Will Halloween Be Cancelled?

Never been a big fan of Halloween

I always expected Michael Myers to be on the prowl so we used to take the children to Alton Towers for a couple of nights and enjoy their celebrations

In our village it's only the littler ones (in large groups, accompanied by parents) that come round, and they too take note of either pumpkins or outside lights on to show which houses are welcoming visits.

I have been known to dress up as a witch and scare the living daylights out of them!

We buy wrapped sweets, and throw them so they have to scramble for them, stops the greedy ones grabbing handfuls from a bag or bucket!

I think it's the issue of little ones putting their hands, into the same bag or bucket, and then the next lot of children come along and do the same, which is a potential risk. And there's also potentially a risk with lots of children knocking on door after door, as they go from house to house. I can see that Trick or Treating maybe isn't a good idea this year but people can still decorate their houses and driveways with Jack O Lanterns to make it nice for the children to walk around and spot. No need to kill all the fun for them.

Why has it got to be cancelled?

Mum &/or Dad out with 3 children. Knock on door after sanitising hand. Steps back.
Homeowner opens door, puts sweets into bag, waves and closes door.
M/D keeps bag for 3 days then tips it out for the big share out.

Social distancing respected and everyone that wants to take part is happy?

vegansrock I think that my opinion of what small children find fun is irrelevant. As long as no laws are broken, it’s none of my business.

I never heard of Halloween while growing up in the southeast of England. We had Harvest Festival both in school and church but no parties. Does Halloween reflect back to where the Romans invaded as that would mean the English were converted to Christianity before Ireland and Scotland who would have kept their traditions longer?

summerlove so you think children should do whatever they like as long as it’s “fun” ? Or maybe there are things they might do or like to do which you disapprove? Please don’t make this an attack on me, I am sure there are many ways children enjoy themselves which I don’t find personally amusing but as long as it’s not hurting or abusing others or endangering themselves it’s fine. However, I just think in this pandemic some aspects of Halloween may be best avoided, and this may not wholly be a bad thing.

vegansrock

callistemon I like to write with some flourish , so it’s obviously my use of language you dislike, but to suggest it means I disapprove of children having any fun is a leap of imagination which is completely false. I love children having fun but there are many ways of having fun which do not include collecting a bucket load of sweets from strangers. Children are not all sweet innocents behaving perfectly, neither are adults unfortunately.

You love children having fun...but only in the manner in which you think they should have fun?

vegansrock

The purchase of container loads of plastic Chinese tat and trawling the streets demanding sweets is one aspect of “fun“ we can easily do without.

Well, aren't you a load of fun! I love to see the littlies walking around all dressed up in the early evening with their mummies and daddies; all excited and full of anticipation. What grouches some of you are. So much has had to be foregone this year and Halloween, as we've known it, probably will have to be changed. But I'll still put the pumpkins, lanterns and ghosts made out of bamboo canes and an old sheet outside because our area has already suggested that the children can do a Pumpkin Trail instead. And I'll be thinking of those of you who are hiding behind the sofa, pretending to be "out"!

I jolly well hope so.

I wouldn’t want children trick or treating anyway, regardless of Covid.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202009/medium-88235-shirts-086.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202009/medium-628513-shirts-087.jpg

Justwidowed, my condolences too.

My wife and I don't have any children but we love to party and Halloween is a great excuse for that, besides, it's the only day of the year that I can wear the Halloween shirt my wife made:

Sorry to hear about your husband Justwidowed. Thankfully you have the lovely memory of him smiling at your great granddaughter that day. Try to concentrate on that. ?

I'm hoping no one knocks on my door this year.My DH died last Halloween the day before his birthday on All Saints Day.I live in a quiet cul de sac with no children and only the odd grandchild . Oddly enough the only child to visit on the actual day was our 7 month old great granddaughter dressed as a pumpkin.,which made him smile.

callistemon I like to write with some flourish , so it’s obviously my use of language you dislike, but to suggest it means I disapprove of children having any fun is a leap of imagination which is completely false. I love children having fun but there are many ways of having fun which do not include collecting a bucket load of sweets from strangers. Children are not all sweet innocents behaving perfectly, neither are adults unfortunately.

I think you have deliberately misconstrued what I am saying.

Phrases such as
their little darlings
rummaging their grubby little mitts through sticky sweets.
kids to trawl streets demanding sweets

Are not a pleasant way to speak about young children.

Besides which lots of people dislike the trick n treat and plastic tat aspect, which is the aspect I would be happy to see diminish.

callistimon yes my views are plain but obviously not to you. Suggesting I dislike children having any fun is twisting what I actually said.

Did I say that?
No.
So don't twist what I have said, please.

Your views are quite plain.

No way is Halloween an American invention.
It is the end of the summer festival of Samhain a delightful pagan festival (as is Christmas which celebrates the birth of the sun).
In my youth it was celebrated by gatherings where traditionally there would be games involving dooking for apples where you had to get your reward by removing the apple from a basin of water with your hands held behind your back. A suspended treacle scone had to be eaten, again with your hands behind your back etc.
Children, in home made fancy dress, would visit neighbours and friends to perform their “party piece” of a song, poem, dance, gymnastic performance, or recitation for which they would be rewarded by a handful of nuts, some fruit or homemade goodies such as tablet or toffee.
This celebration made its way across the Atlantic where it mutated and unfortunately returned, much altered, in relatively recent times.

*callistemon” so you think the only way to have fun is to trawl the neighbourhood for sweets? I do dislike that aspect of it. No problem with pumpkin carving or dressing up or playing games. They can be fun. So stop picking out one aspect which many dislike- to accuse everyone who may dislike children calling on complete strangers asking for sweets of being anti any fun.

vegansrock

I don’t think it’s being a moaning Minnie to say we dislike some aspects of Halloween.

Like this:
their little darlings
rummaging their grubby little mitts through sticky sweets.
kids to trawl streets demanding sweets

Nice.

It rather sounds as if it's not commercialism you dislike and festivals you despise, vegansrock, but in fact fun and children both together in the same sentence, heaven forbid.

My son was born on Halloween so I always had a Halloween themed party for him. It was great fun and the children loved it.

I don’t think it’s being a moaning Minnie to say we dislike some aspects of Halloween.

Covid19 2020 has (I have agree with Paddyann) made load of old moaning Minnies bah humbug!

I don't think most of us are!