# How do you feel about trick or treating and halloween?



## gbailey (Mar 10, 2009)

DH and I discussed this recently. When I was a kid we weren't allowed to go trick or treating. My mother said it wasn't safe and didn't like the idea of us "begging" (her word not mine) for treats. She's totally disgusted by Halloween. I recently asked DH how he feels about it. He says he never enjoyed trick or treating as a kid. It was boring and getting dressed in a costume was boring for him. I don't have any personal experiences with Halloween except I always wanted to get a costume and go trick or treating because that's what my friends were doing.

How do you all deal with Halloween and trick or treating?


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## Pumpkin_Pie (Oct 10, 2006)

I loved it as a kid, was sad when I couldn't do it anymore as a teen and am SUPER excited that DS is old enough to really, really GET it this year! I can't wait for Halloween!







Now to get cracking on his costume!!


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## Amila (Apr 4, 2006)

I LOVE it! It is so much fun, and I loved it as a kid. My DD is only 4, but she picks out her costume like 6 months in advance! My husband isn't so keen on it, he thinks it is an evil holiday from a religious standpoint (though he isnt very religious in practice). He refuses to dress up, but goes trick or treating with us. I don't think he would ever deny the kids this holiday if I wasn't around, but he could do without it.


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## elmh23 (Jul 1, 2004)

It wasn't my favorite as a kid, I always seemed to get sick so I wouldn't go trick or treating, but I loved dressing up in my costume and handing out candy (I never had anything contagious, just a lot of tonsillitis.)

Now, I still find it kind of blah, but I LOVE watching my kids have fun. They enjoy it so much that it makes it fun for me!


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

I like it OK, I guess. At first, I used to have my dd make something (like color a picture) to bring to people, and we only went t houses where we knew the family. Then once she started trick-or-treating with friends, I stopped that. We only do a block or 2 though. I really don't want all the candy in the house. Just want her to have the experience and that's it.

This year, I am debating having some kids over for a Halloween party and then trick-or-treating afterward.


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## GardenStream (Aug 21, 2007)

As a kid I loved going. The candy was great, but getting dressed up was even better.

We probably won't take the kids door to door this year. We do so many things with our other groups, Grandma's lake community, and the preschool that we really don't need another night of collecting candy. I lost count this year, they either have 4 or 5 different events where they are dressing up and collecting candy. That's more than enough IMO.


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## nola79 (Jun 21, 2009)

We go. We really enjoy it. The kids get costumes and we go to DH's parents house where we have a big family dinner, then go once around their block. After we're done, we come home (only 5 min away) and hand out candy to the neighborhood children.
We even do halloween type celebrations at the zoo, at our local park where there is a huge festival with live music and at ds's school in addition to the actual night.


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## GuildJenn (Jan 10, 2007)

I liked the dressing up and the being out at night with a flashlight and (because I am fundamentally nosy and always have been) the peeks into all the houses of people we didn't know so well. The candy was all right but it wasn't really the main thing, except for this one house that gave out cotton candy out of a machine (not that this would fly these days).

As an adult it kind of amazes me that a bunch of people who almost never agree on anything all agree to go spend money on candy to watch the kids in the neighbourhood's faces light up. I mean that, to me, is something special.

So yeah we do it. We don't make a huge huge deal of it but hey. Plus, I still get to dress up.


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## lilmom (Nov 9, 2008)

We don't do it. For religious reasons, but also because I just generally don't want my DS to make that big a deal out of candy. We don't eat junky candy on a regular basis so I feel like, why would I let him get a whole bunch of candy that I honestly don't want him to eat and he can't self-regulate how not to desperately want to eat it all in one setting? It's just not something that appeals to me. Right now, he's 3, and he is terrified of the costumes, etc anyway.

We do plan on going to a pumpkin patch and picking out some pumpkins to make pies, etc with, and going on their hay ride (well maybe, if it's not a scary Halloweeny thing, I don't know yet). We also will make caramel apples. So, in other words, we will do some fun fall things, but not necessarily on Halloween and not in celebration of it. We probably will do this this weekend actually.

DH and I both did all the Halloween stuff as kids. But when we discussed it after DS's birth, we realized that nothing really good ever came out of it, and it was more about doing what our friends did, or our parents keeping up with the neighbors, etc than it was about us actually having a great time. So that's where we're at. Plus, from a religious standpoint, it's just a no for us.


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## gbailey (Mar 10, 2009)

Man, I feel like I missed out







It sounds like so much fun. If DD is into it when she's older it's fine by us but I'd prefer she only trick or treat at the apartments/homes of people we know. Taking her trick or treating will let me make up for what I missed out on as a kid.


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## Linda on the move (Jun 15, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *gbailey* 
Taking her trick or treating will let me make up for what I missed out on as a kid.

There are a lot of thing like this for me because I had a crappy childhood!

We love Halloween, and some years I even make the kids costumes. It's really wonderful in some neighborhoods -- lots of people are out, the parent chat, it's fun.


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## gbailey (Mar 10, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Linda on the move* 
There are a lot of thing like this for me because I had a crappy childhood!

We love Halloween, and some years I even make the kids costumes. It's really wonderful in some neighborhoods -- lots of people are out, the parent chat, it's fun.









Unfortunately, I know what you mean re the crappy childhood.

We're going to take DD to the Zoo's Halloween event. They have a "haunted house" and safari for the kids and certain trick or treating spots.

What costumes do you make?


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## lifeguard (May 12, 2008)

I LOVED (& still do) the fun of thinking of a costume & making it & of course wearing it. I like Halloween parties & activities & directions. I REALLY didn't enjoy trick-or-treating, the candy yes, but the door to door was awful. It felt awkward to me & due to my height I got comments at a fairly young age that I must be too old at many doors.

I think when ds gets older I will give him the option but I think I will encourage a Halloween party over trick-or-treating.


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## lonegirl (Oct 31, 2008)

Well, my birthday is the day before....so Halloween was and is always a major thing with me. My mom always made my costumes and she has made the last 2 for my son.
I mainly take my son to family houses (but I have loads of aunts/uncles etc).


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## allical1284 (Mar 17, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *GuildJenn* 
As an adult it kind of amazes me that a bunch of people who almost never agree on anything all agree to go spend money on candy to watch the kids in the neighbourhood's faces light up. I mean that, to me, is something special.










I love Halloween! It isn't really about the candy or the costumes for us. I love getting out and seeing my neighbors (we all usually sit on our front lawns to hand out candy). For some of the neighbors, it is the only time we see them all year. I have very fond memories of picking out/designing costumes with my mom and hanging out with the neighborhood kids while trick or treating. My parents let us eat candy that night and then the next day my dad would take the rest to work. We didn't even care because we had so much fun the night before.
I don't see Halloween as an "evil" event because we just don't give it that kind of power; we make it into what we want it to be: a great family bonding time!


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## ~pi (May 4, 2005)

I adore it. We have a family on our street who get really into it -- they file a request to have the street closed, and it's a big, family-oriented party for the neighbourhood. (Note to self: Remember to drop off thank you note for that family.) Last year the house on the corner hired a flame thrower, and everyone was just enthralled.

I loved it as a kid, too. And I'm type 1 diabetic and couldn't eat any of the candy I collected. I just liked being out at night, seeing everyone else out, walking around with my family, etc.


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## Lisa1970 (Jan 18, 2009)

I hate Trick or Treating. I hate Halloween. I buy costumes for my children to play dress up in. But I am not comfy with them going door to door to get candy, I am not comfy with them eating candy-regardless of where it comes from, at least not that much candy. I am not comfortable with the dark yucky themes of Halloween. It makes me sad too. I see people do stupid haunted themes in their yards and spooky music and then I think of those that I loved who died (my grandpa, 2 of my baby sons) and I like to believe that this is not what death is or what death is like. I feel like it mocks the dead and mocks our passed on loved ones and makes a horrible disgusting thing of it. I just hate hate hate Halloween.


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## Drummer's Wife (Jun 5, 2005)

We love Halloween and trick or treating. I enjoyed it as a kid, too. The only thing I didn't like was how cold it almost always was when we lived in CO. Who wants to wear sweats under their costume and coats over it? But now that we live in NM, the weather isn't near as bad.


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## ssh (Aug 12, 2007)

We love Halloween and trick or treating. Last year we ran out of candy and DD started giving out some of hers. She enjoys giving out candy as much as going door to door. We just go around our neighborhood and feel really safe. We usually go to a local trick or treating event at the mall or our local hospital too. We usually get a costume that DD can use as dress up clothes.


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## traceface (Feb 17, 2003)

Way too much candy but I love being out in the neighborhood, seeing all the cute and excited kids.

When I was little (in a small town in Tx), all the moms made homebaked goodies like popcorn balls, cookies and you went home with all these amazing treats. (though I remember we were most excited about the rare person who did give out storebought candy, lol)


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## St. Margaret (May 19, 2006)

I loved it as a kid. I loved getting all dressed up, and going around to all the neighborhood houses. It was fall, it got dark earlier, my dad would always take us around, everyone would ask all about our costumes... good fun. I don't like the supercreepy style some folks do for Halloween, but in general Halloween is just fun! No big family drama or event, just a bowl of candy and a costume, and you are set! It felt very communal. Of course now we can't stand letting little DD have all that candy, but we've worked it out, she can keep the good stuff and the rest goes to the Great Pumpkin for a super surprise. Someday she'll be old enough to decide if she'd prefer the candy, or like some of it. Right now it would make her totally crazy, like can't stop moving for an hour after two pieces, she starts swatting at people she is normally good with, etc, so it's not up to her. It's too bad it's so candy-focused, because I know some kids who will never be able to eat the kind of candy handed out, but it really seems like more than that... it's so much fun to go around the street at night all dressed up!


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## meemee (Mar 30, 2005)

for dd and me halloween is THE holiday. christmas and easter (not for religious reasons but 'party' reasons dd enjoys it). i am not pagan but i love, love, love Samhain and dia del muerto. so its a continuous party for us.

as much as dd enjoys the candy her whole point is dressing up and me dressing up too. i wear v. flamboyant silly not sexy makeup so dd loves going tot with me.







in the middle for the past years she first started handing out dried leaves we found on the way as a thank you to candy handouters. now she just gives them some candy.

we start early with her visiting her gparents retirement community (they passed two years ago but we always start there). she totally laps up all the compliments. then we go to our old neighbourhoods and new ones.

after we are done with tot and dd has excitedly gone thru her loot (to be forgotten so i take the candy to work/school) we do our own little ceremony to remember those who passed and THEN lastly we take a mug of hot chocolate and walk the neighbourhood enjoying the lights someone has put up and late partygoers in their costume.

this year our halloween is going to start earlier. we are going to a few parties and child friendly haunted house.

when dd was younger they had a fair so we would walk the half hour doing tot and then she would be on the jumpy house continuously for 2 hours till they closed down.

and she also wore her costume regularly when younger.

her sadest comment was 'mama we should have halloween every month. we dont need to do candy but we should all dress up and go out with flashlights.'


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## velochic (May 13, 2002)

We really, really love Halloween. It's probably the most fun holiday we have in our house. We have our house all decorated and love spookiness of it. I have no religious convictions of it, but I most *certainly* don't see it as being disrespectful in any way and I don't consider it to be "sinister". People can make it out to be what they want. They can do that with anything, though.

We like to go out into our neighborhood to T&T because it's almost all elderly people who are all very quirky in their own ways (in a real neighborhood, not a subdivision where everyone is the same). They love seeing the kids dressed up and always there is some chit-chat at every house.

Dd rarely eats candy during the year, so the candy isn't a problem. In fact, she eats the candy just that one night and then the rest is ignored until I take it into work a couple of weeks later.

We REALLY had a great time at Halloween when I was growing up. It was all good, clean fun. We even had a parade in town with everyone dressed up. So, so much fun. Great memories!


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## nixnc (Aug 6, 2010)

we love halloween! we go to about 3 or 4 neighborhoods, park and trick or treat until our hearts are content! it is fun seeing all the costumes and different decorations at all the houses.

some houses do mini haunted houses in their garage. one family makes their entire front yard a cemetary complete with caskets, dry ice for that foggy effect, etc. my kids love it but i am too much of a chicken to walk through it so i make my husband walk up to that house







. there is another family that projects the great pumpkin/charlie brown cartoon on the side of their house and they hand out popsicles and bottled water for kids to sit on the lawn and take a break.

as for the candy, we take both of the kids' trick or treat bags and dole out the candy as we see fit--good grades, good behavior, going above and beyond with chores/manners, etc. i am not one to let my kids have a free for all with junk. i usually end up tossing it all out before christmas when all the "good" stuff is gone. besides, i like candy, too, so we have what is called a "candy tax" where mom and dad get a piece once in a while. lol.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Had so much fun as a kid.

We're not going this year because mine are still too little, but I'm going to still get them costumes. We're going to an early Halloween party with Em's playgroup on the Friday before. But I think we'll do what I've done for years, just stay home and hand out candy to the kids. We'll go trick-or-treating when the babies are old enough to ask to go.


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## ollyoxenfree (Jun 11, 2009)

Love it. I'm sad that we don't get to participate because the dc are teens now and don't go out anymore - and certainly not with Mom and Dad! We'll still shell out, but I'll miss going around the neighbourhood. Maybe I'll just go for a walk instead.

I love the sense of excitement percolating in the air, the night filled with parents and children enjoying their streets, meeting up with neighbours, the inventive costumes and how proud the little kids are about being dressed up. I like the sense of ancient traditions and rituals somehow surviving into the modern era, even if they are utterly changed. It feels like a street fair or community celebration.

When the kids were younger, I didn't like the arguments that yes, they really need to dress warmly even if it ruined that princess fairy gown costume by putting a sweater underneath and covering it up with a coat. I didn't like having to examine the candy with the eye of a forensic criminal specialist just in case. I didn't like waking up to the smashed pumpkins on my street on the morning of November 1st. Thal all seemed like a small price to pay for the fun we had with the actual event.


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## Oliver'sMom (Jul 17, 2007)

Halloween rocks!!

It's our family's favorite holiday. Like other pp have said, we love how it brings the community together to create a magical night for the children. I remember as a kid feeling really special having all of the adults in my neighborhood complimenting me on my costume and talking to me and giving me treats.

We trick or treat for UNICEF to minimize the candy. It's still loads of fun and ds LOVES it. This year will be even better because I have 2 kids to dress up now!


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## EFmom (Mar 16, 2002)

I adore Halloween and trick or treating.


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## 4evermom (Feb 3, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *gbailey* 
Man, I feel like I missed out







It sounds like so much fun. If DD is into it when she's older it's fine by us but I'd prefer she only trick or treat at the apartments/homes of people we know. Taking her trick or treating will let me make up for what I missed out on as a kid.

We actually get to know new people by trick or treating in our neighborhood. We took ds around for the first time when he was 3, just around our block. We've lived in the neighborhood for years but there are so many people we don't know. Trick or treating in the neighborhood, including people we don't know, gives us an opportunity to meet people we'd ordinarily never exchange words with.


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## Needle in the Hay (Sep 16, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *GuildJenn* 
As an adult it kind of amazes me that a bunch of people who almost never agree on anything all agree to go spend money on candy to watch the kids in the neighbourhood's faces light up. I mean that, to me, is something special.










I love this.

My son has only spent one Halloween in the U.S., when he was six, and he still talks about it. It really is a very cool thing. We hope to there next year for Halloween. I definitely want him to have another one there while he's still a kid.


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## mamazee (Jan 5, 2003)

I loved it as a kid, and my older dd anyway loves it now. The youngest was just a baby last year.

There were a lot of urban legends out in the 70s and 80s about tainted candy and things, but they have all been found to be false. It isn't something to get worried about.


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## Alyantavid (Sep 10, 2004)

We love Halloween! What's not to like? You get to dress up, see tons of other kids dressed up, stay up late, wander around in the dark and get candy.

We always did trick or treating growing up and I had alot of fun. My kids love Halloween. I really can't imagine not going trick or treating.


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## 2xy (Nov 30, 2008)

Halloween is my favorite holiday. It's the only holiday I request off from work (I work in a restaurant; holidays and weekends are a given). I would gladly work on Mother's Day or Thanksgiving as long as I get Halloween off. My almost-19yo still dresses up, and goes off in a pack with all the other teenagers for TOT. Nobody cares how old you are around here, as long as you have a costume.


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## rhiOrion (Feb 17, 2009)

I LOVE halloween. My DH isn't as into it, but he's not un-into it, either.

I just love creating costumes. DD is only 6 months old, but this year she's going to be an 80's rock star and I'm going to be her groupie!

But, that said, I do find trick-or-treating to be a bit boring now that I'm an adult. So, rather than try to go to as many houses as possible (once DD is old enough, so in another couple of years), I think I'm going to try to say that we only go to a certain number of houses, or something, and then we go to the big neighborhood party.


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## mamadelbosque (Feb 6, 2007)

Halloween is like, my favorite holiday







DH's too







Trick or treating as a kid was an absolute *BLAST* and I'm psyched for DS1 to be old enough to really 'get it' this year. I hope.









Oh and halloween in college was an absolute blast... specially getting a good seat on court street in a bar and people watching in Athens Ohio


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## Joyster (Oct 26, 2007)

It was fun! You got dressed up, got to wear makeup and got to go out at night with your friends to get candy! What's not to love...well the cold, it was usually freezing if not covered in snow when we were kids, but we've been lucky as parents in the past few years and it's been warm enough to go out with just a sweater and costume. Maybe an upswing to global warming.


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## CatsCradle (May 7, 2007)

I loved it as a kid and love it even more now that I have DD. We always made costumes growing up and it was so much fun! It was never a goon or goblin thing for us...more like a party and competition. I've been making costumes for DD every year and this year she is even helping me the sewing, which I think is a great way to get her started on that skill. The candy part doesn't bother me because DD has a wild night of sugar and tends to forget about it in a few days. It was like that in my youth and I love the tradition.

Another thing I like about the Halloween holiday is that it sort of marks the height of Fall for me....the smells, the pumpkins, the warm sweaters, apple pie...all these things really make me all teary and happy at the same time. I have a hard time diassociating the holiday with the season.


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## ChetMC (Aug 27, 2005)

Our kids love, love, LOVE Halloween.

We make costumes as a family. They're always a big hit.

We often meet neighbours we didn't know trick or treating.

I know there are people who don't enjoy it, but wow, some people are so happy to see little kids dressed up. I never imagined little kids in costumes could bring so much joy to people.

My dad is a cop and he had no safety concerns about us, or his grand children trick or treating.

DH and I eat most of the candy that the kids get.


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## Latte Mama (Aug 25, 2009)

Halloween is an awesome day. I loved it as a kid and went TOT'ing up until I was about 16







.

So yes, my TWO year old will dress up this year and go to a few neighbors/stores that we know. I also don't think candy is evil, everything in moderation ya know?

Some of my best childhood memories are those of getting dressed up for Halloween. Back in the days of horses and buggies, we actually MADE costumes and used our imaginations . None of this store bought stuff









Witches, ghosts, pumpkin carving, and candy, .... life is good!


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## DaughterOfKali (Jul 15, 2007)

I absolutely loved it as a child and I still do. Luckily, I live in a neighborhood where many of the parents also enjoy it. We all go out with our kids and it's a fabulous social evening.


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## ancoda (Oct 17, 2005)

I love Halloween. I do not think there has been a year that I can remember that I have not got dressed up in some way. First as a child to go trick or treating myself, then as a teen either taking my younger sisters out, or giving out candy. Then as a young adult my friends and I had costume parties on Halloween, then as a parent taking out my own children.
I love to plan the costumes, make the costumes and wear the costumes.


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## MJB (Nov 28, 2009)

I loved it as a kid and my kids love it now.


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## Storm Bride (Mar 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *GuildJenn* 
As an adult it kind of amazes me that a bunch of people who almost never agree on anything all agree to go spend money on candy to watch the kids in the neighbourhood's faces light up. I mean that, to me, is something special.

I'd never thought of it in quite those words, but I totally agree. We've got a nice little community here, anyway, but in my old neighbourhood, there wasn't as much interaction...but everyone handed out treats and talked to the kids. We had one guy down the block who had a big bowl of candy, and a smaller bowl of quarters. Every kid got one of each, and the kids got a kick out of it. I remember walking home and wondering just how much that man had spent, just to make the neighbourhood kids smile. It was awesome.

And, for me? I loved trick-or-treating. I was so sad when I got to be "too old" for it. My kids love it, too. DS1 is 17, so he doesn't go, but designing his costume is one of the highlights of his whole year. (He was a Duke, complete with fancy hat, made by my godmother in 8th grade, then he was Eric Draven in 9th, Heath Ledger's Joker in 10th and Rorscach last year. This year, he's being Jack Sparrow. He's had to buy a lot of premade components for Jack Sparrow, but the others were all done with household items and old clothes from the thrift store.)

Halloween is a blast. I wish the decorations hadn't gone so far in the gory direction over the last 10-15 years, though. I really like the spooky and campy stuff, but I don't like the zombie babies, or any decorations involving body parts and blood and/or maggot. Blech.


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## Sierra (Nov 19, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *4evermom* 
We actually get to know new people by trick or treating in our neighborhood. We took ds around for the first time when he was 3, just around our block. We've lived in the neighborhood for years but there are so many people we don't know. Trick or treating in the neighborhood, including people we don't know, gives us an opportunity to meet people we'd ordinarily never exchange words with.

I love, love, love any celebration that is all about community. That's why I love Halloween.

I think it is really too bad that some folks specifically set their celebrations up such as they only interact with people they know. What a shame!

Long live community! Love live people going out of their way just to make the eyes of neighborhood children light up! Long live play and fun! Long live the joy of imagination! Long live parents standing together in the street, chatting, as their kids go up to doors! Long live parents who remember they're never too old to dress up! Long live people meeting folks they'd never have otherwise met! Long live Halloween!

(However, children getting greedy is like nails on a chalkboard for me. We always are as generous as we possibly can be. Last year we had a number of folks who were driven into our neighborhood from elsewhere, and even driven from house to house, heaven forbid...and so many of those kids who were popping in and out of their parents cars were insisting I should give them more and saying rude things about what I gave. One kid -- whose parents were right there with him and said not a word even after we came to them -- didn't even knock but actually opened our door, popped his head and hands inside, and helped himself to two huge handfuls of candy!!! We turned our lights out early and went to bed, which given how much I LOVE Halloween says a LOT!)


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## Thalia the Muse (Jun 22, 2006)

I adore Halloween! I loved it as a kid, and I still do.

You get to run around at night with the autumn wind in the trees, and all the houses are lit with jack-o-lanterns and the doors are open to you.

It's scary, but in a cozy way. I wish that our current celebrations hadn't gotten so focused on gory tacky slasher movie franchises, and away from the traditional spookiness of the holiday ...

It's creative -- a celebration of make-believe and pretend and dress-up and stories told in the dark and creating the best pumpkin you've ever done.

I love fall colors -- black and deep orange and purples and scarlet.

I love Halloween books and movies -- The Halloween Tree, the baddest witch chapter of Ramona the Pest, the Hammer horror films, even Mad Monster Party, which came on TV every year at Halloween when i was a kid. I love the Disney Haunted Mansion LP that every elementary-school teacher owned when I was a kid, and would play in class for Halloween. I love Charles Addams' cartoons.

I love the generosity and adventure of it -- Guildjenn put it perfectly, we all come together to be neighborly and welcoming of children.

I'm quite fond of candy (although my tastes have moved a little beyond most of the stuff my daughter gets in her trick-or-treat bag!).


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## mooshersmama (Jun 21, 2010)

I love Halloween and am excited that this year Ellie will be old enough to take Trick or Treating, for a little while at least. Can't wait! She said she wants to be a dinosaur.


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## kittywitty (Jul 5, 2005)

I lvoe Halloween. It's my favorite holiday. My kids love it, too. I have dressed up every single year since I was born and always trick or treat. I think it's silly if people think it's begging or won't let their kids go if their kids want to. There's no harm in it, it's fun, and kids love dressing up, so why not?


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## Chamomile Girl (Nov 4, 2008)

Halloween is my favorite holiday...which is not too surprising for someone who has a MA in the history of Medieval death and dying (and a black cat named Samhain)







.

I LOVE the morbidity. It is a celebration of the end of the growing season, transitioning into the season of death. There's something positively primitive about it: The skeletons, the darkness, the disguising of one's image. You get to see a side of others and the community that is outside of "normal" everyday interaction. I am







about the belief that these things are evil, or that Halloween is somehow irreligious. Its based on a catholic holy day celebration after all.

We will be bringing DS out trick or treating for sure. In fact DH is flying back from London early that day so he doesn't miss out.


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## AFWife (Aug 30, 2008)

We (my brother and I) LOVED it growing up. My parents would walk with us from house to house (stand at the end of the walk so we could do it "alone") but that wasn't embarrassing or anything because the blocks were FULL of parents. We couldn't eat anything until we got home (so we could make sure it wasn't opened) My brother and I would dump all of our candy out, sort it into piles (each type/brand in its own pile), and then conduct trades







Like, I would trade a handful of mini-Snickers for a Reese's or something (I love chocolate and peanut butter and he doesn't)

My mom didn't like the religious angle or something when we were kids...we didn't decorate or anything. However, even my private Christian school did pumpkin stuff (I think we made bread?)


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## weliveintheforest (Sep 3, 2005)

I loved trick or treating as a kid, and went for the last time when I was 18. I loved dressing up and I loved all the candy.

From about age 16 on I felt Samhain was a spiritual holiday and it definitely took on more meaning. Now that I am no longer pagan it's hard to know what to do.

We haven't decided what to do with our kids. We lean towards doing nothing but we will probably dress up to hand out candy. This is our first year in our new neighbourhood and I hear we can expect 200 kids! A couple of years ago we did a fun event at the Waldorf school that I wish we could do again.


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## kittywitty (Jul 5, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Chamomile Girl* 
I am







about the belief that these things are evil, or that Halloween is somehow irreligious. Its based on a catholic holy day celebration after all.

We will be bringing DS out trick or treating for sure. In fact DH is flying back from London early that day so he doesn't miss out.

No, actually it's not. It's based off of a Pagan holiday but the Catholic church basically created a holiday so the people could keep celebrating. Either way, it's a secular holiday in this country just like 4th of July. A time to dress up, be silly, and eat junk food. So the whole religious fear of this holiday has never made sense to me, personally. But then again, I was raised Jewish and so my sdad never cared at all about religion in regards to Halloween!


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## Bluegoat (Nov 30, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sierra* 
I love, love, love any celebration that is all about community. That's why I love Halloween.

I think it is really too bad that some folks specifically set their celebrations up such as they only interact with people they know. What a shame!

Long live community! Love live people going out of their way just to make the eyes of neighborhood children light up! Long live play and fun! Long live the joy of imagination! Long live parents standing together in the street, chatting, as their kids go up to doors! Long live parents who remember they're never too old to dress up! Long live people meeting folks they'd never have otherwise met! Long live Halloween!

(However, children getting greedy is like nails on a chalkboard for me. We always are as generous as we possibly can be. Last year we had a number of folks who were driven into our neighborhood from elsewhere, and even driven from house to house, heaven forbid...and so many of those kids who were popping in and out of their parents cars were insisting I should give them more and saying rude things about what I gave. One kid -- whose parents were right there with him and said not a word even after we came to them -- didn't even knock but actually opened our door, popped his head and hands inside, and helped himself to two huge handfuls of candy!!! We turned our lights out early and went to bed, which given how much I LOVE Halloween says a LOT!)

I feel like this. I loved Halloween as a kid, and I still love costumes. I do make a point of trick-or-treating in our neighbourhood though. Not just houses we know, but not outside our little community. I think that keeps the focus in the right place.

It can be hard when people get trucked in to the neighbourhood - this happened a lot at my grandparents place, they would have hundreds of kids. It was very expensive, and really began to turn them off the whole thing.


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## kittywitty (Jul 5, 2005)

We don't trick or treat in our neighborhood. Most of our neighbors do not hand out candy, and we drive up to where we were raised and have family so it's part family event. We have seen those same houses for 9+ years. Never figured it would bother anybody. A few years ago, we drove across town (in another part of the state) to trick or treat as our neighborhood had a big crime problem and several recent murders. The houses we trick or treated at were ecstatic to have us. Most of them said we were the only people they had seen that night, and it was late.


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## LaLaLaLa (Oct 29, 2007)

I loved Halloween as a kid and found it super-exciting. Now, as an adult with two kids of my own, I appreciate it even more, for a reason stated upthread.

Halloween is really the only community holiday left. Most other holidays in this country are about huddling together with family or with a close set of friends. Halloween is all about getting out of your own house, going into the larger community, and interacting with the people there. I love that! I love that my kids are able to go to the doors of people we don't know well, and knock, and expect a delighted reaction.

I like the lesson that the people in our neighborhood, who we don't usually see because everyone is so busy, are kind and friendly. I like my kids knowing that these adults aren't strangers like stranger-danger strangers, but are nice people who want to give them compliments and want to give them candy. I like my kids getting the idea that their community is inhabited by people who like them. I want my kids to know that if there were ever some sort of emergency, they shouldn't be afraid to knock on the doors of our neighbors.

I'm a somewhat shy person and would never walk around knocking on doors in any other situation, so I appreciate having a night when I can escort my kids around and maybe be able to spend a few minutes chatting with interesting people. I like learning where my kids' school friends live, and where the people I've seen around the neighborhood live. I really look forward to Halloween!


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## ladymeag (Aug 11, 2005)

For me and my kids - if they want to do it, that's fine. If they don't want to, I don't want to be one of those parents who "forces" the fun. I will, however, inspect the candy and probably not allow any homemade treats to be kept (sorry, just don't know what is in it.)

Something I wish other people paid attention to: Last year we had kids knocking on our door and ringing our doorbell until 11:30 at night. We have two dogs who don't much enjoy knocking and doorbells. I had the porch light off. I had a sign up next to the doorbell (still visible due to street lights) that said "Sorry, no candy. Sleeping baby, please don't knock or ring bell." in English and Spanish. We had someone ringing the bell every five to ten minutes anyway from 5pm to 11:30pm. When we didn't answer the door, we had kids with parents present banging on the windows next to the door yelling "TRICK OR TREAT!" My son was six weeks old and screamed for hours. It was miserable. Remember: No lights, no candy.


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## choli (Jun 20, 2002)

I just find the whole "parents taking the kids Trick or Treating" kind of ...meh.

When I was a kid, we went in groups of kids, no parents. Maybe some bigger and some smaller kids. If you weren't bit enough to go without your parents, you didn't go. So we were usually in groups ranging from 5yo to about 12yo.


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## Peony (Nov 27, 2003)

I loved Halloween as a kid, so did DH, and now our entire family adores it. We decorate the house, spend weeks carving pumpkins, and all go out together ToTing. We search out every event that we could attend that is related to Halloween. So much fun!


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## Bluegoat (Nov 30, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kittywitty* 
We don't trick or treat in our neighborhood. Most of our neighbors do not hand out candy, and we drive up to where we were raised and have family so it's part family event. We have seen those same houses for 9+ years. Never figured it would bother anybody. A few years ago, we drove across town (in another part of the state) to trick or treat as our neighborhood had a big crime problem and several recent murders. The houses we trick or treated at were ecstatic to have us. Most of them said we were the only people they had seen that night, and it was late.

I wouldn't have a problem with what you are describing here. The point to me is that there is some kind of connection - you aren't just transporting your kids to places where they can get the most candy, without any kind of regard for the people you are expecting to give the candy out.


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## pumpkin (Apr 8, 2003)

I love Halloween. It's the perfect kid holiday. I have such fond memories of trick-or-treating that I plan to take my 19 month Old to
House or two this year. Then we will head home and pass out candy.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## limette (Feb 25, 2008)

I'm one of those stupid people who decorates the yard and plays scary music. It's fun to be scared in a safe environment, hence the popularity of horror movies (which I'm to big a wuss to watch). Death is a part of life and there's nothing disgusting or disrespectful about exploring that in an impersonal (no replicas of dead Aunt Sally)way. I love it when teenagers stop by. They were always really polite and excited about our little display. It's nice to see them playing dress up. I remember one girl came back with her camera to get a picture with our window ghost.

We took our two kids out for the first time last year. They were 5 years and 18 months. The youngest was so amazed and giddy about knocking on the neighbour's doors and peeking in to their houses, nevermind getting candy from them. She'd say thank you in the most grateful voice. It was soooo cute! Everyone was as happy to see her as she was to see them. There's definitely as sense of community when trick or treating. Once their little pumpkins are full we stop and go home to share the bounty. One night of candy is fine with me.

Love it!


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## lookatreestar (Apr 14, 2008)

yeah i don't like halloween, we did tot when i was younger and it was fun, but we didn't go every year and i honestly didn't miss it.


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## Ravensong13 (Sep 28, 2009)

Halloween/Samhain is a BIG deal in my family. We celebrate it with dressing up and baking and handing out candy, but also as a religious holiday. I'm super excited because we are having a dumb super this year and having friends and family over and making a huge altar for our ancestors. We don't really take dd tot, but I make pumpkin cupcakes and she gets to have a couple of vegan candies ( no more than I would normally give her). We're also going to a Halloween dance party the night before halloween at our Children's Museum and dd's favorite band, the Bunny Clogs, are playing there. I think we are celebrating every day that weekend ( including an adult's night out that saturday night, lol). Samhain is also the day I 'clean house' energetically speaking and re-do all of the house protection spells I set up at Imbolc. As a Pagan, it is also fun for me to see everyone celebrating a holiday that has Pagan roots


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## Chamomile Girl (Nov 4, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kittywitty* 
No, actually it's not. It's based off of a Pagan holiday but the Catholic church basically created a holiday so the people could keep celebrating. Either way, it's a secular holiday in this country just like 4th of July. A time to dress up, be silly, and eat junk food. So the whole religious fear of this holiday has never made sense to me, personally. But then again, I was raised Jewish and so my sdad never cared at all about religion in regards to Halloween!

Well, the history of Halloween is actually more complicated than that. Its _not_ based on a pagan holiday, although you can argue that the catholic/medieval traditions of All Hallows Eve had roots in an earlier pagan tradition. I love the idea of Samhain, but even that holiday was celebrated for centuries by Irish catholics who did not see the two spiritual traditions as separate. It was not until the reformation that many European religions were "purified" of traditions that people had been doing for a millennium (but that did not appear in the bible, so must not be christian). In any case Halloween was first celebrated in N.America by Irish (catholic) immigrants. To say it is pagan is to not acknowledge the synthesis between catholicism and region-specific traditions (that were once pagan sure...in the time of the Romans. But that had subsequently been celebrated by christians for a thousand years).

Sorry as a medievalist this is a big pet peeve of mine. The way neo-pagans have co-opted lots of this stuff, and have done a purification of their own, bugs me too.









Oh, and I don't mean that halloween is today celebrated as a religious holiday for most, just that I don't understand why many christians find it's traditions somehow...evil...or anti-god when the roots of Halloween are as a religious holiday.


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## Thalia the Muse (Jun 22, 2006)

Christmas and Easter have pagan roots too!


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## Sierra (Nov 19, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kittywitty* 
We don't trick or treat in our neighborhood. Most of our neighbors do not hand out candy, and we drive up to where we were raised and have family so it's part family event. We have seen those same houses for 9+ years. Never figured it would bother anybody. A few years ago, we drove across town (in another part of the state) to trick or treat as our neighborhood had a big crime problem and several recent murders. The houses we trick or treated at were ecstatic to have us. Most of them said we were the only people they had seen that night, and it was late.

I don't mind when people travel out of their own neighbors for reasons like not having a neighborhood where folks participate. I loved our first year in our current house when we had, probably, around 200 kids. Our neighborhood has lots of kids, but I don't think *that* many. It was fun to see so many folks!

When it bothers me is:
1. When people drive their kids from house to house (we live somewhere that houses are very close together...it really isn't far to walk between houses, and even if it was far, so what).

2. When people drive around from neighborhood to neighborhood in search of more, more, more (we have had more than one little 3, 4, and 5 year old kids come to our house with large pillow cases stuffed to the brim, so heavy their parents had to carry it for them...it was so clear to me that this wasn't about the kids, who all looked exhausted and so *done* by that time).

3. When people specifically seek out our neighborhood because some houses give very generously (large handfuls, full-size bars, and even individually filled sandwich bags of candy). The reason this last one bothers me is because the kids are conditioned to think of that is the norm, and these are the kids who act disappointed and say rude things if given something normal, rather than a simple "thank you." I'm not blaming the folks who give generously. We've had years when we have been able to do that ourselves, and did it just for the delight of surprising the kids totally unexpectedly. But I blame parents who drive their kids specifically on a hunt for these houses because then houses that are generous are robbed of the delight of surprising kids, and the kids become conditioned toward entitlement.

4. I certainly hope that people don't leave their neighborhoods when there is no legitimate reason. If there are homes (apartments or houses) giving stuff out, it builds community and actually makes communities *safer* if neighbors get together and agree to participate as a community.


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## waiting2bemommy (Dec 2, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *gbailey* 
Man, I feel like I missed out







Taking her trick or treating will let me make up for what I missed out on as a kid.

That's how I amabout so many of the experiences ds has. However we don't do halloween for religious reasons. We are thinking about chuck e cheese or something that night, because although I don't believe in halloween, I am a big believer in fun! nAnd I don't want my kid to feel he "missed out."


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## NellieKatz (Jun 19, 2009)

I ever cared much about it as a kid, but my DS (7) loves it, mostly for the candy and all the fun decorations, the whole bit. It's funny....as a Mom who doesn't like her kid to have junk food, I am not as concerned about the candy of Halloween per se, but the fact that almost all of it is made by one or two large companies who seem to get their chocolate from China. You remember a few years back when in China they were using tainted milk powder? I remember researching at the time to try and find out WHERE the chocolate for the Halloween candy was made and it was either (a) hard to find an answer or (b) made in China. I haven't looked into it this year. But the point is, it's just the same crap everywhere you look. I wish people gave out better-quality treats.

Now, this is a funny subject for me. For the first several years of my son's life, he didn't have candy. He didn't know what it was, he didn't miss it, didn't care. So for his first Halloween, I told about 5 local families that we'd be coming around, and could they please give him anything BUT candy (I even offered to provide it if they didnt have anything). I figured that the longer he went without knowing what candy was all about, the better, not only for his health but for our sanity at the store. LOL. He didn't watch kids programming TV so he never got bombarded with commercials. So he was oblivious. That first Halloween, he got pencils, toys, fruit rollups, cupcakes, cookies and a story I like to tell over & over again is this one neighbor whose husband answered the door and didn't know about my no-candy request (I had spoken with the wife). He thrust a bowl of candy at me and luckily my son was a little slow getting up to the door. I quickly whispered....do you have anything that's not candy? So he went back in and looked around and emerged..."I have a bagel." Well my son was thrilled. I think he was 4 years old at the time, and he was just delighted with his bagel. Hadn't a clue in the world how funny that was.

Those days are gone, of course, so if I want him to take part in the festivities with his friends, he has to ingest the food dyes, additives, and other sheer garbage that our thoughtful candy-makers put in their products. (rant , rant)


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## Storm Bride (Mar 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *choli* 
I just find the whole "parents taking the kids Trick or Treating" kind of ...meh.

When I was a kid, we went in groups of kids, no parents. Maybe some bigger and some smaller kids. If you weren't bit enough to go without your parents, you didn't go. So we were usually in groups ranging from 5yo to about 12yo.

I think that must have been partly regional. Everybody went with their parents when I was a kid, and that was in the early 70s.


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## kittywitty (Jul 5, 2005)

Neo-pagans co-opted Halloween?







First time I've heard that one!

Do you mind sharing your resources on that? Because I have yet to come across that theory.

http://www.history.com/topics/halloween
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween

You don't have to believe wiki, just scroll down to the list of resources and go to them instead.


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## mtiger (Sep 10, 2006)

My kids loved it. They continue on through HS here, and the kids all dress up. My daughter is having a few girls over to ToT, and then they're staying for fondue and movies.


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## Chamomile Girl (Nov 4, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kittywitty* 
Neo-pagans co-opted Halloween?







First time I've heard that one!

Do you mind sharing your resources on that? Because I have yet to come across that theory.

http://www.history.com/topics/halloween
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween

You don't have to believe wiki, just scroll down to the list of resources and go to them instead.









There is nothing in the Wiki article that contradicts anything I wrote above...in fact just the opposite. The article addresses the christian origins of Halloween, as well as touching on how it was celebrated as Hallowtide during the middle ages. In one of the books from the bibliography on that page (_Death Makes a Holiday_ by David J. Skal) there is a great chapter on these origins (chapter 2: _The Halloween Machine_) .

As for paganism, it is a religion of reconstruction; its rituals and beliefs are modern reimaginings of pre-christian celtic religions. Most of this stuff has come down through christian cultures (what has not is indebted to anthropology/archeology) and as such it is sometimes...problematic...to assume there is any such thing as pagan ritual purity. Halloween is one such instance where the catholic origins of the festival are swept under the rug for the more interesting focus on Samhain. In my mind that is much like arguing that Dia de los Muertos is actually a pagan holiday even though most of its celebrants are deeply christian, because its rituals are a synthesis of christian and pre-christian elements.

If you are interested in other books that address medieval attitudes towards death just let me know. I've got 'em all







.


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## 2xy (Nov 30, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Storm Bride* 
I think that must have been partly regional. Everybody went with their parents when I was a kid, and that was in the early 70s.

That's how it was for me, too. And I took my kids trick-or-treating probably until they were 10-12yo. Not out of fear, but because we moved every couple of years (military) and they didn't always know their way around town. We homeschool, so they didn't always have friends right nearby to TOT with. Most of their close friends live in different neighborhoods/towns.

We live in the city now, and there's no way I'd send a 5yo off with a pack of kids to navigate busy streets at night.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sierra* 
I certainly hope that people don't leave their neighborhoods when there is no legitimate reason. If there are homes (apartments or houses) giving stuff out, it builds community and actually makes communities *safer* if neighbors get together and agree to participate as a community.

We've lived in this particular house/neighborhood for 2.5 years, and we don't TOT here. We spend Halloween with friends in a neighborhood a couple of miles away. They have a big party every year. Everyone shows up at their house a couple of hours early, we eat and drink and the kids get costumed up together (lots of fun), and then the kids go off to TOT while the parents have wine, chat, and give out candy.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Thalia the Muse* 
Christmas and Easter have pagan roots too!

And some fundamentalist Christians don't celebrate Christmas because it's not Biblical. They also celebrate Easter in a Biblical way, and not with eggs and bunnies.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Storm Bride* 
I think that must have been partly regional. Everybody went with their parents when I was a kid, and that was in the early 70s.

Same here... and we were like a super small town so I don't think it was a safety issue... the parents just walked with the kids. Not the really big kids-- I think we started walking by ourselves when we were like 10 because our parents turned into dorks right around then and we couldn't be seen with them in public.

But, ToT was definitely a family activity.


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## nicky85 (Jul 10, 2010)

I love Halloween, I love coming up with creative costumes, I love trick-or-treating. It's not as unsafe as we've all been led to believe. Most of the poisonings were hoaxes and most of the real ones involved wrapped candy ( see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisoned_candy_scare ). A History channel documentary also stated the same thing. I'm so excited about trick-or-treating I'm going to dress my baby up and take him out trick-or-treating even though he's only 8 months old and people will probably think it's a ridiculous ploy to get candy.

What scares me most about Halloween is high-fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated fats, artificial colorings and sweeteners, etc. etc. I'm seriously considering watching "Supersize Me" or "King Corn" for Halloween because they're two of the scariest movies I can think of. "Food Inc." would be the scariest, but I'm not sure I've got the stomach to watch that one again.

My husband and I believe very strongly in a wholesome, plant-based diet. I really wish people would give out apples, cute little toys, pennies, or even homemade baked goods. This year will be easy because my son hasn't got any teeth and his main goody is breastmilk. We'll just go around the neighborhood and toss the candy after. I'm figuring I can probably get away with the same plan next year. Maybe by 2012 I can rig up a healthy trick-or-treat with my church group or something.


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## choli (Jun 20, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nicky85* 
My husband and I believe very strongly in a wholesome, plant-based diet. I really wish people would give out apples, cute little toys, pennies, or even homemade baked goods. This year will be easy because my son hasn't got any teeth and his main goody is breastmilk. We'll just go around the neighborhood and toss the candy after. I'm figuring I can probably get away with the same plan next year. Maybe by 2012 I can rig up a healthy trick-or-treat with my church group or something.

That seems pretty wasteful. Why collect candy to toss it? You don't have to trick or treat to wear a costume.


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## Hoopin' Mama (Sep 9, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nicky85* 

My husband and I believe very strongly in a wholesome, plant-based diet. I really wish people would give out apples, cute little toys, pennies, or even homemade baked goods. This year will be easy because my son hasn't got any teeth and his main goody is breastmilk. We'll just go around the neighborhood and toss the candy after. I'm figuring I can probably get away with the same plan next year. Maybe by 2012 I can rig up a healthy trick-or-treat with my church group or something.

YOu should go around the neighborhood and just say "hi" instead of taking the candy and then tossing it. Or you could hand out healthy goodies to your neighbors. Reverse trick-or-treating


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## limette (Feb 25, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nicky85* 
I love Halloween, I love coming up with creative costumes, I love trick-or-treating. It's not as unsafe as we've all been led to believe. Most of the poisonings were hoaxes and most of the real ones involved wrapped candy ( see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisoned_candy_scare ). A History channel documentary also stated the same thing. I'm so excited about trick-or-treating I'm going to dress my baby up and take him out trick-or-treating even though he's only 8 months old and people will probably think it's a ridiculous ploy to get candy.

What scares me most about Halloween is high-fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated fats, artificial colorings and sweeteners, etc. etc. I'm seriously considering watching "Supersize Me" or "King Corn" for Halloween because they're two of the scariest movies I can think of. "Food Inc." would be the scariest, but I'm not sure I've got the stomach to watch that one again.

My husband and I believe very strongly in a wholesome, plant-based diet. I really wish people would give out apples, cute little toys, pennies, or even homemade baked goods. This year will be easy because my son hasn't got any teeth and his main goody is breastmilk. We'll just go around the neighborhood and toss the candy after. I'm figuring I can probably get away with the same plan next year. Maybe by 2012 I can rig up a healthy trick-or-treat with my church group or something.

I would love to hand out baked goods but the reality is that most people still believe in that urban legend and would just trash it like you do the candy.


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## root.beer.float (May 21, 2005)

My husband and I have never been too fond of trick or treating for one reason only but we let them go anyway a few years. Mostly they opted for the parties. This year they have decided that they don't want to go anymore and when we asked them why, they gave us the very reason that we don't like it for and we've never even told them why, LOL! All year, every day, we teach them not to take things from strangers but then what do we do on Halloween? We send them out to take candy from strangers. We couldn't be happier that they decided on their own that it just doesn't seem right and would rather stay home.


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## Storm Bride (Mar 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2xy* 
That's how it was for me, too. And I took my kids trick-or-treating probably until they were 10-12yo. Not out of fear, but because we moved every couple of years (military) and they didn't always know their way around town. We homeschool, so they didn't always have friends right nearby to TOT with. Most of their close friends live in different neighborhoods/towns.


Quote:


Originally Posted by *Kelly1101* 
Same here... and we were like a super small town so I don't think it was a safety issue... the parents just walked with the kids. Not the really big kids-- I think we started walking by ourselves when we were like 10 because our parents turned into dorks right around then and we couldn't be seen with them in public.

But, ToT was definitely a family activity.

All this. I know my dad looked forward to taking us out every year, and was bummed the couple of times he had to work late that night. (He was a furniture mover, and _very_ long days at month end are/were common...but he usually managed to dodge that on Halloween.) Last year, a bunch of the kids in our townhouse complex went out togeether, but most of the parents went along - for fun. I enjoy seeing everyone's houses and decorations, and getting a chance to interact (albeit briefly) with neighbours that I rarely get a chance to talk to.


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## Sierra (Nov 19, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2xy* 
We've lived in this particular house/neighborhood for 2.5 years, and we don't TOT here. We spend Halloween with friends in a neighborhood a couple of miles away. They have a big party every year. Everyone shows up at their house a couple of hours early, we eat and drink and the kids get costumed up together (lots of fun), and then the kids go off to TOT while the parents have wine, chat, and give out candy.

I was talking in context about folks leaving their neighborhoods to trick-or-treat elsewhere.

I have been known to go to Halloween parties too, though personally I can't stand to miss the kids trick-or-treating and prefer to stay home.


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## nicky85 (Jul 10, 2010)

I don't view throwing candy away as wasting food since I fervently believe it is better off in the garbage than in stomachs. It has no nutritional value and is harmful to our bodies. That being said, saying hi is an even better option since we don't want the candy. So thanks for the suggestion! I stand corrected on my position.

I too would hand out fruit or baked goods to trick or treaters, but I know people probably wouldn't even accept because of how entrenched the urban legends are. It's sad because I've heard that way back in the day people had a lot of fun getting homemade treats.


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## Linda on the move (Jun 15, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sierra* 
I was talking in context about folks leaving their neighborhoods to trick-or-treat elsewhere.

We move a lot for my DH's job but generally live in a newish neighborhood with houses close together, and we therefore always get kids who don't live in the neighborhood.

I think it's all good. Kids who live in the country, in apartments, in no fun neighborhoods, etc. can come walk around and enjoy the decorations and grownups sitting in lawn chairs handing out candy. I'd really hate to be such a neighborhood snob that I could only buy candy for the kids in my neighborhood. That's just.... icky.

I love Halloween. I love seeing the little kids in costumes. I love seeing the ridiculous things my neighbors do to their houses. The whole thing is just so silly and pointless and fun.









Plus, my mother hates Halloween and never let me have a good one. I'm making up for it now.


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## Cascadian (Jan 28, 2009)

*


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## Bluegoat (Nov 30, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Linda on the move* 
We move a lot for my DH's job but generally live in a newish neighborhood with houses close together, and we therefore always get kids who don't live in the neighborhood.

I think it's all good. Kids who live in the country, in apartments, in no fun neighborhoods, etc. can come walk around and enjoy the decorations and grownups sitting in lawn chairs handing out candy. I'd really hate to be such a neighborhood snob that I could only buy candy for the kids in my neighborhood. That's just.... icky.

I love Halloween. I love seeing the little kids in costumes. I love seeing the ridiculous things my neighbors do to their houses. The whole thing is just so silly and pointless and fun.









Plus, my mother hates Halloween and never let me have a good one. I'm making up for it now.

In the places I knew where this happened a lot, it was really overwhelming to the people though. It gets very expensive very quickly. I sympathize with kids living in rural areas wanting the same experience they see on tv, but when I was growing up, they just handled the whole trick-or-treating thing differently - going mostly to friends and relatives, having parties, and larger hand-outs at each house. I just don't think it's a matter of being snobby when you can spend hundreds of dollars on candy, and the kids are ticked if you turn off your light early - there seems to be some kind of sense of entitlement there.


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## LindsayK (Jul 16, 2007)

What a fascinating thread!

I really don't like how some Halloween celebrations focus on the "gore" but then again, I don't like how much of Christmas focuses on consumerism. We still celebrate Christmas, but emphasize family traditions, religious roots, spending time with family/friends/church. For Halloween, we enjoy dressing up, carving pumpkins, and joining in neighborhood celebrations. We choose to ignore the parts we don't like, and enjoy/emphasize the parts we do like.

I find the messages in the witch/ghost/skeletons/graveyards/severed body parts/ghoulish brews rather confusing. For example, witches. When my kiddos see a "halloween witch" what are they learning? Most people who identify themselves as a witch to my kiddos are going to be person practicing Wicca, and aren't going to be anything like a "Halloween witch". How about people who were labeled as witches and then killed (we live near Salem)? Are those people the same kind of witches? Are all people who are ugly like "halloween witches" evil? Are people who are pretty always nice? I dunno, just a lot of mixed messaging there!

I don't get worked up about this stuff when I see a person handing out candy on Halloween dressed as a "witch", these are just things I think about when I look at a lot of the typical halloween decorations, and reasons that I would prefer to introduce concepts of witches, ghosts, spirits, death/dying to my kids on my own, rather than the messaging that they get from what's becoming a burgeoning consumerist holiday.

When I was a kid, we did two trick-or-treating nights - my grandparent's town celebrated on All Hallow's Eve, so we would TOT there, then at all the nearby relatives, since they loved seeing us. Then, since we lived in a rural area, one of our neighbors got the idea to throw a bunch of hay in the back of their pick-up, and kids/parents would ride around in the back of the truck going door to door for candy (how in the world did my uber-safety conscious parents ever allow that?!?!?)

In our neighborhood, we have a big park nearby with a large pond in the middle. On the Saturday closest to Halloween, the whole neighborhood turns out to decorate small paper bags for luminaries that go all around the path around the pond, carve pumpkins for a huge lit pumpkin patch, and then do various stations - ghoulish brews, a graveyard, etc. (We skip the latter part, but we really enjoy the rest!) Its a great way for the whole community to get out together as families, and the kids get another chance to wear their outfits


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## 2xy (Nov 30, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sierra* 
I was talking in context about folks leaving their neighborhoods to trick-or-treat elsewhere.

I have been known to go to Halloween parties too, though personally I can't stand to miss the kids trick-or-treating and prefer to stay home.

Well, you said you hope people don't leave their neighborhoods for no legitimate reason. I guess one person's legitimate reason isn't another's.

It's been slightly different with every neighborhood we've lived in, but now we both attend a party AND tot in another neighborhood. My kids and their friends like to tot together.







None of my boys' friends live in our neighborhood. One friend is here part-time, as his uncle and aunt care for him when his mother works.

Most of our neighborhood is retirees and single people. Not many kids, so nobody really gets into Halloween here. The first year we lived here, we left a bowl of candy and a note on our porch, and there was still candy in it when we got home.


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## Sierra (Nov 19, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Linda on the move* 
We move a lot for my DH's job but generally live in a newish neighborhood with houses close together, and we therefore always get kids who don't live in the neighborhood.

We live in an *old* neighborhood with houses *very* close together, and yes, we too always get kids who don't live in the neighborhood.

Quote:

I think it's all good. Kids who live in the country, in apartments, in no fun neighborhoods, etc. can come walk around and enjoy the decorations and grownups sitting in lawn chairs handing out candy.
That describes our neighborhood on Halloween.

I don't mind any of that.

Quote:

I'd really hate to be such a neighborhood snob that I could only buy candy for the kids in my neighborhood. That's just.... icky.
My position came across over several posts, so I feel it has been lost. I have not said anything about buying candy only for the kids in my neighborhood (nor has anyone else).

In fact, in one of my first posts about this, I specifically said how much I enjoyed having ~200 kids my first year in this house (and we "closed shop" a little early for our kids to go to bed), knowing that many were not from my neighborhood.

I don't mind kids coming from other neighborhoods.

My position in regard to the "good" it does for neighborhoods to come together as communities and participate rather than driving kids elsewhere has nothing to do with the welcome I feel toward kids from elsewhere when they come to my neighborhood. I know it is not always possible to trick-or-treat in one's own neighborhood, and I adore the chance to see these kids in my neck of the woods.

What I was trying to say is that I DO think trick-or-treating is good for communities, and helps make them safer, which is why I advocate that neighborhoods try to make a tradition of it. And I DO hope that folks stay in their neighborhoods for that reason...for the reason of creating community among neighbors.

But I feel joy to have kids come into my 'hood and love the chance to say hello, whatever neighborhood they come from.

That said, as I have stated a couple of times, what bothers me is when parents drive their kids from neighborhood to neighborhood (and especially when they do it house to house) _in search of the most candy_.

I remember this from when I was a kid too. One of my friend's had a mom who was always like "Let me take you to [name a neighborhood]. We can totally score there!" My friend was in my own neighborhood and there were plenty of treats there (even in the apartment and condo complexes and buildings where we lived). It didn't seem kid-motivated until later. In the young years, it was always my friend's mom.

I think this kind of parental attitude cultivates a spirit of greed about the whole thing in families, and I saw that manifested in my neighborhood some a couple of years ago and a whole LOT this last year in examples I gave in my posts. When I turned out the lights early, it had to have been bad because like I said, I love Halloween and am a very patient person with other people's kids...especially those learning to be kind.


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## Stella_luna (Jan 26, 2006)

I *love* Halloween. I always have. It's also DD's favorite holiday (and the day before her birthday). It's so wonderful . . . I love that all the neighbors are hanging out on their lawns, chatting and catching up, and how it turns in to a lovely fall gathering, with the kids running around in their costumes until late at night having the time of their lives. It always seems to turn into a big block party.

We're a vegan family who eats very health-consciously, but I would never skip Halloween because of the candy connotation. DD keeps the toys/stickers/pencils/nonfood items people give out and the stuff she can eat--pretzels, raisins, popcorn, etc.--and the next day sells the rest to a local dentist who does a post-Halloween-candy-buyback every year and sends the candy to the troops overseas.

We're having a big Halloween birthday party for DD and she and her friends are so excited for it







.


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## MCatLvrMom2A&X (Nov 18, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Pumpkin_Pie* 
*I loved it as a kid, was sad when I couldn't do it anymore as a teen* and am SUPER excited that DS is old enough to really, really GET it this year! I can't wait for Halloween!







Now to get cracking on his costume!!









I was so happy when dd got old enough to enjoy it and then ds







I am looking forward to it this year though I wont be able to enjoy as much of the yummy candy as I have in the past









Where we live is very rural and I dont know any of the neighbors really. So I take the kids and go down to my parents then my brother and I take the kids to the houses down there. That is where I grew up and we know almost everyone so we can go to their houses knowing it is safe.

Adults have to go with the kids here since driving is the only way to get to the houses.


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## GuildJenn (Jan 10, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *LindsayK* 
I find the messages in the witch/ghost/skeletons/graveyards/severed body parts/ghoulish brews rather confusing. For example, witches. When my kiddos see a "halloween witch" what are they learning? Most people who identify themselves as a witch to my kiddos are going to be person practicing Wicca, and aren't going to be anything like a "Halloween witch". How about people who were labeled as witches and then killed (we live near Salem)? Are those people the same kind of witches? Are all people who are ugly like "halloween witches" evil? Are people who are pretty always nice? I dunno, just a lot of mixed messaging there!

We call them "storybook witches" since we have a family friend who's a regular witch. And there certainly are some great storybook witches.









I don't mind the confusion...when I look at the err...vast range...of people who call themselves Christians I figure witch confusion is the least of my concerns.


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## velochic (May 13, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *LindsayK* 
I find the messages in the witch/ghost/skeletons/graveyards/severed body parts/ghoulish brews rather confusing. For example, witches. When my kiddos see a "halloween witch" what are they learning? Most people who identify themselves as a witch to my kiddos are going to be person practicing Wicca, and aren't going to be anything like a "Halloween witch". How about people who were labeled as witches and then killed (we live near Salem)? Are those people the same kind of witches? Are all people who are ugly like "halloween witches" evil? Are people who are pretty always nice? I dunno, just a lot of mixed messaging there!

You can blame Disney (and Hollywood) for most of this confusion, especially the perception of "witches"... not Halloween. I agree that wicca has little to do with pop-culture's idea of "witch".


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## CatsCradle (May 7, 2007)

Quote:

You can blame Disney (and Hollywood) for most of this confusion, especially the perception of "witches"... not Halloween. I agree that wicca has little to do with pop-culture's idea of "witch".
The Brothers Grimm predate Hollywood and Disney by a long shot, and there you will find negative images of witches. In all of early Christian Europe and in early America, witches were perceived as evil. Hollywood and Disney didn't make this stuff up. Let's face it, there have been no positive views of witches, at least in the U.S., until very recently. I don't think that the pop culture idea of witches is anything new. Rather, I think recent pop-culture stereotypes (as in 20th century) simply borrows from very old stereotypes.


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## kittywitty (Jul 5, 2005)

Very old stereotypes based off of witch-hunting and a church that wanted to kill the competition.

Chamomile_Girl, this part should be taken to the Spirituality forum so we don't get too OT. If you would like to start a thread still claiming that we owe Halloween to Christianity and how all of us "neo-pagans" wouldn't have anything without the church, then go on ahead.


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## LindsayK (Jul 16, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *velochic* 
You can blame Disney (and Hollywood) for most of this confusion, especially the perception of "witches"... not Halloween. I agree that wicca has little to do with pop-culture's idea of "witch".

Yes, true... I wasn't meaning to say that its halloween's "fault" for this kind of messaging - its seen all over the place in our culture, such as in Disney, and we skip those movies, too! But, its very much in your face at halloween.

I like the idea of the PP who describes these witches as "storybook witches" I think I will use that!


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## One_Girl (Feb 8, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nicky85* 

I too would hand out fruit or baked goods to trick or treaters, but I know people probably wouldn't even accept because of how entrenched the urban legends are. It's sad because I've heard that way back in the day people had a lot of fun getting homemade treats.

I have never heard urban legends about baked goods, though I have about store bought candy and freaky people putting things in it. I wouldn't allow my dd to eat a homemade treat though because I have no idea if the person washes properly after using the restroom, made sure their hair was back so no disease carrying strands got into the treat, or keeps a sanitary kitchen. I have gotten sick so many times from homemade things at potlucks so I really try to avoid them if I am not aware of the cleanliness factor.

I have always loved Halloween, though I wasn't allowed to take part in it until my mother stopped attending small cult-like churches where they believed it was unsafe to go outside of your home on Halloween unless you were going in the car to the church where you would be safe with the other people there for the Harvest Party. My dd also likes Halloween a lot and has even talked her grandpa into decorating the house two years in a row because she is so enthusiastic about it, and he is wrapped around her little finger. Like a previous poster, I think it is really neat that so many people get together to celebrate a day devoted to making kids totally happy. I only wish that fruits and vegetables were as exciting to get as a huge chocolate bar!


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## AuroraPolaris (Jul 26, 2010)

When I was little Halloween did not exist.








We have adopted this tradition over the last 5-10 years or so.
These days most kids i know do the trick or treating.
I think it`s ok, and off course i LOVE to see my kids having fun.
I don`t know if we do it the same way you guys do it.
We haven`t so far bought a pumpkin and cut it to be a face or anything, but I guess we should try.








Many norwegians (especcially the older ones, off course







) hates it and think it`s all brought to our contry so that the shops will sell a lot of stuff related to halloween. They have a point, but it still is fun for the kids.

I make my kids draw/paint "scary" images, and we use that as the trick.
We follow in the background as our kids knock on the doors and asks "Trick or treat!" They usually get some candy, some give cookies or fruits. If they don`t get anything they will give the person one of their scary paintings as a trick.







My kids love to dress up, and look forward to this every year.
They are NOT allowed to do any other kind of tricks.
Every year complainers write in the newspapers after halloween that they got their windows cowered in eggs and stuff like that.







That is not acceptable at all. I guess that is older kids walking alone, and their parents don`t know...


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## ollyoxenfree (Jun 11, 2009)

I've lived in a country where Hallowe'en wasn't a tradition and was a fairly new growing celebration. It is a little odd trying to explain what it's all about. And yes, there were routinely letters to the editor about how obnoxious this imported holiday is and how it shouldn't be encouraged. We didn't do any trick-or-treat or shelling out then, but we did put up some decorations and make some Hallowe'en treats.

I found that without Hallowe'en or Thanksgiving, the Christmas commercials and decorations started to appear in September. Now that seems obnoxious







.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ollyoxenfree* 
I found that without Hallowe'en or Thanksgiving, the Christmas commercials and decorations started to appear in September. Now that seems obnoxious







.

Hell, that happens here even with Halloween and Thanksgiving.


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## tea_time (Oct 11, 2010)

I am not a fan of Halloween for a variety of reasons. Growing up we went to Harvest Festivals (sponsored by local churches) but weren't allowed to trick-or-treat. I remember one year in junior high my mom let me have some friends over for a party.

I don't like the dark/scary/evil decorations and costumes. I don't like the mass quantities of candy made of HCFS/artificial dyes/artificial everything! I do like seeing children dressed up though, and have tried handing out candy although usually only a handful of children stopped by.

My DD will be three this year, 2 days before Halloween. I hate that each year we have to plan her birthday celebrations around a "holiday" I don't even like. We don't talk about Halloween at our house and will not be trick-or-treating. If our church as a Harvest/Fall Festival we'll go to that.

I'm ready for Thanksgiving!


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## jldumm (Sep 6, 2006)

We are going to hold off on trick or treating as long as possible. We had a smores party last year and it was a blast. We plan to do it again this year.


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## StephandOwen (Jun 22, 2004)

We love Halloween here! We always go back to Michigan on Halloween weekend to visit my dad (who loves Halloween and loves throwing Halloween parties for the kids- usually complete with a spooky walk through the woods to hunt for treats). We have taken ds Trick or Treating before and he enjoys it. He doesn't really like candy (just plain milk chocolate like hershey's kisses, hershey's plain milk chocolate bars or milk chocolate dove candies). So most of his candy he gets from Trick or Treating gets eaten by dp and myself or sent to dp's work. This year ds will visit his Grandpa for the few days before Halloween and then on Halloween we'll leave early enough to make it back home before Trick or Treating starts.


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## AllyRae (Dec 10, 2003)

We don't have any qualms against Halloween or ToTing. We just *don't* ToT...not because it's wrong or whatever, but because my kids have so many allergies that it would be pointless. They do dress up and do the Boo at the Zoo thing, because at least the trip involves animals and stuff, even if they can't eat the candy (although this year, we're going with my sister...(HI STEPH!) so the kids can give Owen their plain chocolate and Owen can trade my kids the stuff they can eat.







: )

We throw the kids a party every year, and they get more than their share of candy and sweets and spooky fun. And we do the pumpkin picking, and DS usually gets invited to a party or two that his classmates throw, and our church does an All Saints Day thing. So, it's non-stop autumn fun from the end of September through the beginning of November for us.







:


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## Quinalla (May 23, 2005)

I loved Halloween as a kid and it is still fun for me to pass out candy to the kids. I'm excited to have a daughter now and will definitely take her around when she is older for trick or treating. They are actually doing some trick or treating (out of parent's trunks all decorated) at her daycare this year, so even though she won't really get it, I am getting her a cute dragon costume that I got pretty cheap, so some good photo ops at least









And as I got to be too old to really go trick or treating, I went with my church youth group to a neighborhood and collected canned goods. The first year we did it, it took a lot of explaining, but people really liked it. Now they have been doing it 10+ years to the same neighborhood and they get a TON of non-perishables to donate. It's great since you take out the greed of Halloween that can sometimes be a bit negative and keep all the good stuff like costumes, giving, greeting neighbors, etc.

And when I was little, the candy was fun and my Mom's rule was we could eat a lot that night and then only 2-3 pieces a day after that and after a couple weeks she just put it into a common candy bowl which then my Dad would usually take most of it to work. The candy lasted awhile that way and we didn't get candy really otherwise so it was a nice treat. And it worked ok for me, I still only get candy as an occasional treat to this day.


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## Owen'nZoe (Sep 7, 2005)

We love Halloween and Toting! Like some of the PP's, we live in a neighborhood that seems to be a magnet for all of the farm kids in and around our village. It is great! We are in a fairly small community, so we know a lot of the kids who come into the neighborhood from school and sports, anyway. It is just a really fun community day. The streets of our normally sleepy suburban neighborhood are filled with people, and everyone is happy. I actually wish we had a few more holidays like this to get people out and interacting with one another. Our neighborhood does do an Easter Egg hunt in the park, which has a similar feel, but only the families with young children show up for that one, so it isn't quite the same. For Halloween, almost everyone participates in some way, even the families without children.


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## newbiemama09 (Dec 17, 2009)

i'm kind of particular about it. i do NOT like Halloween being a holiday all about scary people/witches/devils/vampires. (maybe because i'm from a small farming community and we used to go to different empty farms and scare the crap out of eachother, i don't know) i do LOVE dressing up, having DD dress up and pass out candy to trick-o-treaters. i keep our decorations to "fall fun" with pumpkins and leaves and maybe the occasional FRIENDLY ghost. i don't like it being a holiday about scaring.


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