Is it just me - whot truly HATES HALLOWEEN

Hate it! Cannot understand why anyone would threaten another person if you don't cough up a 'treat' for a total stranger.
Came home after last Hallowe'en to find eggs smashed against front door- and we weren't even in!

I think it's all got out of hand and over-commercialised since all the supermarkets etc jumped on the bandwagon and see it as another money spinner. DH hates Hallowe'en.

I grew up in Mexico and they have never tried to import it into the UK. Dios De los Muertos is a sacred and (the) most important tradition over there and nothing to do with dressing up and going from house to house. I have written about my memories of it here if anybody is interested?

Message deleted by Gransnet for breaking our forum guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

Message deleted by Gransnet for breaking our forum guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

Message deleted by Gransnet for breaking our forum guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

Message deleted by Gransnet for breaking our forum guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

Message deleted by Gransnet for breaking our forum guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

Message deleted by Gransnet for breaking our forum guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

Message deleted by Gransnet for breaking our forum guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

I agree POGS this Halloween we didn't have the DGC as they were at a special party. It didn't stop me enjoying seeing all the local children dressed up. They were all lovely and very polite and always said "thank you, happy Halloween " some of the witches, monsters and vampires were just sooooo cute.

I rather enjoy it, whether DGD is here or not.

I like the kids to call and I enjoy meeting them in return. They remember you for days, perhaps it's a village thing.

Mind you I do little tots of sherry for the grown ups. Hmm, perhaps that's why I get a few callers.

I have nothing at all against Hallowe'en and dressing up and parties etc - I just hate the 'trick and treating'. Where we lived before it was so bad that we used to make sure we went away the half term week, and if it happened to fall in the school term we went out. If we were in it meant you were constantly up at the door. We have now moved and don't get any- it is bliss.
The trick and treating and supermarket aisles being full of costumes etc is American and grows bigger every year.

My cousin who has spent thirty years researching our family tree posted on FB: "For those who think Halloween is American it has been carried on in Hinton St George Somerset for hundreds of years. This is where our family name is in the 1861 census and many others in the family tree lived there for generations eg the Tuckers are back there in the 1600s....."

Sounds like the Americans copied traditions that started in Ireland, Scotland and England and that is how today's Halloween originated.

This year GDs were dressed as Elphaba and Dracula. I think DD1 enjoys Halloween as much as her girls, they certainly look the part every year. The neighbourhood is full of children and they are all out with parents in tow. DD2 was moaning that no one would be trick and treating down our lane as it's so long and we live out in the middle of no where. She loves Halloween too.

We had a lovely evening with visits from first DGS & DGD2 posing as a zombie and a witch, who told jokes and sang and danced before being rewarded with fruit and sweets and later from DGD1 with the most wonderful Ghost Buster costume made by her Dad. She insisted on sweeping the house for Ghosts and assured us that her back pack machine had caught a few which she would dispose of later. I hope she managed to capture the poltergeist who continually moves and hides things in our house

It's a thing of 2 parts for me;
1. We dress up and go to our grandsons house in our village, where DD and SIL also dress up. We have a lovely special tea , and then DGS does a bit of trick or treating with SIL, then DGS loves answering the door and handing out sweets to the children who come [lots of them come.]We play a few games and play Ghostbusters music and are generally silly. We like seeing the little ones dressed up [aww, one tiny tot was a pumpkin.]Anyone who puts out a pumpkin or any Halloween stuff in the drive is inviting children to knock on the door, for those houses who don't, callers stay away.That's all great.
2. Not so great......! The supermarkets who stock the most horrific things for Halloween just where toddlers are walking past. I have seen several crying, and no wonder, severed hands and feet [way too realistic] and blood spattered swords and axes etc. on sale, grotesque masks too.

Old curmudgeon - I like it! I must seek an appropriate costume straight away. Sackcloth and ashes, I think.

Loved seeing the children all dressed up yesterday evening all very polite with lots f pleases and thank yous for the chocolates. Not so many as last year a it was also Fireworks an Bonfire in the park in Melon Mowbray - I know its early but is the main town e and they don't want to clash with the other events so that they make plenty of money for the charities.
The new Halloween thing for me was Halloween golf where 50 odd middle aged ladies dressed up and played golf together yesterday - we had a ball ad all in good hearted fun with fundraising thrown in.

When the children were small we had a party in our road and took the children trick or treating after having asked the neighbours if that was OK and what time we'd call if they agreed. DH did 'experiments' for them too - in our sitting room of all places but they had a great time.

Since then we've helped our GC have fun but last night we decided enough was enough and didn't put out pumpkins etc. as the police suggested if you don't want callers. Typically though we had people knocking, ringing and even banging on our front room windows!! Many of these were parents with young children (I watched from the upstairs windows). I think this is just bad manners. Neither of us had been asked to participate and so neither of us opened the door.

We did allow our GC in when they called unexpectedly though. They yelled through the letterbox! They had their faces painted and apparently went to the opticians so adorned!!! We had a good evening with them I have this say but it wasn't Hallowe'en based at all

I don't usually like Halloween and my OH and I usually go out in that evening to avoid the T or T stuff. But this year, 2 of our DGC were staying and they were so excited about dressing up, carving a pumpkin, decorating the outside of the house we all got into the spirit , they went around with a group of neighbouring kids and I even managed a pink wig and witches hat. other DCs and partners came along and we had a lovely meal and played some silly games for our own party. It was great fun. I know it is commercialised Americanism and all that, but I think any excuse for getting the family together and having a bit of fun is ok by me. Most kids and some grown ups enjoy dressing up and having a party and as far as I'm concerned we don't do it enough. (Mind you we have a bonfire party tonight! )

I am surprised at the curmudgeonly attitudes of some posters on this thread.

Little children are thrilled when Halloween comes around, not in a grasping and greedy way (they get enough sweets all year round these days). No, they just love the dressing up and the ritual.

I waited for children to call last night but no-one did. I hadn't realised I had to put a pumpkin on the front door step. I will definitely do so next year.

Nightowl I do admire your OH for getting into the spirit of things like that

OH always sets something up to scare them back Nfk - last night it was suitably terrifying sounds from speakers in the hallway

One year he put on a latex mask which sent a teenage boy running to the gate in terror, but he did return for his treat. This year I managed to persuade OH that he really should check the ages of the children before he set off his sound effects. Just as well, because they were all little and accompanied by a parent. Don't want any lawsuits

Should I be worried about him?

My DD and her family celebrate Halloween as it used to be celebrated by the Celtic people. (This stems from her being an Anthropologist). She is teaching her children the Eight Feasts of the Pagan year.
Samhain or Halloween being the most popular. It was celebrated by the Celts from Oct.31st. to Nov. 2nd. as days of no time, when chaos ruled.
Men dressed as women and women dressed as men. Farmers gates were unhinged and left in ditches, people's horses were moved to different fields. Children would knock on neighbours doors for food and treats ( the origin of today's Trick or Treat).
Today's Pagans see Samhain as a time to honour the dead, not as the dead, but as the living spirits of loved ones and as guardians who hold the wisdom of mankind. It is a celebration of the afterlife where we do not die, but rest and continue to learn and prepare for our next incarnation.

I don't know how many Trick or Treater's know the history of Halloween, but it is a lovely festival.

Well I put my lit pumpkin outside the front door and filled my giant orange (special Halloween) bowl full of goodies and we had a constant stream from around 5.30 (even had the little ones from across the road waiting when my car pulled up outside) until about 7pm when it all went deathly quiet and all the ghosts, witches and monsters disappeared until next year.

Happy days. DiL sent me a lovely picture of my three DGC who had been professionally made up by a make up artist friend (who my son went to school with) blimey, I couldn't recognize them ! They all went to a huge party and had a fantastically scary time.

Its all about commerce, my dears. The use of horror, cruelty and death just to make a few bucks at Halloween is disgusting, and the encouragement of the young to participate is little short of child abuse. I can't be doing with it so I'm off to get ready to set fire to old Guy Fawkes. Much more civilised!