Tuesday, November 01, 2016

I don't like Halloween

The large scale celebrations of Halloween were only just becoming popular when my children were growing up so we got away with not joining in but it's going to be much harder for my grandchildren - assuming they/their parents don't want to go down that route.

There seems to me to be something inherently wrong with a celebration of evil. I think maybe I'm taking it too seriously but the niggle remains. While a very few individuals may find it a way into the occult and satanic practices I'm sure that for the majority it's just an opportunity to dress up - and there are some wonderful costumes - and collect sweets. Which brings me to my next niggle.

How is it all right to encourage children to knock on neighbours' doors and say, 'Give me something nice or I'll do something horrid to you'? Yes, I'm taking it seriously again but that's basically what it is. Which doesn't seem to be a good lesson to teach children. And when they turn the tables on you in later life and refuse to do something for you unless you first do something for them and they bring up the 'well, it was okay at Halloween' argument what can you fall back on? 

The children I saw had carrier-bags full of goodies. Dentist and Obesity Clinic this way. (One year we had trick or treaters. We had nothing in the house except Weightwatchers chocolate bars. They never came again. So the following year when I bought a box of Quality Street ready no-one came and Husband and I had to eat them all.) 

No, I don't like Halloween which isn't to say I didn't enjoy the bloody soup with eyeballs and vampire bread served up for tea at Daughter's yesterday. Or that I didn't leave and then creep back, jumper over head and make whoo noises until they gave me chocolate. 

Or that I haven't made pumpkin soup for Zac's tonight albeit a night late. We had a huge pumpkin donated so I had to do something with it.

5 comments:

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

Blood soup with eyeballs ... yummy !
Perhaps she'd share the recipe ?

Liz Hinds said...

I'm sure she would!

Trubes said...

Well said Liz,
I hate it, I wouldn't let our girls go knocking
on doors but, we usually had a dress up party do tricks or tell jokes
for a small reward, we would do Duck Apple and Snap Apple and
have a barbecue with home- made burgers,(I didn't buy ready made ones as they were full of fat and minced poor quality meat) sausages from the local butchers, baked potatoes
and baked beans with lots of tomato sauce....
Our girls still don't let the children go knocking on doors and do very much as we did,
when they were little.
Golden days !
Halloween in its current form is a pagan ritual and stems back to a
Christian celebration called All Hallows/Eve/ Day or All Saints Day
where the saints were remembered and prayed for.
Di xx

Liz Hinds said...

Good family traditions, Di, are the best.

Katney said...

A few years ago I cam home from work and husband said excitedly:

"WE HAD TRICK OR TREATERS!!!"

We live out in the country and houses are few and far between so trick or treaters are fewer and farther between.

"I GAVE THEM BANANAS!"

Haven't seen any trick or treaters at the house since that, but we do go and participate in an activity at church so that may be why.