Is this enough for Halloween?

[Ontothenextthingsoon]

Dd is 5, she went to a friends Halloween themed birthday party, we’ve decorated, made crafts, decorated biscuits, done a hunt in the house, read books, spooky kids music on YouTube..is this enough? The only things she’s done with friends is the Halloween party..?
Why do I feel such a pressure to have to do so much and where did this come from 😩👻

Halloween seems to be getting out of hand now!
When DCs were young we did trick or treating, or they went to a friend’s and did it from there. DD is a young adult abd loves it so always goes to a party. I just ignore it as have no interest and I don’t live in a road where we get trick or treaters.
move never carved a pumpkin or decorated my house.
Now fireworks night I do enjoy!

I can't believe what I'm reading. What nonsense, seriously. Do what you want. If that's making a biscuit, fine. Listening to spooky music, fine. Do nothing as it's a load of commercial crap, fine.

Then move on

Other than the trick or treating I don’t understand what “more” you could possibly do or who is doing this “more” or where the pressure is coming from?

We carved pumpkins on the weekend, which was fun.

The kids will do half an hour of T&Ting tonight. Costumes come from our standard fancy dress box, I don’t buy anything new for it but they do dress up. One will be in their favourite fancy dress outfit that they were wearing to play in half the summer anyway. Other will be wearing a random selection from the fancy dress box that they’ve pre-selected.

That’s about as far as it goes for us and for pretty much everyone I know. It’s way more than I ever did as a child and I don’t think the children expect anything more than some pumpkins, do they?

Is it coming from social media? Im
not sure you need to approach things from a tick box exercise as opposed to fun & what you like to do.

Get off social media.

You've done just fine.

We decorate the living room, put a few sweet traditional Dec's outside like bat's and spider (absolutely no slashers crap)

Do a pumpkin then trick or treat

Halloween music???
I read something online about 'boo boxes' yesterday, a bit like a Christmas Eve box but a bucket full of sweets and Halloween tat that you give to your kid or partner. Utterly insane. Consumerist bollocks driven by social media.

It reminds me when people list what they’re getting their children for a “1st December box” or whatever - new pyjamas, a book, hot chocolate, a toy etc etc - and saying “is this enough? I feel so guilty?” And it’s OTT for a thing that they’ve basically just made up anyway and I didn’t understand where the guilt comes from (because surely they can’t actually feel guilt about a fake thing they’ve taken to the extreme??) or is it just a stealth boast?

Lol. We've done one event, won't do anything at home as no time and school do it all. Chill out, Halloween is fun yeah but not compulsory. God I hate what's happened to parents lately starting to feel you need to live up to instagram ffs

Jesus Christ.

Carve a pumpkin and trick or treating probably Halloween specific.

There is so much going on at the same time, Harvest at school, autumnal soups, walking to see the changing colours and collecting leaves and conkers and pine cones. Then bonfire night or seeing a fireworks display.

Of course it is
You are enough

We talk about the meaning of samhain and set up a little table with photos of our family who have died

We do the empty chair at dinner which is colcanon with money in it for luck

We test everyone to see if they are a witch by Apple bobbing

We'll have advent fair and Christmas lights switch on in a month as well. No need to go overboard over the one day that is Halloween.

You’ve done loads, of course it’s enough and why wouldn’t one party with friends be sufficient. Halloween has started to take over the whole of October but in reality it is just one day. Don’t try and do things just for the sake of doing it.

Blimey it's one day that's not happened yet! All we do is carve a pumpkin, dress up and go for an hour trick or treating or a Halloween party and that's it. We may put a few spooky decorations up for tonight on the house. But no pressure! Sounds like you've already done plenty.

I stick a pumpkin outside the house so local kids know they can knock for sweets, and take mine out for T or T. That’s it. Halloween wasnt even a thing in England when I was growing up. It’s just an import to make consumers spend money on tat

elizabethdraper Your post is the best one by far 😁

Halloween was so much simpler before the days of cheap imported tat and social media.

You’ve absolutely done enough.

I just don’t understand why people feel the need to criticise those who do more such as pumpkin picking (it’s a nice day out, usually on a farm with other activities and fun for children) and boo boxes (with crafts and activities for children, I can’t see how that’s a waste).

People should be able to do as much or as little as they like.

They have to be 'dumped in a mud patch' as harvesting them off the vine requires a small saw! Can you imagine giving children saws?!?!

OP has already said that Trick or Treating isn't done in her country

This is a lot more than most people do for Halloween.

Has she said which country? Traditions are going to vary from those in the UK then.

We do Harvest and autumn activities around this time, but these may not be relevant overseas.

We went to Halloween party yesterday, decorated the outside of the house basically front door and windows and carved the pumpkins, this night we go to trick or treating and that's it.