Anyone else not putting up Halloween decorations this year or participating in trick or treating?

You can 100% come live in my village, we welcome people who embrace “our ways” (it’s a new build village but still.

It’s august. Who thinks that far ahead.

Plus, where do they think the Americans got it from int the first place? It didn’t come from the Native Americans.

Not sure why it’s hard for some to understand that several “American” holidays come from groups who emigrated from the UK and Europe.

So I did Halloween in Ireland in the 1960s and 1970s as a child. As did many Scottish people. But you keep insisting it's an import from the US in the 1980s. Yes, it really is draining to talk to someone who only hears what they want to hear.

I was never allowed to trick or treat as a child and we never decorated. We haven't had any trick or treaters for years but parents have told me they only approach house with pumpkins. I only once remember carving a pumpkin lantern and that was my visiting aunt thought it would be fun. My Mum was against anything Halloween, I only recall going to one Halloween party at a 5 years old. I like to dress up so will find some kind of costume to wear even if we are not going anywhere. Last year we went to the cinema and I wore a medieval style dress and a crown as an evil queen. I wore the same dress and homemade a French hood then used face paint to create a deathly pallor and draw a red line across my neck and went to work as Anne Boleyn.

We live in a cul de sac off a cul de sac with no street lighting and never get any trick or treaters round. DD is a student and does Halloween in her university city.

IMO Halloween is for children.

Halloween hadn't crossed my mind yet, we never have decorations or give out sweets

Do you live in my village OP. Halloween round here is bloody massive! We have Halloween committee and nearly everyone goes all out. I’ve actually got the week before Halloween off so I can prep our house and decorate. (Also I need a recovery week from being in a theatre show the week before) We give away hot chocolate, babies get stuff, doggies, little ones get sweets or toys depending if they’re allergic or diabetic or something. We “go big or go home” in our village. Some people choose not to decorate at all (my 80+ year old next door neighbour doesn’t decorate) but everyone, even “awful” teenagers respect that. I’m so excited, I’ve started ordering things already (cups for hot choc and got a pre order slot at Tesco and Morrisons to make sure we have enough milk to do hot choc without taking everything off the shelves)
I completely appreciate though that you don’t feel up to it this year. If you’re moving, I doubt anyone will notice, and as you said, you don’t feel like part of the community, so that’s fine too. Honestly, my kids would go “oh X house isn’t decorated, let’s go next door”

Trying to explain it is draining that much is true.

Repeating this many times still doesn't make it true.

I was talking generally. Replying to your point but not being personal to you.

It was the use of ‘you’ that made me think it was aimed at me, I guess.
‘Supermarkets must love you’

In Scotland, kids went "guising" in disguise. Not 'Penny For The Guy" type .
And you had to do a song or joke for your sweet. Not just roll up and shout Trick or Treat
Ahhhhh. Back in the day

I know all that. I really do. Centuries ago people did that.
In the 60’s and 70’s nobody I knew did any of that. Nor what happens today. Nobody went offering prayers in modern times.
But quite a different beast from that is celebrated today. Which is all about horror and scary stuff.
Today’s Halloween marlarky has come from the USA and largely came here in the 80’s.

Perhaps I should have put why one would do it ? Although people would probably comment on that if I put it.
It wasn’t literally referring to you personally.

I'm not sure what it has to do with the gunpowder plot. Guising derives from the word disguise, and is based on the notion that people dress up at Halloween.

I'm not, but mainly because it's August.
I might at the end of October though 🤷

@RampantIvy Wouldn't class "Guising" as medieval. Gunpowder plot was 1605.

@Monty36 Trick-or-treating originated from ancient Celtic festivals, medieval practices of “souling” and “guising,” and evolved into the modern Halloween tradition of children collecting treats door-to-door.

People would go door to door offering a prayer or a song in exchange for food (souling). In Victorian times the food often given was a type of pastry called a soul cake. Something resembling a biscuit, or a cake. In modern times has that tradition evolved into sweets and chocolate.

So, the origin of trick or treating is not American. Americans have developed the tradition further. That’s all.

We celebrate at home. We have a movie night and watch Halloween films with snacks and/or a takeaway. I never decorate for Halloween. Curtains closed, door locked and lights off and I never answer the door. I'm of the era of "don't take sweets from strangers", so it baffles me when people take their kids round knocking on strangers houses for sweets.

Where did I say we do it? I said people can choose to if they want to (which many people seem to) and other people don’t have to if they don’t.
I’ve never bought anything from a shop to decorate my house for Halloween. We go pumpkin picking, carve our pumpkins and leave them on the doorstep to signal that we’re open to trick or treaters. When we’ve ran out of treats, we bring the pumpkins inside.

Perhaps not where you are. Definitely where I'm from and I'm 62

I am pleased it's a Saturday this year as I can decorate then have time to clear away .
I make decorations or I re use mine so minimal plastic tat landfill.
One year I bought some small pumpkins but didn't use them so they were sliced and roasted on their skin for soup ( it was delicious)
I don't like digging my hands into the innards of a huge pumpkin ( and they're not so good for eating )
My adult DS hopes no one comes so he can get a lions share of the sweets little swine.
We do only a couple of hours for small children luckily we don't have teens coming round .

And have we all been chastised enough? It's AUGUST.
I think the message has been hit home .
But I don't care . I love Hallowe'en . I will think about it in August in 30c heat if I want to .