Is this enough for Halloween?

What do you mean by 'Is this enough'?

Obviously this is a stealth bragging post on how much you have done. been to a Halloween themed birthday party, we’ve decorated, made crafts, decorated biscuits, done a hunt in the house, read books, spooky kids music on YouTube"

In answer to your question - I have no idea why you feel so much pressure to have to do so much but, maybe you are also making other people feel the same!

I think you have done more than enough op. Relax now. You have years of this to go!

It’s pure commercialism and going the same way as Christmas.

We always decorate to celebrate the autumn season not Halloween, the plastic element feels like an import from the US to me. We have marshmallows and toffee apples and bake with cinnamon. The children would trick or treat around the village when young in handmade costumes. Now they prefer to go to a party or two. Fireworks is a bigger night out for us.

Dd is 5, she went to a friends Halloween themed birthday party, we’ve decorated, made crafts, decorated biscuits, done a hunt in the house, read books, spooky kids music on YouTube..is this enough? The only things she’s done with friends is the Halloween party..?
I have done precisely zero of those activities and I still feel I've done enough. DD also has a Halloween themed birthday party tonight so I'm taking her to that but I have no idea where you feel the pressure to do anything else comes from. I don't feel it!

OP I am Scottish (of Irish descent) and we have always had Halloween here, it literally originates from the Irish and Scottish cultures of ancient times derived from Samhain. My parents went out for Halloween in the 50's, my grandparents in the 1920's and so on, Guising and galoshins is what it should be! Its a very ancient tradition native to these lands or at least in the Celtic nations.

What has happened is that these traditions where exported to the states and have now been re-imported back to us packaged up with lots of consumerist bells and whistles. Everyone else is appropriating our culture if you like and then selling it back to us. To be honest I don't mind how people celebrate Halloween but it does annoy men when people think it is an American import when it is actually our own ancient culture in Scotland and Ireland.

In answer to the OP, you can do as little or as much for Halloween as you choose. Why not consider some older traditions from here such as dookin' for apples or tying pancakes with jam on both sides to a pully (if you have one or something else and trying to eat them with hands free?

That’s loads, I’m impressed you’ve fitted all that in by halfway through the afternoon, we’ve carved the pumpkins but haven’t even finished decorating outside or op got costumes on yet.

When I was small, Halloween was about bobbing for apples and if you were really adventurous, you carved a lantern out of a swede, far more frightening than a pumpkin.

Because companies can make money out of it. So long as people buy the tat, they will continue to sell it.

Agree with this. Why are people making every thing such a big event. And 'making memories' ? Making Halloween memories? This is where a head wobble is needed.

But you have made it into something for yourself out of choice. No one has forced you to do all that even if others are. I think even what you did is OTT. All we did was hang up the same deco that we always do, did a pumpkin picking only because it was a full day out with other stuff do go there. I absolutely refuse to do the baking and 'house hunts at home' (wtf?). Why make every little thing into some stupid thing to pressure yourself all just to 'keep up' with everyone else?

We went to Halloween party yesterday, decorated the outside of the house basically front door and windows and carved the pumpkins, this night we go to trick or treating and that's it.

We do Harvest and autumn activities around this time, but these may not be relevant overseas.

Has she said which country? Traditions are going to vary from those in the UK then.

This is a lot more than most people do for Halloween.

OP has already said that Trick or Treating isn't done in her country

They have to be 'dumped in a mud patch' as harvesting them off the vine requires a small saw! Can you imagine giving children saws?!?!

You’ve absolutely done enough.

I just don’t understand why people feel the need to criticise those who do more such as pumpkin picking (it’s a nice day out, usually on a farm with other activities and fun for children) and boo boxes (with crafts and activities for children, I can’t see how that’s a waste).

People should be able to do as much or as little as they like.

elizabethdraper Your post is the best one by far 😁

Halloween was so much simpler before the days of cheap imported tat and social media.

I stick a pumpkin outside the house so local kids know they can knock for sweets, and take mine out for T or T. That’s it. Halloween wasnt even a thing in England when I was growing up. It’s just an import to make consumers spend money on tat

Blimey it's one day that's not happened yet! All we do is carve a pumpkin, dress up and go for an hour trick or treating or a Halloween party and that's it. We may put a few spooky decorations up for tonight on the house. But no pressure! Sounds like you've already done plenty.

You’ve done loads, of course it’s enough and why wouldn’t one party with friends be sufficient. Halloween has started to take over the whole of October but in reality it is just one day. Don’t try and do things just for the sake of doing it.

We'll have advent fair and Christmas lights switch on in a month as well. No need to go overboard over the one day that is Halloween.

We talk about the meaning of samhain and set up a little table with photos of our family who have died

We do the empty chair at dinner which is colcanon with money in it for luck

We test everyone to see if they are a witch by Apple bobbing

Of course it is
You are enough

Carve a pumpkin and trick or treating probably Halloween specific.

There is so much going on at the same time, Harvest at school, autumnal soups, walking to see the changing colours and collecting leaves and conkers and pine cones. Then bonfire night or seeing a fireworks display.