Yes Sid he's from Uddersfield Yorkshire and I was born here but grew up in a suburb of NY as my dad got a job over there right before I was born.
I know, I often feel like (no offence to the English!) but people here just don't get American customs and how they are done. Baby showers being a prime example.
Halloween was so lovely when I was growing up. The entire neighbourhood participated - people decorated their houses with stuff like fake gravestones or cobwebs, and some really OTT people dressed up with blood coming out of their mouths or even had spooky noises playing on stereos. It was massively tacky but really, really fun for DC!
Everyone made jack-o-lanterns and as twilight fell, there was just this palpable feeling of excitement. You could see people in costumes flitting around the street, and the lights shining out from people's houses, and odd funny noises like shrieks or laughter, and the air always had that crisp autumn woodsmoke smell. The littlies would come around 4-5, before it got really dark, and then as the evening wore on the kids would get older and older. There was a big, big deal about saying 'thank you' and 'happy Halloween', and 'tricking' was Very Bad Form.
My sisters and I used to plan our costumes weeks in advance - always homemade - and it was so much fun. I would love for my future DC to have that experience.
Gosh, sorry, that was long 