To think Halloween is just an extra chore

[2blue1green]

My friend said to me this afternoon "your poor children" when I said I wasn't decorating my house in fake spiders and pumpkins and have shop bought a costume for them instead of created one myself

How can anyone be arsed with this level of detail for Halloween?!

This. BUT it’s pissing down with rain today, and not in a “just throw on a puddle suit and go out!” way, and the baby is a snot monster and the Halloween disco is cancelled; but we’ve filled an entire day with cutting out ghost shapes, drawing on a pumpkin, and baking some spooky gingerbread (it’s like normal gingerbread but you call it spooky). Hoping for rain on Tuesday because then the trick or treating costume = black bin bag to keep off the rain = bat.

We buy pumpkins. We have a few tea lights and string lights. Buy costumes reduced in Asda yesterday for trick or treating. It's really minimal cost and effort. Not like Christmas. I think over the years I have just collected bits in the sales or poundland

The past few years, some people in my small town have had their houses decorated, etc from the beginning of October and some have kept the decorations up until well into November, when they swap for Xmas ones.

I don't decorate for Hallowe'en.

DC have been practising their 'party pieces' since the beginning of Oct. We carve neeps (swedes) into lanterns. I do bow to also carving a pumpkin...

Dressing up needs to be what we have, could borrow or find in a charity shop.

The excitement of guising is performing surely. Not decorating.

We did do dookin' for apples and treacle scones during lockdown.

I've never done pumpkin carving, it seems like a waste, but I'm happy to put out some skull and pumpkin candles as a nod tot he season.

It's a ball ache. Used to be a pumpkin if you were feeling creative, give out some sweets and a "spooky" mask, bob for apples maybe pre fireworks night minor distraction. It was show off parenting to go a full costume. Now it's a money making tat fest.

(Do I seem resentful as my oh so nice handmade autum pumpkin decorations for my window look very sparse compared to the woman opposite with a light up autumnal Halloween tree, cobwebbed, candle lit front window that my goth younger self would have delighted in).

And I like to save a watermelon "shell" by scooping out the melon but leaving some it gives a good blood red glow (and the melon can be eaten, not wasted)

It’s the vigil for All Souls, when we remember and pray for the dead.

I'm saddened to think that your friend thinks as they do. Lack of perspective.

We don't bother with Halloween at all. We do a pumpkin for bonfire night and make soup from the scooped inside (I leave the lantern walls quite thin!)

It is a huge waste of pumpkins though when that ground could be used to grow stuff to feed people

except those that make soup or pie though of course - I think most people don't bother though

Most of the pumpkins sold for Halloween are labelled for carving – so not designed to be eaten afterwards, which is a bit shit. Like buying pancake mix in a plastic bottle for pancake day.

We don't decorate. I've bought costumes- I don't find this level of effort a chore but I can't be bothered to do more I'm just not into Halloween. We definitely aren't doing pumpkins! Way too much faff

Really? That's even worse!

Any idea what makes them inedible?

Everything is a bit of a chore when you have children. It goes with the territory.

Any idea what makes them inedible?

They are selected for size and speed of growth.
So are less fleshy and not bred/genetically modified for edibility.

Eating pumpkins are much denser and sweeter and usually smaller.