To dislike Halloween?

[LittlebearH]

I don't remeber as a child ever celebrating Halloween. My mother thinks trick or treating is begging, I am inclined to agree.
It seems to get bigger and bigger each year.

I think that it must scare some younger children, when I see the costumes, some are horrible.

I just don't get it. Nothing about it seems particularly nice at all.

Is it just me?

YANBU

we just stay in and dont answer the door.

I like it ..I love to see all the children dressed up

I don't think trick or treating is begging

LOVE Halloween. a big deal in Ireland, we trick or treat, kids all off school , carve turnips ( pumpkins came from the US and WE gave them Hallowe'en in the 1st place), fireworks, the lot since we don't do 5th Nov. did it as a kid & now am in England with no kids but make sure we always leave our pumpkin lantern on the doorstep for the little uns coming round( so they know they're "allowed") and get the sweets in for them. Really dont see the harm. It's a lovely pagan/christian festival after all...

It's all good fun, but as a teacher it bugs me as YET another thing to make the kids hyper and unable to sit still at school ... sigh!
October holidays = hyper; Halloween = hyper; Bonfire Night = hyper; two days off school for St Andrew's Day = hyper; Christmas = megahyper.

I have a new tradition for Halloween.
Ds disappears to the coast for 10 days with my mother and Dp and I go and watch the scariest film at the cinema. (this years offering is Saw 3D)

Means I can't get arsey and threaten to batter the sulky teenagers that come round in jeans, hoodies and a cheap mask.

A win win solution I think![hgrin]

I hate it too and feel it does have sinister overtones. However, I do give out sweets (am I being hypoctical?) if children come round. MY DS (9) has never been allowed trick or treating (and if it is not begging, what is it?) but is desperate to go - DH is quite laid back about it ............ although can never be bothered to answer the door and 'give out' the sweets but he may take DS this year, much to my disappointment. Never forget one year when some local children came round and actually asked for my DS (he was asleep in bed !).

Many churches offer alternative parties for chilren/families which I would much prefer to go to.

YABU, I love it.
And infact i think it isnt as big as it was?

YANBU at all!!!!

I go along with it a bit for something to do but in all honesty it really isn't my style at all.

[hhmm]

i don't like it either.

My ds is too old for trick or treating ...hes off too a halloween gig instead..[hsad]

I will just have to take my grandchildren instead [hgrin]

Halloween in the UK sucks but it is great in the USA with the halloween parades and everything. Trick or treat is set up so that only homes that want to participate are put upon by the kids. That's how it was in my neck of the woods anyway.

Two days off school for St Andrew's Day?? Where are you Euphemyknifeinyourback? I'd be hyper too for two days off in November.

yabu and are killing it off for the majority with yer bleating about it

I used to think Halloween was a load of old commercialised, Americanised garbage-cum-legalised begging.

But I admitted defeat a few years back when DS fluttered his long lashes at me and asked 'Please can we go Trick or Treating with the other kids, mummy?'

Just wheel out the scary masks and sackfuls of Haribo for one night only. It's not hard, you misery guts

YANBU. It is an overhyped, overcommercialised Americanism and not a patch on Bonfire Night.

YANBU. It is an overhyped, overcommercialised Americanism and not a patch on Bonfire Night.

YANBU. I don't agree with the whole begging thing, but I think it is a load of over hyped nonsense to which there isn't any point.

The amount of shite stuff they try and flog us is beyond ridiculous and all these sodding parties. Waste of time. My friend is having a party on Friday afternoon which I am taking DS to as I don't want to be a total killjoy and all his friends will be there but there are other things I would rather be doing. Like lounging around watching a film with DS. [guilt]

its looks like its much better in america than here, as they get to dress as anything and have parades and here its all witchy and blood gross kinda things, which i am not so keen
agree bonfire night much nicer, love fireworks :D
we never get any trick or treaters though, maybe they are just going to houses not flats

'But I admitted defeat a few years back when DS fluttered his long lashes at me and asked 'Please can we go Trick or Treating with the other kids, mummy?'

I didn't and it caused no end of arguments over the years until they grew out of it. I hate it and I loathe the way that it has taken off so the shops are full of it for weeks and weeks. We are better off without a lot of American things.

Don't like it. As a teacher (Yes, another one - we're not all killjoys, I promise) I spend most of my time telling children not to talk to strangers, not to knock on strangers' doors and not to accept sweets from strangers. Isn't it double standards then to say that on one night of the year they can not only do all these things, but in fact, be encouraged to do so while playing 'tricks' on those who do not choose to participate.

I always put a sign up on the door saying 'No trick-or-treaters' and, to be fair, nobody knocks. Last year, however, my parents did the same thing when I was staying there, and STILL had to get up and down to the door a number of times.

I have my reservations about children being encouraged to trick or treat anyway as outlined above, but if it has to happen, households should be permitted to opt out without any repercussions and disturbance.

I go with my kids and we only knock on neighbours doors (on our road). We don't actually play any tricks, either

Killjoys!

When I was a kid we sometimes celebrated Halloween with a party - ducking for apples, turnip lanterens and all that sort of stuff.

However, no one had ever even heard of trick or treat. I always assumed that this was just some American idea that came over here in the last 20 years or so. YANBU. I don't really like it but I don't mind too much when it is little kids coming round and I usually have a bag of Fun Size ready by the door. Don't like it though when it is teenagers.

Anyone else here remember celebrating Mischief Night as a child? November 4th when you go out after dark and play tricks on the neighbours. Kind of like trick or treat but without the option of buying yourself out of the trick! Hee hee......

I like it but think that households which don't want to participate should be respected.

As for the knocking on a strangers door I wouldn't let my children go out alone, I would always accompany them.

As for the tricks, I've never seen any tricks been used TBH.

What I don't get is why some schools take against it completely as if it's some sort of evil ritual when actually the truth is it is a positive thing where by children dress up in order to scare away the evil sirits in preparation for All Saints day. What is sinister about that?