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I had neighbors last year that didn't do Halloween. These were my crazy Angry Yelling Neighbors. The mother was constantly praying on the telephone... when she wasn't lambasting her husband or (paradoxically) telling her teenage son that he was "not half the man your father is!"
Posts: 4600 | Registered: Mar 2000
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When we were kids, we were taught to *only* Trick-or-Treat at houses that had their porch light on--and ideally--were decorated for Halloween. There were plenty of houses that were simply dark, and we took that as a sign that they didn't care to participate.
Today I teach my kids the same thing. And from the appearance of it, there are still a fair number of people who don't participate.
Posts: 7050 | Registered: Feb 2004
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I love Halloween as well. My daughter is going to preschool today dressed up as a butterfly. My son wants to be a "kitty-cat."
My company fully supports Halloween and Monday is going to be pretty much a no-work day as everyone in the building goes around checking out everyone else's costumes. We'll have a Halloween party in the afternoon, complete with a costume contest finals. The winners receive hundreds of dollars in prizes. It's a huge deal here. If you don't dress up on Halloween you might as well not show up that day.
I see Halloween as a purely fun holiday and I certainly don't attach any religious significance to it. It's just fun.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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I'd always loved Halloween until my father died on October 18, back in 1987. That Halloween was really hard on my mom.
But I'm totally cool with others celebrating it, so long as it doesn't become a formal holiday (i.e., off federal time). That would be inconsistent with the church/state separation, IMHO.
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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I see Halloween as the equivalent of Talk Like a Pirate day, only bigger and older. Same significance.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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MandyM, I love what your church is doing! I am going to suggest it to our church for next year. I think they'd totally be into it.
Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
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MandyM, when I taught middle school we had rules like no masks on in class, no costumes that prevented sitting down in a desk, etc. It seemed to work okay.
Posts: 289 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Karl, I'm with Christy. I took the girls out trick or treating from the moment I had them. It was fun for them, even though they didn't quite get what was going on. It was different, and all the people and colors and candy made it fun. I also liked putting them in cute costumes and showing them off. If I was after candy, I could simply have shut my door and kept the candy I buy to pass out, because it's so much better than what most of the other houses in the neighborhood give out.
Posts: 289 | Registered: Apr 2005
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But do you take your little kids out in <40 degree drizzling rain? That's the only real criticism I have. Showing off your kids is fine by me. I'd probably do the same, truthfully.
Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
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We're only going to be taking Emma to relatives' houses. She gets overstimulated easily and can be shy around strangers, but loves car rides and relatives. She'll have fun quacking for all her grandparents and such (she's going to be a duck), and they won't give her candy she can't eat. Last year we did the Trunk or Treat at church (we might or might not this year depending on how tired Ems is) to show her off, and she didn't notice the candy (but then, she was only 7 months old at the time.)
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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From 10 months to about 11 years I never actually trick or treated. My mom would dress me up, and drive me to several relatives and family friend's houses, we'd have an order, and pretty much stick with it, once or twice I went around a neighborhood of one of those friends. But this was because my house is on a very windy country road, with 3 neighbors close, who we stopped at on the way, and no other kids anywhere near my age. It was more friends than family of course because neither of my parents grew up in the town we live in (but mom has lived here since she was 18). My costumes were never scary, usually some form of a girl, with a pretty dress, but occasionally I was a cat or once Miss Piggy(in a tutu) with my Airedale dressed up as Fonzy Bear.
Posts: 5362 | Registered: Apr 2004
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I don't think that the small minority who object to Halloween being celebrated at school have the right for it to be banned any more than those who object to Christmas being celebrated at school should have their way. (In celebrating Christmas I refer to the activities I usually see such as trees and snowflake making, not a Christianity led worship). Although there are differences between the two situations, they both were originally religious holidays that are currently celebrated by large numbers of unbelievers.
They have both changed immensely from original methods of observation. Both have acquired their own traditions in our culture. I believe that decorated pine trees, candy canes, gift giving, and fudge making have less to do with celebrating the birth of Christ than dressing up as a ghost going house to house for candy relates with Samhain. Yes, with both you can go back and associate our traditions to symbols to religion, , but is that what people are really thinking about when they celebrate by putting up a Christmas tree or carving a jack-o-lantern?
I submit that the actual symbolism of these holidays is unknown on the majority of the people who celebrate them, and that most celebrate merely for the sake of tradition. To me an aethist trying to ban a Christmas tree in a school is as silly as a fundamental Christian banning halloween costumes. Well now that I've managed to offend the prissy church-goers and the goat-sacrificing devil worshipers, I'd better shutup.
I for one would certainly hate to live in a culture without traditions. The certainly break up the monotony of the year. I mean imagine if all our holidays were as inoffensive as Labor Day.....
Posts: 1412 | Registered: Oct 2005
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quote: I think it would be entirely appropriate for a bunch of the pro-Halloween parents to get together and dress their kids up as witches, vampires, or any other monsters. I mean, just think if, like, half the school was suspended because of that. That's smoe good civil disobedience, right there.
I would so do that. Heck, I'd organise it.
I love Halloween, although having a food sensitive kid makes it a bit trickier. My church is doing our second Trunk or Treat, so we'll do that, plus the few neighbors we know.
Posts: 2711 | Registered: Mar 2004
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quote:To me an aethist trying to ban a Christmas tree in a school is as silly as a fundamental Christian banning halloween costumes. Well now that I've managed to offend the prissy church-goers and the goat-sacrificing devil worshipers, I'd better shutup.
I am a non-prissy church-goer so I am not offended. And I completely agree with you. I think that every time people sue schools about the pledge since it has the word God in it. But that is another arguement.
Posts: 1319 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Its basicly saying we cant have fun. well if we cant have fun then were would we be?
I strongly object to them saying we cant dress up. I love halloween. I love seeing people come to my door because I love interacting with other people because I moved To NY a year ago and Most of you should know what its like Being the "NEWBIE" of the place, im saying some people dont let you in to "THEIR GROUPS". I personaly love seeing all the little kids express themself by dressing up and being creative.
Posts: 32 | Registered: Sep 2005
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It is also a Christian-Pagan (yes, it is both) holiday that would be objectionable to a Marxist.
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I am a non-prissy church-goer so I am not offended. And I completely agree with you. I think that every time people sue schools about the pledge since it has the word God in it. But that is another arguement.
