To think Halloween is just another massive marketing ploy we've all fallen for.

[Blwean]

Reading this article today https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/30/halloween-boo-basket-useless-clutter?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR1HhG1J-mqf1zU7ss8lxMCkNwsMJVTKudjgEt4auGVFrS8qwKuIUUUBmQc#Echobox=1698686636

Apparently Halloween spending is set to surpass £1bn in the UK this year for the first time and shops have been making a concerted effort since 00s to introduce more products and use social media influencers to push them.

Then there's pumpkin patches. Basically fields where people place pumpkins as there's none actually growing there and people pay silly prices to go and take pictures for Instagram. A friend of mine paid £50 to take her and DCs to one of these places then she's shelled out £20 on each of them for costumes and over £30 on decorations. It's her business what she spends on but just last month she was complaining about cost of living.

I'm all for celebrating Halloween but it's just about spending more and more money each year. The Instagramisation of it has ruined it and everyone just blindly spends loads on costumes they'll use once and other meaningless tat. Its the shops cashing in and we're all just like sheep who follow the marketing and influencers so we spend more

To prarphrase The Simpsons, Halloween fun for some, po-faced superiority for others.

I buy cheap decorations because it's something my DC enjoy. They're young, so why not.

My community here went all out and laid out activities for the kids. It was actually lovely to see. The streets were full of excited kids with their parents. The neighbours generally made a grand fuss of the kids, who were all dressed up.

My DC came back so happy and full of joy.

We don't have that many days where a whole community pull together to embrace kids. A little 2 or 3 year old rang my bell and I just melted seeing her there in her little costume.

In a world that is full of instability right now, I felt blessed that the children I saw today had so much love and happiness.

Nearly all people only let their children knock on the houses with decorations so they know they are joining in.

It's a lot when you consider how many people are saying how hard up they are and that there's a COL crisis.

@CowboyJoanna

Once again, I find myself reminding people that Halloween is NOT American!!!! It started in SCOTLAND!!!!🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️

Dislike the consumerism and mindless tat that's pumped out in shops, random pumpkins that 90% of people do not want. Costumes worn once.

But I can admit that it's nice to celebrate rounds and enjoy life. Good for business. Makes people happy. For me, it's about celebrating in a sensible way😇

I haven't fallen for it , I've never bought a Halloween decoration and I'm not planning to! (But if other people want to that's their choice)

I think its definitely escalated to more of a thing in the last 10 years. People have always dressed up for trick or treat, and had pumpkins, but I don't remember lots of decorations or houses where the whole house and garden is covered in fake cobwebs etc, and more shops and public spaces have displays now. Our train station even changed the displays to include Halloween themes but I'd rather the train was on time (it was 20 min late!) Bah humbug! 🤣

Pretty sure if you go back to the early days of Christmas celebrations they wouldn’t look anything like they do now.
Things evolve over time, people have had a shitty few years and being able to do simple stuff like decorate for Halloween is bringing them joy.

Halloween in another 10 years will be different again.

We did go to a pumpkin patch this year but it was a bit of fun and we enjoyed it. We don’t go every year but when we do we eat the flesh of the pumpkins as well as carving them.

Trick or treating, yes, but we didn’t spend money on anything new for a costume. Just met up with some friends and went around. We have a few decorations that we keep year on year and put up.

Yes this is the rule here too - only decorated houses

I live in the South East and went Trick or Treating in the late 70s early 80s so it's been here a long time.

Agreed
Used to be a bit of horror dress up, treat or treating, then bob apple or hang them from door frames, horror movie on telly

Now the decorations and piles of tat go up weeks beforehand....
Dressing up of teens seems to be any dress up not just horror
Parties, haunted houses and treat or treats for ages

Completely OTT, and that part if from America. See ET

I love Halloween, always have since I was tiny.

I went to my first Halloween party when I was in infants school ie 40 years ago. And that was in the the West Country, so well outside of Scottish/ Irish traditions. and kids definitely went trick or treating in junior school ie 35 years ago.

So to say it’s all linked to Walmart buying Asda is anti-American nonsense really.

It's not just in the UK that it's become more commercial. I'm Canadian; Halloween when I was a child was about homemade costumes, pumpkin carving and trick or treating. Now it's vast amounts of tat in the shops, one-upmanship in terms of house decorating, Halloween parties, pumpkin patch photo ops etc. I saw gingerbread "haunted house" decorating kits at the supermarket the other day for crying out loud. I think every holiday has become more consumer-oriented all over the Western world.

I LOVE Halloween
Im in Florida now and I come every year for Halloween ( cost around £5,000) and I enjoy every single second 👻🎃💀🧌👺🎃

I think we spend £35 a year on Halloween. Buy costumes reduced in the week before Halloween and size up two sizes to make them last a few years. Sell on Vinted for a few quid less than bought them for. Seriously it's cheaper than a takeaway now.

There has to be some fun in life. Money has to spent. I'm not well off so I'd rather do Halloween than buy a Chinese or a new handbag.

If I spent that £35 on vapes or fags or the pub no one would be calling me a idiot. But spending the money on kids fun? Moronic evidently.

I don't do insta. I take photos for us to look back on. No one envys my lifestyle.

So are diamonds, makeup and Victoria’s Secret. Welcome to consumerist society.

A school mum has posted 16 separate Halloween events her children have gone to this year! They have mostly worn the same outfit but I’m absolutely gobsmacked that they have been to so many events!

My kids went to the school Halloween disco, pumpkin picking (our local farm was close to closure but they have turned it around with pumpkins, sunflowers and selling milkshakes and pizzas - can’t fault them for it ) and tonight they had their cousin over to dress up and eat pizza. We drove to my mums to trick or treat her and “aunty next door”

I’ve only paid for the pumpkins and I bought them fancy dress costumes not scary (as they are young) which will be added to the fancy dress box and worn a million times.

I’ve seen lots on SM that has made me feel like I haven’t done enough, not decorated the house etc.

It does seemed to have been hyped up the last ten years or so.

We don't do Halloween however.

My dd had bought some 'fake blood' months ago. When she put it on her face all I could picture was the butchered, brutalised faces of Palestinian babies and children - so I asked her to wash it off. Given the current climate of genocide and war crimes, it felt particularly galling.

The horrors are real this Halloween. There's no need to fake it.

Ye gods...

In my day trick or treating didn't exist in the UK.

Halloween was spent knocking on doors and running away and scaring the crap out of ourselves by walking through the local graveyard.

We had never seen a pumpkin and instead we carved turnip Jack o'lanterns. Practically needed a chisel they were so hard!

We were poor but we were happy!

The way Halloween is celebrated NOW is an imported Americanism

Maybe that what you do op but here

Twins had 2nd hand costumes off vinted that worked for two years.
DS is needy and had a home made costume last two years. One was a makeover from the previous years and he still likes to randomly wear it. Last year's I concede was worn only for Halloween as it was hand made but it'll be used by a younger sibling in time.

This year eldest had second hand clothes and a headband made with pipe cleaners - it made sense to him. It'll get reworn and then clothes with get donated. Wooly mask will get used as winter hat.

Twins had something new, £9 each. Will get reworn next year. Pumpkin hats will be worn as winter hats. Hopefully costumes will be in good nick and this donated once too small / not wanted.

Decorations were pumpkins the kids carved and will get put out for the birds.
Sweets will be shared and last ages, save me buying them.

My headband will be worn by the kids. My cape will go away for every coming year.

It's fun because you're boring doesn't mean everyone is