriented harvest parties where they dress up, play games, and get candy. Last year I let them dress up and dh took them out in the neighborhood and they had a ball. I had all the Christian reasons of why not, but then I had a break through for us. It's about the fun of dressing up, going out in the dark with everybody else and getting candy. Since we used to live in neighborhood where there were no trick or treaters, they never knew they were missing anything not did I fell that they were. We moved last year into a tract neighborhood where at least 400 trick or treaters are out there, so I gave them a choice. They chose to go out into the neighborhood. I could've pulled off the harvest parties but instead I switched sides to trick or treat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
She Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 One more thing, I don't have a problem with people doing their "thing" for Halloween, however I do have one problem. People who try to push or trick us into celebrating it with them. Last year the kids were in 4-H. The leader called me in October, knowing that I was not fond of Halloween. She told me they wouldn't be doing anything Halloweeny, to which I assured her it wouldn't matter, we would just skip out on that meeting. She assured me that they wouldn't, but that one game was a dress up game in which the kids had to pick out a costume for the other kids. It had a time limit and was just going to be fun. I didn't have a problem with that. However, when the meeting started, she went on and on, with a speech to the kids on how Halloween is not bad, or evil, and can be celebrated without anything evil. I never thought she, or anyone else, was evil for participating, but the speech was unneccessary, and embarrassing for my girls. When it was time to play the game, we saw that there was devil horns in the pile. One of the girls came to me and we (the girls and I) went to the kitchen to prepare the refreshments. I'm not sure her intentions were bad, she just thought she could change our minds, or something. Once in the past, she suggested, in private to me, that we could each bring a vegetable, and give thanks to the sun, soil etc. for it. To which I told her, we could not do that. The issue was dropped and never presented again. I assumed the same thing would happen with Halloween. We just decided we would not go this October. We decided not to return this year anyway, totally unrelated to the Halloween issue. ~She Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 See, I don't like the word "celebrate"...what exactly is being celebrated?? LOL I dunno. I said "other" in the poll because we participate in the community tradition of dressing up and trick-or-treating. But I don't see Halloween as a holiday really. Does that make sense? I'm really not trying to be difficult. LOL ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tibbyl Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 (edited) See, I don't like the word "celebrate"...what exactly is being celebrated?? LOL I dunno. I said "other" in the poll because we participate in the community tradition of dressing up and trick-or-treating. But I don't see Halloween as a holiday really. Does that make sense? I'm really not trying to be difficult. LOL ;) Looks like we've devolved into semantical nitpicking again. People celebrate things other than holidays: job promotions, graduations, births, etc. Sometimes words are loaded with positive or negative overtones for some people. These behind-the-scenes overtones may not be readily apparent to others. I'm partial to meaning number 7. cel·e·brate 1.to observe (a day) or commemorate (an event) with ceremonies or festivities: to celebrate Christmas; to celebrate the success of a new play. 2.to make known publicly; proclaim: The newspaper celebrated the end of the war in red headlines. 3.to praise widely or to present to widespread and favorable public notice, as through newspapers or novels: a novel celebrating the joys of marriage; the countryside celebrated in the novels of Hardy. 4.to perform with appropriate rites and ceremonies; solemnize: to celebrate a marriage. –verb (used without object) 5.to observe a day or commemorate an event with ceremonies or festivities. 6.to perform a religious ceremony, esp. Mass or the Lord's Supper. 7.to have or participate in a party, drinking spree, or uninhibited good time: You look like you were up celebrating all night. Edited October 1, 2008 by tibbyl add sentence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 I'm sort of middle-of-the-road. We allow fun costumes, nothing scary. And the kids usually go to the trunk or treat at my church not to random strangers' homes for candy. I don't decorate for it and we don't do haunted houses. So I think it is mostly about the candy! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 My kids go trick or treating and we carve pumpkins. Thats all we do for halloween. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Looks like we've devolved into semantical nitpicking again. People celebrate things other than holidays: job promotions, graduations, births, etc. Sometimes words are loaded with positive or negative overtones for some people. These behind-the-scenes overtones may not be readily apparent to others. Gee, I was just answering the question and being light about it. Thanks for the dictionary entry and nitpicking about my non-nitpicking. And, if I wanted to get serious about it, as a Christian I try to be careful about what, who and how our family celebrates. If that's devolving into anything, then tough. It's too bad that the board has devolved into picking apart an answer to a POLL for individual opinions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 We celebrate it... it's fun. We take the girls trick or treating at a mall and decorate at home. They're so young, we keep the decorations light and tame, not spooky or scary. But for us, it's harmless fun. And it's Becca's favorite holiday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
She Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 IMO-What the op ment was "Do you participate in Halloween activities?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Sherry Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 (edited) The word "celebrate" has implications that doesn't fit what we consider ourselves to be doing. We pass out candy to the neighbors. I really do enjoy seeing kids from the neighborhood stop by. My children have always known what we do not like about the background of Halloween but I do not think it is a "sin" to give candy to little children that stop by for it. But I do think it's on the unfriendly side not to. Really, I personally do not know anyone that consciously says "I am going to "celebrate" Halloween , meaning that they are attaching the religious implications from the background of how it got started." But I"m sure there are some people that do attach religious beliefs to it. In my experiecne Halloween is looked at by children as make-believe, and a social time to eat candy for fun, and meet some of the neighbors. You can easily direct the emphasis and have them wear non-witchy type costumes. I don't think that stopping by once a year on a specified date teaches children to "beg". They are smart enough to know the difference between a socially acceptbable particular day to knock on a door and just plain begging at any other time. I guess the topic of whether someone chooses to participate in Halloween or not has always been low on my list of what is important or not. But it is getting to be that time of year again. I think that even when your intentions are good regarding Halloween those "good " intentions are not communicated to the neighbor kids when they walk by your house and the light is not on. You have just passed up an opportunity to be friendly to them and all they know is you didn't want to give them candy. Edited October 1, 2008 by Miss Sherry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trivium Academy Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 We don't 'celebrate' Halloween. The kids can pick good characters as costumes and we go trick or treating or attend a church program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 We don't celebrate it at all and never have. But, when I had my daycare we used to do a harvest party in late September. Last year we played a board game during TT , to keep the littles occupied. I bought a few bags of candy and they were happy. When we lived more rural I didn't have to worry @ it, but it's obvious here whats going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philothea Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 We do not celebrate Halloween. I keep plenty busy on that day doing shopping and getting costumes ready for All Saint's Day. The children usually attend a party and dress up as a saint. We play games and such that are related to the lives of the saints. Last year I made cup cakes with all of the different symbols of saints and such on them. We also go to mass. And we get ready to include all of our deceased friends and love ones in special prayers for the month of November. We also visit a cemetary and pray for the dead to gain indulgences. It is a busy and fun two days. I did not want to take away from them or their solemnity with the observance of a secular day. But there is plenty of discounted candy to go around in the following weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura R (FL) Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 I'm partial to meaning number 7. cel·e·brate 1.to observe (a day) or commemorate (an event) with ceremonies or festivities: to celebrate Christmas; to celebrate the success of a new play. 2.to make known publicly; proclaim: The newspaper celebrated the end of the war in red headlines. 3.to praise widely or to present to widespread and favorable public notice, as through newspapers or novels: a novel celebrating the joys of marriage; the countryside celebrated in the novels of Hardy. 4.to perform with appropriate rites and ceremonies; solemnize: to celebrate a marriage. –verb (used without object) 5.to observe a day or commemorate an event with ceremonies or festivities. 6.to perform a religious ceremony, esp. Mass or the Lord's Supper. 7.to have or participate in a party, drinking spree, or uninhibited good time: You look like you were up celebrating all night. Me too, Me too! The definitions really made a difference for me, especially as I read the posts of others. My kids are older now, but we have always dressed up and gone trick or treating. We'd go to my mom's neighborhood where the kids, us parents, and even the grandparents would all dress up and walk around. It was always just a time of family fun, conversation, exercise, and candy. In fact, it was one of my mom's favorite holidays, because of the costumes. This year, the girls are into making their own costumes, which is a lot of faun to watch. My 12yo wants to be a mime. She's going trick-or-treating with her BFF and BFF's little sisters. My 14yo is working with me at a Halloween event and making a black parade costume from an emo band she likes. Since we have reptile shows, we are always booked on Halloween night now. We decorate a little...a decripit house candle holder, spiders, bats, a raven inside the house. We carve pumpkins. We also study the Reformation and All Saints Day. We've never gotten into the blackness of it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apiphobic Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Wow, it's like we've become the news media, picking apart responses, weighing nuances, and jumping to conclusions! I've wanted to respond to several posts yesterday and today but decided against it because I'm afraid of having too much read into it or unintentionally offending someone. This is so tiring! To heck with it, I'm just posting and I'm not going to over-analyze it before I put it out there. We celebrate, observe, enjoy, commemorate, laugh, party, photo-op, stuff ourselves with food and treats, and generally find any excuse to have a good time with friends and family a plus in our book! Here's hoping y'all have a wonderful day, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 We love Halloween. Dh takes the kids around the neighborhood and chats with everyone (and, yes, we chat with them all year long, Jenn, but as a matter of fact, we moved into this house right before Halloween a couple of years ago and that's how we got to know the neighbors quickly, just going door-to-door or chatting with them when they stopped here that evening -- so I do think that's a valid thing to celebrate and great that everyone gets together on this night every year). Years ago it was traditional in south St. Louis for the kids to tell a joke or perform a skit or song in order to get a treat. I think this might've been a holdover from Martinmas, but I'm not sure. Anyway, our kids (and any neighborhood kids going out with them) tell jokes at every house. It adds to the fun, and gives the sense that the kids are actually doing something to earn a treat. And, of course, when you hit that lesson in SOTW 2 -- isn't it in the Activity Guide of 2 where you learn about Martinmas? -- you can be all excited in recognition. Hey, it counts as a history lesson! Woohoo! This year my older dd is into archery, so I suggested she go as Athena. This prompted a spate of research into goddesses as she and the rest of the gang decide who they want to be and the appropriate symbols (animals, plants, colors, etc.) they should incorporate into their costumes. We see it as a wonderful opportunity to be goofy. There are a lot of holidays I think are sort of silly (I totally don't get why people feel like staying up late on New Year's Eve, for example, since the calendar appears to me to be an artificial construct), but at least this one is fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 While I TOTALLY agree with you about the camaraderie and the importance of visiting neighbors, this always makes me sad. Every Halloween this discussion comes up and the reasoning that the holiday is necessary for a healthy community. Dangermom, you did NOT use that reasoning, I know! But at some point in this thread it will most likely come up and I used your post as a springboard. Sorry to involve you in my soapbox! My thinking is that how strong of a community is it if we use this one and only day to visit with our neighbors. It just makes me sad to think of neighbors never saying anything more than "Hi" or going through the motions and just waving...if that. There are older people on every street that don't care if you have an excuse to drop by....they just want you to drop by. I'm sure I come across as a party pooper on this one, but the 3 arguments: visiting neighbors, kids dressing up, and getting treats....well, we cover these things on a regular basis. I don't like to celebrate Halloween because it takes those 3 things, which we LOVE and surrounds them with spooky stuff that gives my kids nightmares. Yes, I parent chickens, apparently. lol. It's all a matter of perspective, isn't it? ;) I have my own soap box, on the "other side" of the Halloween issue. Ironically, we are not Halloween focused. We dress up, trick or treat, attend church related event. I get upset at the "stranger" issue (I don't believe in teaching kids not to talk to strangers, for one thing) and I get upset at the assertion of spiritual issues related to celebrating, acknowledging, or participating in Halloween. The worst, though, are the predictable (and false) reports that come to my email about the risks to my kids and family on that evil, awful, demon possessed day. Me? I think kids like dress up and candy and love it when everyone "else" does it, too. I think it's THAT pure and simple. And I, for one, still believe that it's ok to go to doors for people who let us collecting candy. (Most of which we end up sorting, and tossing or giving away). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetbaby Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 We don't celebrate Halloween. Dh and I did as children but after researching its origins, dh decided we would not follow the same traditions with our dc. We know some who have "fall festivals" or wear "good" costumes but it's all the same as far as recognizing the day for us. We don't oust our family or friends who do. We have friends and family from all backgrounds and beliefs. It's a personal choice. We respect them and they respect us. That's what grown ups do....agree to disagree sometimes and have loads of fun in between.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaik76 Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 I grew up not doing Halloween (complete with Mom who handed out anti-Halloween tracts to trick-or-treaters). She has had a complete turnaround...I send the kids to her every year for Halloween (it's now her favorite holiday!).:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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