I'm curious. Did you do anything for it? Why/why not?
I'm pretty anti-Halloween so we did nothing.
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I'm curious. Did you do anything for it? Why/why not?
I'm pretty anti-Halloween so we did nothing.
No. I'm anti-Halloween too. I didn't even get my class to do anything for it.......
Nothing. I kind of like the pumpkin lantern ideas, but the rest is too scary for my littlies just yet.
I used to give to the local kids but haven't for the last few years as my kids are freaked by the drab costumes (am sure they would be fine with the bright colourful ones), but considering I couldn't even get them in the supermarket past the displays without hysteria, a sign went on the door again this year, apologising, but please don't knock.
We don't do anthing. I have better things to be spending my money on. Last night was the fist time we have ever had kids come and knock, it was the worst time possible. Plus I don't keep any sort of lollies in the house so I had nothing to give them, not even a pack of chips as we had been away and only got pack today and my pantry is empty.
DD1 actually got a little scared too by the costumes. For her, getting dressed up is fairies and princesses and Glinda the good witch.
DH is in America at the moment and he said it is pretty amazing over there though, I think it would be nice to see it where everyone gets involved and goes all out.
Going against the grain but I love it! My kids love it! We had a bucket of treats for anyone who came to our gate....finally after a few hours they arrived....it was a nice way to meet some locals.
We usually go to my cousins street who send out a letter and an orange ballon and if you want to participate you put the orange balloon up. The kids love dressing up.
I just think its fun :-)
Nah, we're not into it. The costumes would be too scary for my girls anyway. We had about 6 lots of kids knock on the door and had nothing to give them, the last being at 8.30 when we were trying to put the kids to bed. So then Mr Grouchy put a sign on the door, LOL.
We took the girls, they had a ball dressing up, walking around with their friends and meeting people.
DD1 told anyone who would listen that she's 4 now.
All the kids in our group had brilliant manners which was so nice to see.
I've just posted on FB, I know it's an 'American' holiday but if we are being technical Easter & Christmas are not 'Australian' - here it's all just a bit of fun and my girls loved it!
So that's why you are not coming to floobuckles party eh lol:
No. Not into it.
My SIL celebrates it as Samhain but since it is an Autumn harvest festival it seems out of place in our warm Spring.
Really if there was any genuine religious belief or cultural tradition behind celebrating it in Australia I wouldn't care but it's just another festival of consumption engineered by advertisers.
I guess it must be nice for Scots and North Americans that it's suddenly become so popular.
If we're randomly going to adopt holidays that have no meaning for us I would prefer that we adopt the colour throwing one from India or the baby jumping one from Spain or the water one from Thailand.
Love it. Have trick or treated and celebrated since I was DS's age. I love that its becoming more popular commercially too! The kids trick or treated and got a cute lite stash. A lot of the families they visit are American. We would love to provide to trick or treaters but each year we don't really get any.
Also the notion that all Halloween costumes are meant to be scary is incorrect. DS dressed up as Darth Vader :)
My DH saw it as a good excuse to buy DS1 a Jedi costume and DS2 a Yoda costume :) we only went next door and to my parents to "trick or treat" but I had lollies ready for local kids who knocked
TBH, I'm not into it but the kids are. Halloween is my DD's birthday so last night we had a Halloween birthday party for her then after the guests left, the kids went trick or treating with my sister.
I love it & my girls love, we had a heap of trick or treaters last night, The girls loved giving out the candy :)
Hate it. I'm a Halloween Humbugger.
If said it before and I'll say it again, if you want a lollie, go pester your own parents for one. Leave me alone.
The local teens thought it would be a great excuse to egg houses and cars and the school.
DH was disappointed last night....no one came to the door. Probably because last year we were smack bang in suburbia and this year we are on acreage :doh:
Personally, I love it. I think it's a fun thing. I'm quite sick of the whole "it's American" let's not celebrate it. It is actually a very ancient tradition that began around 2,000 years ago with the Celts. With a lot of Irish/English settling in the Americas all those years ago it's hardly surprising that they took these traditions with them and adopted them and turned them into something else.
Google it...it is actually quite interesting.
With regards to the lollies, we ran out of them last year and started handing out apples - would you believe the kids were actually thrilled. Kind of funny (sad!) that a wee little poppit runs up to her parents and yells excitedly - I GOT AN APPLE!!
I think it's quite sad that people are forgetting traditions of old. I think it is time we embraced them again. One of the girls I work with refuses to celebrate Mothers Day and Fathers Day, because "it's American". Um, actually, no, in our house it's a day to sit back and spoil that special person and show them how much we appreciate them. It doesn't mean loads of presents, it means breakfast in bed, a nice lunch, no housework....
i totally agree! It will always be my favourite holiday and I hope it gets bigger and bigger every year!:
Halloween has its roots in ancient paganism and Christianity, sure. But the modern day lolly grab/schlock horror fest has
become far removed from its origins.
We didn't celebrate it here 20-30 years ago. It's genesis here is both retail-driven and a result of the all pervasiveness of American culture in Australian society.
I wouldn't let my kid go up to a stranger in a park and ask for a treat. Why would I let them go to a stranger's house and ask for one?
We didn't do anything for Halloween, although DD did want to dress up. I don't think she undeerstands more than that. The last time we had any trick or treaters was a few years ago in Melbourne's fringe, but nothing since. Hey, I'm not phased, because it means I don't hhave to explain to my kids why they're not out doing the same. I think I am just the Grinch of all Seasons...
We have designated houses ;) And for me its more about the parties. The kids go to at least one every year.
But then I do have a love of the spooky :)
I don't do the huge Trick or Treat thing, but I do celebrate Halloween - just actually ON Halloween.
I am not a fan of the whole door knocking for lollies, so wouldn't do it, or let my kids do it at strangers houses, but everything else I think is pretty cool - would just be way cooler if we actually celebrated it here when we are supposed to. I honestly think (aside from being more appropriate for what it is) that is would be so much more fun! When the things are in season as they should be, when it is actually colder and you can really feel and get a sense of the 'spooky'.
It is however, Beltane today, so Blessed Beltane everyone :D
Where we were living last year the door knocking was organised by the community and the houses were clearly marked with a "please knock here" sign and well supervised by adults. The children came in groups - with the littlies first - and it was fun for everyone.
I agree with you N2L - it is way too commercial and nothing like the festival originally was. But then again so are a lot of our other "holidays". I don't like that I can buy hot cross buns in the supermarket in January or, that Christmas seems to be a competition over who got the most expensive gift.:
Halloween has its roots in ancient paganism and Christianity, sure. But the modern day lolly grab/schlock horror fest has
become far removed from its origins.
We didn't celebrate it here 20-30 years ago. It's genesis here is both retail-driven and a result of the all pervasiveness of American culture in Australian society.
My mum told me that apparently if you want to participate in trick or treating you put a pumpkin or two outside your house where it can be easily seen so that kids (adults?) are aware if you have treats or not.
But I have to agree with N2L and Onyx's points about its adoption over here. And as to the Christmas/Easter thing comparison, I guess that's why we are trying to focus on the religious aspects of those.
I'm not religious so it doesn't bother me. I just see it as a bit of fun. But then I love all Hallmark holidays :P I'm the one ya'll love to hate :)
I'm not anti-Halloween, but I don't celebrate it. Maybe because I don't get it, or having any personal meaning behind it. Christmas, I get, but celebrate it because it's a time to be with family. But then, I don't have any reason to buy chocolate at Easter, aside from the fact that I like chocolate... :think:
It might be something we get into a bit as the girls get older...I'm sure by the time they're teens there will be some 'awesome' parties :shakehead:
As an aside, is it an option to trick, not treat? Like, does that actually happen? What do you do, just shut the door? Give them a toffee apple that's actually a raw onion? What?
Nope we don't do it and won't be doing it with my kids. To me its an american tradition not an australian.
The kids can ask me about it and i will say the same as my mother said, we don't celebrate it. Who knows over time and depending on the area our kids grow up in i may change my mind but for now no.
But while on the topic of halloween. I was cooking dinner last night and someone knocked on the door, i answered and was greeted by 2 boys dressed up, one had a ghost mask on and instead of being "aww you look great" i jumped a mile and said "oh my goodness!" :rofl: I then had to tell them i didnt have anything which they looked so disappointed but hey they got a laugh at my expense.
It isn't just pagans, to be specific.
There are Day of the Dead traditions in most societies in the world, and most have developed independently of each other over centuries.
The Japanese Bon Festival is Buddhist in origin, Slavic traditions of visiting with the dead in Spring were adopted by the Russian Orthodox Church and now celebrated as part of Easter, the Mexican Day of the Dead traditions are rooted in Aztec festivals...
So whilst there are many aspects of the commerical 'American' celebration which are not very traditional, and lose sight of the real point of the day, it doesn't mean there aren't those of us that don't use those aspects in our personal culture, I imagine my feeling about what and how many people do to and for Halloween is similar to many Christians who despise the commericalisation of Christmas. Doesn't mean we don't celebrate Christmas, just means we take what we want from it and leave the rest.
In real time, modern North America was actually one of the LAST places to adopt Halloween.
This is me! I love anything that can inject a little bit of fun into our lives.:
DS went to daycare as a bat yesterday, and he looked pretty cute :)
We celebrate it and have as long as I can remember. Halloween has definitely been celebrated here in Australia in the last 20-30 yrs. I am 37 in a few weeks and I have been trick or treating since I was little. I clearly remember my whole neighborhood doing it.
My kids love it too.
Yeah same. I can remember in the 80's dressing up as Elvira and the milk man would give us chocolate milk every year and funnily we never had people yell at us or slam the door. We did have lots of oooo's and ahhhh's.
We always celebrated Halloween at primary school. Our art teacher used to make a spooky maze every year and we'd do apple bobbing and make jelly with snakes in it, but we didn't ever trick or treat. Maybe it just wasn't done in the area I lived in.
Well My friends and i must have lived in a bubble because none of us celebrated Halloween as kids. There was certainly nothing specific for Halloween in the shops.
I don't remember there being anything Halloween related in the shops when I was a kid either N2L and we only did Halloween type things at school, never at home.
i'm not into it, but got caught out one year with kids at the door and nothing to hand out, and didn't want to look like a tight ass so bought a couple packs of wrapped choc frogs and i had some glow in the dark bracelety things. if i ran out my plan was to go out for awhile until i wouldn't get any more door knockers
we live rural ish, so wasn't expecting too many. got 2 groups of 3 kids. first kids were lovely, but 2nd group were horrid. walked into my house without even knocking, and then kept asking for more stuff. i didn't even see the parents of the 2nd lot, maybe they were at the gate but if i couldn't see them, they couldn't see their kids.
next year dd will be in kinder and other activities, and i am kinda dreading feeling like i have to participate in activities (like halloween) i'm not really into.
I make my own decorations. Christmas and Easter as well. I think that commercialisation of all things is bigger than when I was a kid. There is probably 10 times or more of Christmas decorations out these days in comparison to when I was a kid.:
I must have been sharing your bubble N2L because I remember when we read a book at school with Halloween our teacher had to explain what Halloween was to our class.
LS I couldn't agree more about the seasonal inappropriateness of a harvest festival in Spring. It's just weird.
And it's the ugliest of the festivals. Spooky is fine but halloween as envisioned by commerce is just kitch in a really ugly plastic way. Except Trav's pumpkin. That was cute.
Nope we don't celebrate it. I pretend its not happening. We live in suburbia but have never had someone knock so I assume noone in our area celebrates it either.
We did trick or treat once as a kid when the neighborhood watch from where we were living at the time organized it but never again!
We've never really celebrated it as such. But I see it as a bit of fun for the kids and when they are a bit older, we will make more of an effort. I don't think I would let them out trick-or-treating. We usually get one or two groups at our place but none this year. DD & I went to a dressup party on the weekend. She wasn't fazed by the costumes. The kids had a kindy dressup day. All the carers dressed up and quite a lot of the kids too. DD was sick so she didn't go. I forgot to dress up DS. Whoops. I had every intention of sending him in his batman costume. To make up for it, I let him wear it at home until it was time to go to bed.
I love the idea of handing out apples. I know my kids would be thrilled. I will try to remember that for next year because we now have a bag of lollies that we don't usually eat.
You don't have to participate if you don't want to. Our school did some stuff this year so they asked about doing some trick or treating at home. I said no way and then I had a bit of a rant about cultural imperialism, sustainability and commercialism.:
For people who belong to minority religions in Australia this is something they deal with every Christmas and Easter so Halloween is just another festival that I say no to.
I'm not into it either but DD's kinder is doing a halloween party today and she came home the other day asking if she could go 'trick or treating'. So clearly they have been talking about it in kindy. Thankfully she wasn't keen to dress up as anything scary and she made it quite clear that she wouldn't eat any 'scary' cupcakes lol! So she is going today as a fairy.:
You don't have to participate in activities you aren't into but I wouldn't want my DD to feel left out either. I did say no to 'trick or treating', not my thing and I hope she doesn't ask to do it every year lol!