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 😩👻

But you have made it into something for yourself out of choice. No one has forced you to do all that even if others are. I think even what you did is OTT. All we did was hang up the same deco that we always do, did a pumpkin picking only because it was a full day out with other stuff do go there. I absolutely refuse to do the baking and 'house hunts at home' (wtf?). Why make every little thing into some stupid thing to pressure yourself all just to 'keep up' with everyone else?

Agree with this. Why are people making every thing such a big event. And 'making memories' ? Making Halloween memories? This is where a head wobble is needed.

Because companies can make money out of it. So long as people buy the tat, they will continue to sell it.

When I was small, Halloween was about bobbing for apples and if you were really adventurous, you carved a lantern out of a swede, far more frightening than a pumpkin.

That’s loads, I’m impressed you’ve fitted all that in by halfway through the afternoon, we’ve carved the pumpkins but haven’t even finished decorating outside or op got costumes on yet.

OP I am Scottish (of Irish descent) and we have always had Halloween here, it literally originates from the Irish and Scottish cultures of ancient times derived from Samhain. My parents went out for Halloween in the 50's, my grandparents in the 1920's and so on, Guising and galoshins is what it should be! Its a very ancient tradition native to these lands or at least in the Celtic nations.

What has happened is that these traditions where exported to the states and have now been re-imported back to us packaged up with lots of consumerist bells and whistles. Everyone else is appropriating our culture if you like and then selling it back to us. To be honest I don't mind how people celebrate Halloween but it does annoy men when people think it is an American import when it is actually our own ancient culture in Scotland and Ireland.

In answer to the OP, you can do as little or as much for Halloween as you choose. Why not consider some older traditions from here such as dookin' for apples or tying pancakes with jam on both sides to a pully (if you have one or something else and trying to eat them with hands free?

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..?
I have done precisely zero of those activities and I still feel I've done enough. DD also has a Halloween themed birthday party tonight so I'm taking her to that but I have no idea where you feel the pressure to do anything else comes from. I don't feel it!

It’s pure commercialism and going the same way as Christmas.

We always decorate to celebrate the autumn season not Halloween, the plastic element feels like an import from the US to me. We have marshmallows and toffee apples and bake with cinnamon. The children would trick or treat around the village when young in handmade costumes. Now they prefer to go to a party or two. Fireworks is a bigger night out for us.

I think you have done more than enough op. Relax now. You have years of this to go!

What do you mean by 'Is this enough'?

Obviously this is a stealth bragging post on how much you have done. been to a Halloween themed birthday party, we’ve decorated, made crafts, decorated biscuits, done a hunt in the house, read books, spooky kids music on YouTube"

In answer to your question - I have no idea why you feel so much pressure to have to do so much but, maybe you are also making other people feel the same!