I agree with you Jeff there are now so many more extremes w/ every holiday. just fyi to all my reasoning for halloween is not a crazy one. we had something happen one year and I like to staw away from the 31st holiday because of what happened.
Hate Halloween?
- Thread starter WonderfulChristmasTime1
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Sorry to hear that, Casey. I remember a disasterous Christmas once. I've spent many Christmases since trying to put it behind me. It happens, sadly.
Samhain is very specail to me as a Wiccan, but so is the Yule. Growing up in the Midwest we didn't decorate for Christmas as much, but my dad always did something for the little kids on Halloween! One year he made a Halloween stand made out of plywood. He painted a pumpkin on it and the nose was where we handed out candy to all the trick or treaters. When I was very little, he took a hollowed out pumpkin that had a face carved on it, put it on his head and wrapped a white bedsheet around him and sat on our porch. When the big kids (teenagers) came by and wanted to smash the pumpkin, my dad would wait til they got close and then scare them. But when the little kids came up to him he wouldn't scare them.:witch:
I like Halloween, never had any problems on Halloween. However I am from the Detroit area and we have to have people patrol for Devil's Night
All the history in Halloween... why we use pumpkins.... why we wear masks... there is so much there in culture and the media has to turn it ugly and it's getting as commercial as Christmas. With all the sicko's out there that are *()_ bent on hurting little kids just for their own selfish kicks. Again, it's another holiday that people forget what it was like to be a kid and to enjoy the end of the harvest and getting ready for the next holiday. Sad!!!
You said it right. The media "storytellers" always have to turn everything around and turn something fun into a controversey.
Luckily, in my neck the woods, we've never really had problems with vandalism like that on Halloween.
Personally, I love the holiday...to me it's the actual gateway to the winter holiday season (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years), besides a government sanctioned day where you are allowed to dress in silly costumes and go door to door begging for chocolate is always a good idea in my book!
Personally, I love the holiday...to me it's the actual gateway to the winter holiday season (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years), besides a government sanctioned day where you are allowed to dress in silly costumes and go door to door begging for chocolate is always a good idea in my book!
I too love the holiday... I dont "read" too much into it as just a special time of year for my children to enjoy dressing up, getting free candy and what-not. The decorations that go along with it are for fun as well.. they get so excited when they get off the school bus and see that mom has decorated the house and smell homemade pumpkin bread when they run through the door. To me thats what makes it a fun holiday... not to mention its the start for my favortie Holiday CHRISTMAS!!!
I adore Halloween. All my favorite things rolled into one, crisp fall days, bright colors, wonderful pumpkins ( which I grow every year, without fail ) people seem happier, weather cooler, wood stoves & smell of wood smoke, leaves, leaves, leaves...and of course the best of all, the anticipation of the best holiday of all....guess what!
And some mulled wine on the stove doesn't hurt either!
And some mulled wine on the stove doesn't hurt either!
You summed it up for me CF 
J
Jack Frost
Guest
Halloween is the second largest grossing holiday in America. In terms of popularity it has only grown bigger as far as I can tell. Many have already commented that any holiday can be changed on an individual level to mean and include almost anything they want. I'm not surprised those in Europe are not as into Halloween as Americans because the popular notion of Halloween is a uniquely American holiday.
For my family, we down play the more ghoulish features. It is more a time of dress up and pretend and a chance to get some minor thrills from pumpkins, skeletons, and bats. We almost always dress as heroes or possibly classic monsters like Frankenstein (last year the whole family was the Munsters).
For Catholics especially it can be a time of witness due to the celebrations of All Souls and All Saints, it was the church that helped give the holiday its name after all. My wife and I include prayers for those being purified in purgatory and link our thoughts to their cause. As for vandalism, other than a tp job once in a blue moon I've never seen or heard of (locally anyway) any "attacks" on the general populace. That's more urban legend in my neck of the woods.
For my family, we down play the more ghoulish features. It is more a time of dress up and pretend and a chance to get some minor thrills from pumpkins, skeletons, and bats. We almost always dress as heroes or possibly classic monsters like Frankenstein (last year the whole family was the Munsters).
For Catholics especially it can be a time of witness due to the celebrations of All Souls and All Saints, it was the church that helped give the holiday its name after all. My wife and I include prayers for those being purified in purgatory and link our thoughts to their cause. As for vandalism, other than a tp job once in a blue moon I've never seen or heard of (locally anyway) any "attacks" on the general populace. That's more urban legend in my neck of the woods.
Spending Halloween (Samhain) in Ireland was the best. We spent the day at Newgrange and it was glorious. We smelled the bonfires that were being lit and all the myths and legends came into my head. Dublin wasn't so bad, but in some of the out lying areas they told us to becareful. Most of Ireland keeps to the old ways, it was really nice. I have heard that England isn't so festive. That young hooligans seem to like to take life into their own hands and beat up defenseless elders and young children. It's a shame that they have to ruin a fun holiday. But Ireland knows how to celebrate Samhain.
I Hate this tacky holiday! I think if i had children or had children that came around I would like it better. with some decorations. MAYBE! LOL We live in a rural mountain town and there is no sign of Halloween here at all. But people decorate for harvest and put up nice harvest displays. I always buy a couple packages of candy bars in case we do get a trick or treat-er. They get a couple full size candy bars. we had 2 children last year for the first time in 5 years! WOW- we had a record..lol
CF: you described why i like that time of the year perfectly. Very calm and serene. I love the smells of autumn! especially the bonfires and crackling leaves!
:boo:
I don't think it's a big thing in Oz & we don't get vandals in my town, kids dress up & go round trick or treating some years, it's fun, just not big.
Halloween isn't big in Scotland either although more kids are going "'Guising" They don't know why though - if they see it on TV, then that's good enough for them!!
I still really like Halloween, even though I was attacked one year when I was 10, whilst out Trick or Treating (living just outside Montreal at the time). I was okay and they were only after my candy and Unicef box but it scared the hell out of me and especially my parents.
The best thing that came out of that was I found out just how great my friends were as they all pooled their candy together so I could get some of theirs:devil:
I still really like Halloween, even though I was attacked one year when I was 10, whilst out Trick or Treating (living just outside Montreal at the time). I was okay and they were only after my candy and Unicef box but it scared the hell out of me and especially my parents.
The best thing that came out of that was I found out just how great my friends were as they all pooled their candy together so I could get some of theirs:devil:
J
Jack Frost
Guest
Good Grief!! I'm sorry that happenedto you. I can't believe stuff like that actually happens. Being from the American midwest I think if that happened in my nieghborhood those boys would be chased down by all the parents within earshot and beaten ruthlessly. Especially now a days when child safety is so emphasized. I have just never seen anything like that happen. The teen kids around here still trick or treat and love looking at the made-up houses.
I love the Fall, the leaves changing color, cool air and pumpkins.
I also love Halloween. My husband and I put up some kind of display whether inside or out and dress up when we take our kids out (we don't collect candy though). This year we are doing a witches kitchen.
We don't have anything more than a few smashed pumpkins on the road, this usually happens before the 31st though and I've never heard tell of them being taken from someones yard.
I guess Halloween is what you make it!
My Mother hates Halloween, says it's devils worship..lol..but buys for the trick or treaters that come to her house. I also celebrated it as a child, she never kept me from it.
I also love Halloween. My husband and I put up some kind of display whether inside or out and dress up when we take our kids out (we don't collect candy though). This year we are doing a witches kitchen.
We don't have anything more than a few smashed pumpkins on the road, this usually happens before the 31st though and I've never heard tell of them being taken from someones yard.
I guess Halloween is what you make it!
My Mother hates Halloween, says it's devils worship..lol..but buys for the trick or treaters that come to her house. I also celebrated it as a child, she never kept me from it.
I live on a small Island and everyone(for the most part) decorates for Halloween. All of the schools put on Halloween parties for their communities, People decorate their yards to the max, Kids can safely walk from house to house trick or treating, it is WONDERFUL! I am very blessed to belong to such a spectacular community.:boo:
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