AIBU to think that the whole HALLOWEEN thing is Americanised Shite.

[ModreB]

I never did trick or treat. And neither did DH. I am not old - mid 40's.

AIBU to think that its a money making excuse by the Supermarkets to extract more money from us?

Halloween is a business (ie money-making) opportunity, as indeed are Christmas and Easter.
I think it's rather a shame, but I fear it's unstoppable.

dita I was in Florida in Oct one year, and stocked up on a load of Hallowe'en goodies and did the Universal Studios Hallowe'en night, it was excellent! We suck at Hallowe'en over here.

I'm 35 and went trick or treating, but Halloween was never as big a deal as Guy Fawkes' Night. That was always the thing I looked forward to the most. I don't mind Halloween but hate the massive commercialisation.

Yes, went guising in the 70's, no tricks played either. Was one of my favourite nights of the year, soooooo exciting.

I'm 45 and always went trick or treating.
Why do peole use Americanised as an insult?.

We imported the idea of Christmas trees from Germany. Are you still upset about that? Do you refuse to have a Christmas tree because that's Continental Shite?

I grew up in the late 50s/early 60s in the West of Scotland, and we always celebrated hallowe'en with special cakes, games (ducking for applies, eating a treacle covered scone with our hands behind our backs) and children would go round the houses 'guising' - in fancy dress. But they didn't 'trick or treat', they had to sing, or dance, or recite a poem, and in return they got a tangerine, or a handful of monkey nuts. My mother was born in 1918 and she celebrated hallowe'en every year the same way. These traditions were taken to the USA by the emigrants, and then in the 1970s, people started to see how it was done in America in the movies - and it was re-transported back to the UK, but this time with England joining in in a big way, whereas before it wasn't really a big thing in England.

no one on Mumsnet has ever made that point before OP - thanks for bringing it to our attention

These threads should be made into drinking games.

I'm over forty and did trick or treating but the costumes were home-made.

Remember reading the Ramona Quimby books as a child and being stunned that Americans dressed up as non-scary things on Hallowe'en!

I wish we'd had pumpkins when I was a kid instead of hours trying to hollow out a turnip and bending every spoon in the house.

I don't agree with Halloween as a celebration. It's something to treat with caution. I don't like to see the schools taking it as something to promote with occult figures as this brings it into the home. I explain the background to the harvest origins and that it is before the all saints day.

Guy Fawkes night is a British remembrance of the man who tried to blow up parliament. Hallowe'n is for remembering our dead loved ones and anything else comes from the US and the supermarkets selling rubbish to increase profit.

I used to give satsumas and small boxes of raisins to our trick or treaters. Hopefully word would get round how boring we were !

I really resented the year when we had a raw egg and flour thrown randomly at our house and car for no other reason than it was October. Raw egg is a bugger to get off of brickwork. I couldn't help but wonder what we'd done to them. No one had knocked on the door either. It's reasonably telling that the local shops won't sell eggs and flour to children in the run up to Halloween. Never thought they would become age restricted products ! (I understand why, though)

I think YABU. I loved halloween as a kid. I am 35 and Scottish. We went guising. We had to sing or tell Rabbie Burns poems to be given money. We would then go to someone's house and dook for apples. We learnt the songs and poems to recite at school - it was quite a big thing.

I have to admit, though, I am not one for this trick or treating, at least we had to do a wee turn to get something!

Oh yes, and turnip lanterns!

"I used to give satsumas and small boxes of raisins to our trick or treaters. Hopefully word would get round how boring we were !"

You sound like fun.

me and dh went to washington in sep one year and bought loads of stuff, most of it has gone now though got some quite good stuff this year though, problem is my haloween decorations stay up all year so I have to get more each year to make a difference.

MotherOfSoupDragon. Are you really the mother of SoupDragon?
Or are you really SD,or someone else taking the mick?

I am gulping btw. If my mum ever came on here I would be horrified!!

We dressed up as anything really, usually nothing scary. Been a gypsy fortune teller, a card tree, a Mexican and a hoola girl. Again this was the 70's. people gave out monkey nuts, apples and tangerines - not much at all in the way of sweets.

That's the thing too, the vandalism/egg throwing/flour throwing/dog shit throwing of cars/doors etc. that's okay is it? part of haloween? that's encouraged and that's okay?

and OP, don't worry, there'll be the 'oh no, the bloody fireworks already'threads any day now too! . and Ill prob be the 1st with hat one!

I love halloween.

Ds is 5 and I am throwing him his 3rd halloween party in a row as we don't do trick or treating so we all dress up and I have the whole family round.

We cook hot dogs, jacket potatoes and I usually make some fun things like scary punch (jelly & lemonade)with worms and monster cakes etc.

We thinks it's good fun and ds loves it.

Please will someone explain to me how children throwing eggs/flour etc is a commercialised? Do the shops sell them in "halloween terror hampers" now? DO you get free range organic boxes at waitrose?

The vast majority of children never throw shit, and the tiny percentage who do are dicks and will normally be beating up dogs or bashing in wing mirrors on any given Tuesday so it really doesn't matter what holiday it is.

I'm old hardly a youngster and I trick or treated as a child.

But as others have said, you don't have to take part, it's not a 'new thing' for most of the country, you don't get to decide what is and is not a legitimate reason for a party.

But mainly, I think it's become a bigger deal in the last 20 years because people are less prepared to have fireworks and bonfires at home. As far as I can see, Guy Fawks has become less important, we did trick or treat as a child, but it wasn't a big deal, the big deal was the bon fire night parties a few days later. And there was always 2 or 3 over that week/weekend to go to. No one went to organised events, there were private parties, if you were really organised, you staggered setting off the fireworks in your street so you could enjoy your neighbours ones. Sparklers were fabulous, the food seasonal (parkin and treacle toffees in white paper wrappers only consumed at bon fire parties). The bit by bit, we realised that explosives in your garden being set off by a dad who'd had a few beers probably wasn't a good idea, bon fire night has become less important as it's become more sanitised and "health and safety" concious. Which is why I think Halloween has become a bigger deal.

Actually Halloween is my Ds' birthday so this year is perfect (and cheap) for his 1st party/4th birthday - loads of tat in the shop, everyone can dress up- briliant. Big spooky birthday party.
I do know what you mean in a way BUT everything is more commercialised now - xmas starts in bloody October etc, just how it is you don't have to buy into it. If somethings fun though and it's borrowed from another culture, why not? get in the spirit (lame haha)
Disclaimer: I am sure there are far cleverer people than me who will give it's actual uncomercialsed origins

Ooh this is new.