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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to be completely pissed off with Halloween?

186 replies

inabizzlefam · 28/10/2016 22:05

Since when did we (the UK) start "celebrating Halloween?
Isn't it some weird american tradition?
I get Bonfire Night, fireworks, Penny for the Guy, etc, but all this Halloween shit everywhere (TV, supermarkets,etc) is seriously pissing me off. As if we don't have enough on with christmas decorations in the shops........in October, FFS.
To cap it all I now find myself being nagged senseless by my DCs to take them Trick or Treating, which I loathe. The joy in traipsing round the neighbourhood in the dark, freezing cold, bored shitless, knocking on peoples doors, "begging" sweets off them is ludicrous......I could buy a huge tub of sweets for my own DCs and get to sit in my nice warm house, not pissing off my neigbours....everyone's a winner. Neighbours get left in peace and DCs get to stuff themselves full of crap.
Apparantly, I am being a killjoy and "not entering into the spirit of the celebration".
What celebration? It's a bloody american celebration. What next, Thanksgiving? (TBH I have no idea what thats all about either....2 christmas dinners?

OP posts:
ElizaDontlittle · 29/10/2016 19:01

I don't get how you can look at Morris's picture and not think this is about evil.
But I realise that many people don't think evil is real.

GhostlySteamTrains · 29/10/2016 20:04

and wouldn't know a timorous beastie if it ran up your trouser leg.

I know what one of them is.....it's called a kitten or a cat. Halloween Grin

NurseRoscoe · 29/10/2016 20:09

Its a bit of fun with no obligation to join in. I love seeing my children get so excited, I think hating on it is a bit of a waste of time, just ignore it if your children aren't interested or are too young/old to be bothered now

trixymalixy · 29/10/2016 20:20

YABU. I get completely pissed off that every year there's some ignoramus who starts a post saying Halloween is an American thing.

We've been celebrating Halloween in Scotland (which is part of the U.K. btw) for fucking centuries.

DrunkOnEther · 29/10/2016 20:31

I don't do Halloween. I just don't get it, tbh. What are you even 'celebrating'?
We never did anything for it at all when I was a child either.

But then I loathe Christmas, Easter and birthdays too. I'll buy the DC a few eggs at Easter, and presents at Christmas; presents and a party at their birthdays. But only because they seem to want it and enjoy it. Personally, I could happily do away with the lot.

Mindtrope · 30/10/2016 06:26

drunk- I was going to explain about Halloween, but as you don't do Christmas, birthdays or Easter I won't bother.

What's the point? Well what's the point of anything? Of life? Just shoot us at birth and save all the bother.

trixymalixy · 30/10/2016 08:44

Gosh, your house sounds like fun Drunk Hmm.

Roonster87 · 30/10/2016 08:53

YANBU I can't bare it either and don't understand why it's considered fun to celebrate something creepy.

DramaInPyjamas · 30/10/2016 08:58

We really need a Halloween topic so I can hide it and distance myself from all the fun sponges.
I'd hate to know some of the posters that moan about Halloween/Christmas/Easter celebrations.

Ketsby · 30/10/2016 09:23

It wouldn't hurt to educate yourself on the history of modern Halloween - a low-key celebration in some regions of the UK overblown in America then sent back. You could even google Thanksgiving if you don't know 'what that's all about'.

If you don't like it just ignore it. I don't celebrate or acknowledge it either, and in doing so it does not affect me.

NotYoda · 30/10/2016 09:28

It's like everything - at its root it's fun and harmless, but if you don't watch it it becomes all about plastic, flammable, demanding money-with-menaces crap.

Sugarlightly · 30/10/2016 09:36

I don't get the trick or treat = begging ideas? People buy sweets for the sole purpose of giving them to visitors. Hardly like they walk up and ask for money

Mittensonastring · 30/10/2016 09:37

I remember wearing a sheet as a ghost 40 years ago as a very small child. Plus the commercialisation aspect, you can actually make stuff you know.

My best party involved dressing as a witch in a costume I made and reading scary stories to small DC in a room that was made to look like a witches cave. We lined my entire conservatory with black bin liners, had atmospheric lighting and fake cobwebs. I made a chair in to a sort of gothic throne and had 14 little faces transfixed. I am a librarian and did do children's story time in a public library I worked in for a few years so was no biggie for me.

ScarletSienna · 30/10/2016 09:43

I hate the way it is celebrated in terms of scary costumes and trick or treating. Some costumes I've seen are just horrible.

SusanneLinder · 30/10/2016 09:58

Halloween has been celebrated in Scotland since Adam was a lad. No one read Tam O'Shanter then? ( written in 1790 btw)

SusanneLinder · 30/10/2016 10:10

BTW, I am in my 50's and we went guising as small kids. Don't get this trick or treating lark as in there was never any tricks. It's only small cute kids that come round here with their parents, they sing a song or tell a joke. Never had problems with anti social behaviour. It's not "cool" to go guising after a certain age ( around 11/12). Its Halloween discos at school/guides/ other parents.

NotdeadyetBOING · 30/10/2016 10:12

I couldn't agree with you more. Plus - the whole wandering about looking like an axe-murderer thing is just foul. Why would anyone want to do that? I loathe it with a passion.

DrunkOnEther · 30/10/2016 10:49

I do 'do' Christmas etc - I don't like it, but I do it, for the DC.
I've googled Halloween, and I still don't get it tbh. Oh well. Like I said, it didn't feature at all in my childhood.

We can have plenty of fun without pandering to commercialised quasi-religious festivals!

NightWanderer · 30/10/2016 10:59

I had an American friend complaining about Halloween being all over Facebook. She claims that they dont celebrate Halloween in the US. People are weird.

FurryLittleTwerp · 30/10/2016 11:02

I've always done something on Hallowe'en - Mischief Night in the 70s mostly chucking windfall apples about & ringing peoples doorbells.

I hate the over-commercialisation of anything really.

I had the doorbell go last night & 10 small giggling witches cleaned out most of the stash I'd bought for Monday - you know, HALLOWE'EN

I told them they were 2 days too early & they were lucky I had anything in at all

user1471545174 · 30/10/2016 12:29

Way too much of all this crap resulting in people who are pushing 40 dressing up like toddlers at the weekend for their boring and predictable lulz and bantz.

YANBU, OP.

SauvignonBlanche · 30/10/2016 12:43

YABU

Since when did we (the UK) start "celebrating Halloween? Halloween Hmm

I'm knocking on 50 and we had Halloween parties as a child in the UK.
Trick or treating wasn't such a big thing then but traditions evolve.

bertsdinner · 30/10/2016 12:44

I remember Halloween in the 70s, my dad hollowed us out a swede (took all day) and we had a candle in it. We didnt go trick or treating, some of my friends did but it was very low key. My gran called it All Hallows and liked to burn a candle. This was west Yorks.
We had mischief night on 4th November, that does seem to have died out as it was a big thing when I was growing up. It was mainly stupid stuff like knocking on doors and running away, some took it too far and there was an anti social behaviour element, (egg throwing, dog turds through letterbox). There was no trick or treat involved, just purely "trick". No one seems to do that anymore, thankfully.
I quite like Halloween now, I dont do anything for it but its just a bit of fun and old tradition.

StCecilia · 30/10/2016 12:55

I grew up in the 70s/80s we had a hollowed out swede with candle in, rarely got as far as the candle as they're too bloody hard to cut! We also did apple bobbing and bonfire toffee. Thinking about it though I think it was more bonfirery than halloweeney!

It's now more 'pushed' so the shops can sell more stuff. Our house will not be decorated and if the DCs want to go trick or treating which I hate with a passion DH can take them. Or I may bribe them with a film and a block of decent chocolate Halloween WinkHalloween Grin

& yes I know I'm a miserable bugger.

SauvignonBlanche · 30/10/2016 13:01

Oh yes, the other changes are the availability of pumpkins, we had swede lanterns as a child.