To find Halloween utterly tedious?

[TheGigglingGazelle]

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?

I used to work in childcare. I've more than served my time listening to tuneless screeching. I'm happy to admire their costumes and ply them with sweets. I make up nice little bags with age appropriate Halloween treats but I draw a line at being aurally tortured on my own doorstep.

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
I feel the same about buying lots of tat at Christmas, and think the dull as dishwasher plastic packaged gift sets are ridiculous.

I'm also not as fan of Easter eggs in lots of plastic packaging, think all the teddies and shit for valentine's are a waste of resources etc.
Whilst it's great people on this thread are saying they don't have lots of tat, the reality is that the tat is very much pushed and plenty of people do buy all this mass produced crap every year (probably people who want a new Christmas tree each year, or need new colour themed decorations each year, new festive pyjamas every year for the family to wear for a week or so and then bin etc.

It's not that I'm a miserable git, I just think that the only way to get change is for people to stop buying all the tat.

Happy for Halloween but prefer All Hallow's Eve. And please no fireworks or unrecyleable tat.

Personally I now don't bother with it and have no need to.
Years ago when the kids were young and pre dog we would have made apple pies and such and Dh did fireworks.
Occassionaly now I do a floral arrangement, but that is more seasonal .

Fireworks at Halloween? Is that a thing?

Totally agree lolasmiles, but I don't blame Halloween itself. It's the commercialisation of Halloween, just like xmas, Easter and everything else, which is the problem.

Love Halloween, but I also hate tat. I really want a crap free Christmas too. I've been explaining to my 4yo that every toy she sees on adverts is something being pushed at her by people who want her money. I also said, every toy we buy means less money for fun trips out. She loves fun trips out, so if I gave her the choice she would prefer no toys and more trips. Long may that continue! I think schools and hopefully parents are better at educating children about plastics and carbon footprint too now, so children do think about the impact.

No, but Diwali is often at a similar time to Hallowe'en and often involves fireworks, being a festival of light. And people get excited for bonfire night and seem to treat it as bonfire couple-of-weeks.

I'm with you. Fun for kids and I like bonfire night, but Halloween always seems like a retail gimmick.

I love Halloween but it's always been big here in Scotland so I have great memories as a child DC adore it especially dd2 (6) who has asked Alexa at least twice a week since last November how long it is til Halloween so keeps me in the spirit

Oh and we never buy a supermarket costume always get creative with what we have or buy things that will be worn again and again

What the heck is "doing duck apple"

Made me giggle . It's 'dooking' for apples Scottish for dunking your head in a bowl and fish out an apple with your teeth. Later replaced by dropping a fork from your mouth when people became concerned with germs. I believe in America they call it Apple bobbing. There are no ducks involved in either method 😆

When I was a child Halloween was nothing. The big event was on November 5th.

But once the supermarkets realized there was so much more scope for making money out of Halloween than Bonfire Night the rest was inevitable.

Waves to hungryhippy it’s Samhain in our house too and a very special time. 🧙‍♀️🎃👻

It’s just yet more “women’s work” and tat!

Hi there Craftycorvid ! I love your username btw

YANBU.... all the needless plastic tat, sweat shop fancy dress and sugar.
And why do they all say ‘trickle treat’?

It’s basically begging!

So don't join in and let people who want to just enjoy it?

Think to yourself "how lovely that people are having a good time in the midst of all the bullshit that's happening around us".

Neither really impact you.

Oh god, yes. I used to live in the US, where they are obsessed with Halloween - the build up starts at the beginning of September. Now the UK is almost as bad.

Thanks for the duck apple explanations!

I just remembered, thanks to another thread, turnip lanterns😁 Just to lighten up the thread

Oh and we never buy a supermarket costume always get creative with what we have or buy things that will be worn again and again

For me, that's half the fun. Five years ago I made my nephew a mummy costume using cheese cloth that I wrapped around him, sewing it to his grey tracksuit. I later removed the cheesecloth and my niece used it last year to make ghosts for the front yard.

Two years ago I made a bat costume for my niece using a black lace table cloth. Last year she used the black lace in her yard decorations. This year she is using the red dress from her amazon-bought devil costume from last year as part of a totally different costume. The dress is still quite big on her so I imagine she will get a few more uses from it in another costume.

And why do they all say ‘trickle treat’?

They don’t say that. Sweet Jesus

Yes, turnips are an utter butch to carve.

God bless the Americans for introducing pumpkins.

“ So don't join in and let people who want to just enjoy it?”

Not as simple as that when it’s DC not old enough to buy/organise stuff for themselves under advertisers’ and other social pressure to participate.

Adults organising / paying for themselves is different.

How did I miss "trickle treat"

Is that new chester draws?

Fireworks at Halloween definitely a thing in Ireland.