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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To find Halloween utterly tedious?

248 replies

TheGigglingGazelle · 26/10/2019 19:02

Just that, really. I get why it's fun for kids, but grown adults getting excited about it, and the way everything that happens any time around Hallowe'en has to have a 'spooky' theme? casts a sidelong glance at Strictly while typing Each to their own, but... I just don't get it.

Is it just me?

OP posts:
LaurieMarlow · 27/10/2019 08:23

I don't, I think it's wasted on children.

Try telling that to my five year old and his little friends. They adore it. They love the decorating of the house, the scary stories, the dressing up, the trick or treating. Only Christmas is a bigger deal and even then I’m starting to doubt the degree to which it is.as

There’s something that you’re clearly missing here.

Whatsitlike · 27/10/2019 08:29

Windygate, Happy Diwali to you!

I have all my candles and diyas in position, lots of Indian food today and house all cleaned..

......But have a large pumpkin to carve as well!

Defenestratethecat · 27/10/2019 08:30

Willow, no, Christmas is included in the etc, etc, etc bit.

speakout · 27/10/2019 08:31

I attended a brilliant Halloween party in a haunted castle a few years ago. My friend hired a magician, several actors, a fire eater, a tarot reader. Dinner in the banqueting hall, a magical treasure hunt with clues and actor guides, roaring fires, absinth cocktails.

Truly magical.

FudgeBrownie2019 · 27/10/2019 08:37

I love it, it's always been a 'big' thing in our family and the DC love it, too.

We live in a lovely little town where people actually ship their DC in because the trick or treating is so much fun. There's an absolute rule that you only knock on the doors of houses decorated, and there are never any 'tricks', but it's such a sweet thing. Even the teenagers get involved and never cause trouble.

For me it's the start to the autumn and all the celebrations and darker nights.

Icecreamsoda99 · 27/10/2019 08:42

@speakout that sounds amazing!!

Personally I enjoy it, as a child curtains were closed and lights were off, dad thought it was an American import and mum couldn't align it with her christianity. I'll be decorating the house with my plastic free decorations next week, and getting the sweets in. Like others, in our area
children only go to the houses which have a pumpkin outside and by 8pm I take all my decorations in so only the children knock and not the teenagers. I'll bake pumpkin pie and watch spooky films. I think I get into it so much as it was forbidden as a child!

fairydustandpixies · 27/10/2019 08:54

DDog has a Halloween jumper...☺️

EdHelpPls · 27/10/2019 09:07

Not a fan either. We watch fireworks and kids dress up in whatever dress up they have ( princess, butterfly, dr, cat etc) but we don’t go for the scary stuff. Maybe it’ll change when they get older.

ArnoldWhatshisknickers · 27/10/2019 09:07

I love Halloween, it is my favourite community festival. I love having guising, or galloshuns as it is known locally. Love hearing the weans jokes and songs, seeing their wee costumes. When my own were little I loved taking them round, chatting to the neighbours, it is a great way to get to know them. Elderly people in particular enjoy seeing the wee ones in my experience, it is a great way to bring people together. It is a huge part of our culture.

The whole egg throwing thing never happens here, this isn't America, though I suspect the American trick or treat version comes from the northern English 'Mischief Night' rather than the Scots tradition of guising (or galloshuns) which is based on an exchange, not a threat. I do, however, thank our American cousins for the wonder that is the pumpkin. Carving turnips is a royal pain in the behind.

StickAForkInMe15 · 27/10/2019 09:13

I love Halloween! And the kids love it too. It was our favourite day of the year even above Christmas when my siblings and I were children.

For the people who don't "get" Halloween - it isn't particularly difficult to understand it or its origins or the different ways it's celebrated. Read a book or do a Google search!

For now though it's the festival of lights...Happy Diwali to all who celebrate!

RufusthebewiIderedreindeer · 27/10/2019 09:24

A lot of my Halloween decorations are paper or material or ceramic

I do have some plastic stuff, but some of its years old

I have two paper bats that are about 28 years old

I have tried to make a move to more grownup decorations Grin

speakout · 27/10/2019 09:50

Halloween- like christmas does not have to be tacky.

I will bake, have both a turnip and a pumpkin lantern, my decorations are paper and I have had many of them for decades, they are packed and stored carefully each year.

You can choose a tacky or a non tacky celebration- same as christmas.

AwdBovril · 27/10/2019 09:56

Lol at the comparisons with Christmas. That's seen by the supermarkets as an opportunity to sell mountains of plastic rubbish as well. Likewise Easter, Valentine's day, etc, etc.

I've got an advert for Halloween fancy dress stuff on my screen now, too! HmmGrin

speakout · 27/10/2019 09:59

No one is forced to celebrate festivals.

PralineCookies · 27/10/2019 10:01

though I suspect the American trick or treat version comes from the northern English 'Mischief Night' rather than the Scots tradition of guising (or galloshuns) which is based on an exchange, not a threat.

Personally I'm very grateful to the Americans for their version of trick or treat. There's no actual threat and though I enjoy giving out sweets to the kids and seeing their costumes, I have no interest in listening to some tuneless tot screeching at me or telling terrible jokes.

LaurieMarlow · 27/10/2019 10:01

Lol at the comparisons with Christmas. That's seen by the supermarkets as an opportunity to sell mountains of plastic rubbish as well

Well sure. We love in a consumerist society. Companies make money by selling us ‘stuff’.

However that doesn’t mean a) you have to play along or b) there’s nothing more to the festival than buying crap.

As speakout says, you can choose exactly how you want to celebrate. If you end up buying lots of crap, that’s on your own head. It doesn’t have to be like that.

hungryhippie · 27/10/2019 10:16

Why is it tedious? Nobody is making you celebrate it.

We celebrate traditional Samhain, complete with carved turnips, bobbing for apples, setting a place at the table for departed relatives and yes, a bit of trick or treating for the kids.

I hate this criticism of none compulsory festivals.
People have been celebrating this for hundreds of years, if not more.

RoxanneRoxanne · 27/10/2019 10:19

I begrudgingly take my DC trick or treating and buy the obligatory box of sweets to hand out to other children, but I couldn’t be less interested in Halloween.

There isn’t a hope in hell I’d dress up or go to a themed party.

speakout · 27/10/2019 10:27

I love all festivals. My house has been decorated for a week, my broomstick has been pimped up with feathers and gems.

I also celebrate Yule, Christmas, summer and winter solstice, Imbolc, Easter, and Lughnasa.

ilovehalloween · 27/10/2019 10:35

@speakout your house sounds like fun 
I'm going to get some decorations out later then we'll carve pumpkins tomorrow! My 3yo is very excited, I'm not taking him out guising as he wants to help hand out sweeties at the door.

Tonight we're going for a 'spooky bat walk' in the woods behind my house.
Tomorrow DS has a pj party at nursery.
Thursday Halloween party at nursery. Then guisers will be round later on.
Friday evening community Halloween party in village hall.

A weeks worth of fun, love it.

ArnoldWhatshisknickers · 27/10/2019 10:52

I have no interest in listening to some tuneless tot screeching at me or telling terrible jokes

That's probably fair, but I like the connection with age old tradition of wandering tellers of tales. Halloween is all we have left of galoshuns, guising, mumming as it was known south of the border so tuneless though the songs may be and terrible as the jokes are I do like to encourage them.

Willow2017 · 27/10/2019 11:01

However that doesn’t mean a) you have to play along or b) there’s nothing more to the festival than buying crap.

Funnily enough no one on this or any other Halloween bashing thread has said they go out and buy tons of new plastic tat every year. My decs are years old I just mix them up each year

I haven't seen any threads bashing those who spend £100s and £100s on presents prepackaged in plastic, plastic toys or the ubiquitous 'gift sets at Xmas. Let's face it there is an enormous amount of tat bought at Xmas far more than for any other celebration mainly out of guilt or feeling obligated to buy for everyone in thier entire family including those they don't even like! All halloween requires is a pumpkin and some sweets if you don't want to dress up there is no pressure to do.it nor decorate in or outside the house.

People chose to celebrate it that's thier choice nobody has the right to tell them they are wrong to have some fun one night a year.

Nobody is forcing anyone to join in. Round here it's a real community thing which is great.

Brefugee · 27/10/2019 11:12

I see a lot of people complaining about the plastic tat but everyone who describes their Halloween celebrations doesn't have that tat.

We carve pumpkins because they are WAY easier than turnips/swedes. And the local kids know that they can ring our bell because of the pumpkins. over the years they've come to learn that they'll get an apple if they're not dressed up, and sweets if they are.

The best thing is they come running over asking for the "bloody eyes" - tinned lychees with a frozen blueberry inside - the first time we had those only the bravest parents or teenagers tried them. Now everyone gets one.

DavetheCat2001 · 27/10/2019 11:17

I love Halloween..we have about 25 kids coming over this year for a pre-TorT gathering, then OH and some of the parents will take them out and I'll stay at home dressed like a zombie-goth, opening the door to visiting kids and drinking wine with my friends.

What's not to like? Grin

LaurieMarlow · 27/10/2019 11:17

I have no interest in listening to some tuneless tot screeching at me or telling terrible jokes

Aw that sounds so harsh.

I’m in Ireland and we don’t have the Scottish tradition of party pieces at the door, but i love the idea.

I’d be delighted for a five year old to tell me his crap joke, it’s a bit of fun.