Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Halloween around here starts at the end of September. When you go into Walmart or the grocery store, you're met in the entry way by goulish, horrible looking things. Axe murderers, skeletons, rats, people with half their faces chopped off, the undead, tormented howls, the sound of screaming cats, corpses hanging from trees in yards, etc.
Gads. I hate it. Just so ghoulish and violent.
For a whole damn month.
Huh? It's been that way forever. People decorate for the whole month of October. The same way people decorate for all of December for Christmas.
I have mixed feelings about it. I understand that it's easier for parents to do it with smaller children, but it takes away the magic/luster of Halloween. It also takes the whole fun out of getting candy. It's an adventure to obtain as much as you can. We used to get bragging rights if we went to that one famous house that gave out normal or king size bars. IMO, the candy always tasted better knowing me, my awesome costume, and the route my friends and I planned out for the night, was what made it a successful Halloween. Growing up in the 90's, trick-or-treating was something my friends and I always looked forward to. One night, a small group of us in our costumes we have been talking about wearing all month, and as many houses to obtain candy from before it was back home for bed. We always went out the moment it began to get dark, and sometimes would be out until 9 or 9:30. Sometimes my parents would go and would dress up too, but a lot of times, it was me and a group of friends. Now I see kids going trick-or-treating in the daylight and back home before dusk. I remember last year pulling into the driveway from work, and a parent and her kid came up to me for candy. The kid happily said trick-or-treat, and the Mom goes, "Sorry, we figured we would come to your house now since we saw you pull in. We can wait out here or come back in a few minutes." I couldn't believe it! Like Jesus lady, can I go in the house and set my laptop bag down and take my dog out first?
I like that there are different options for parents and kids.
I grew up in a rural area between two towns. My parents would take me into town to trick or treat. I do remember one year, they took me to the mall (in a city about 30 minutes away) for trick or treating. This was sometime in the 80s. I don't remember why they took me there - if the weather was bad or because it was something different - but I didn't feel shortchanged. I still got to dress up in my costume and trick or treat for candy!
I have mixed feelings and I just participated in a church Trunk or Treat Sunday. I'm not that thrilled about handing out junky food to kids who don't need it and I've always felt that way. Spread it out over several Trunk or Treat events instead of just one night and now they've got multiple chances to load up on junk food and they don't even have to walk between houses or up/down driveways. It's not helping with the childhood obesity epidemic.
I'm also not thrilled in general with parents taking their kids in cars to multiple neighborhoods. I live in a small lake community in which the surrounding area has poorer demographics and there aren't many kids in the neighborhood- till Halloween. I have to say that last year every single one of the kids said "Thank you".
Well, I’m with you on this part. Let the kids have fun one night a year. They really enjoy it. But having them costume up for more t & t is overkill. Now if someone wants to throw a party, that’s seems OK to me if the kids aren’t given a sackful more of candy. I remember throwing a scout group party when my kids were young. If the kids can gather later after t & t on Halloween at a friends house where parents are, that’s fun for the whole family.
However, I do remember that as kids we never ate all our candy. My grandkids don’t either. Eventually their parents throw much of it away.
I've never heard of Trunk or Treat and not sure what it is. We don't get kids coming around as we live in a rural area but what I find odd is that in my area "Trick or Treat Night" seems to never be on Halloween. Each surrounding town seems to have a different night for Trick or Treat.
I was a child in the 50's and things were quite different then. As young as age 8, out and about, without parents all over town.
well, in our town, Halloween is more of an adult or college-kid thing.
the below 5 crowd might do trunk-or-treat, but as soon as they start
school, they want to go downtown to see what the 'big deal' is.
I've never heard of Trunk or Treat and not sure what it is.
Trunk or Treat is an organized event usually held in a parking lot ... people park their cars and often decorate their trunks (works best with an SUV type vehicle, but any trunk will work). Then kids in costume basically trick or treat from car to car.
I miss the traditional trick or treating. Always love seeing the kiddos. Since my neighborhood is transitioning into a bunch of old folks, we don't get as many trick or treaters as we used to. Such is life.
I've never participated in a trunk or treat. My kids did the traditional trick or treating, going around the neighborhood. So...in regards to Trunk or Treating...if there are several going on, on different dates, can't the parents pick and choose the ones they take their kids to? IF parents want to take their child to every single one that they're aware of...how is it any skin off of anyone else's nose?
Probably because people might be expected to contribute to more than one, depending on groups they're in (one at work,one in the neighborhood, one at church or for a civic group, etc.). And because how long do you want to hear about it/avoid places where it's done? And because how many *do* parents want to have to go to? Sure, you pick and choose. Then your kid comes home and says Susie is going to that one and Bobby is going to this other one and they want to go, and then they see a sign for yet another, and...
Quote:
Originally Posted by chessimprov
All Saint's Day is one day after Halloween. It is strategically selected so that adults who get drunk on Halloween can recover at home rather than be unproductive or cause trouble at work.
Are there people who get this day off from work? No one I've ever known does. I've never heard of businesses being closed for this, except maybe Catholic churches.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kayanne
I can't rep you again (I agree with many of your posts here on CD) but I agree about the ghoulishness. I've often said that if Halloween had never existed, but I started trying to promote a holiday idea for children that I have, which includes things like skeletons, bloody monsters, the Grim Reaper, coffins, etc....everyone would think I was a sicko who should be locked away.
You realize that Halloween isn't just for kids, right?
Quote:
Originally Posted by chessimprov
It didn't make sense to you and some other people maybe. Some others definitely got it though.
People don't normally stay at home for All Saint's Day because it is not a special enough day to most people. I suggested that day off because usually, if people like to drink (too much), they'll do it on the holiday (Halloween) itself whether it falls on a weekend or not.
Nobody is going to stay home to celebrate All Saints' Day as a religious holiday because they're nursing a hangover. And either way, they will have to use their leave to do so. And, many Halloween parties are indeed on weekends.
I have never heard of this trunk thing. And why do the churches do it?
I know that the Catholic Churches have tried to discourage Halloween celebrations but obviously, they didn't succeed. I know plenty of people who take off for All Saints Day because their kids are home from school and they want to visit church.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
