Ideas to replace Halloween

[stressedandunimpressed]

We dont celebrate Halloween in our household, nothing to make a fuss of. It's just not a big holiday to us and we find it quite boring. Neither of my boys like going out in the dark and knocking on people's doors for sweets - They get sweets all year round and they're not into dressing up much. They prefer their video games to be honest.

I'm looking for some fun ideas to do instead of the usual Halloween things, I've got one or two ideas but I'm lacking in inspiration.

How old are your boys? I love this time of year for all the autumnal nature activities. Hunting for and playing with conkers hasn't lost its appeal even though one of mine is secondary age now.
Pumpkin picking and then carving or painting them. Doesn't have to have anything to do with halloween.
Cooking/baking? Mine love making crumbles and other warm puddings at this time of year.

@Moonlaserbearwolf 9 and 13. I'm staring down the barrel of a gun, it feels like. We're expecting a whole load of "vintage" (I nearly cried when my eldest said that) video games and consoles soon but I'm stumped for more ideas, I already had pumpkins and conkers down but now my brain is empty

We didn’t “do” anything for Halloween when I was young. In fact, at school, we celebrated “All Saints Day” on 1 November. They could find out about the history of that. Halloween snd pumpkins is American. We never saw a pumpkin when I was young.

We had a big celebration with Bonfire night on 5 November though. We always made a Guy. Old clothes stuffed with straw (old papers?) and we made a head from a white pillowcase and feet from old socks. We used string for hair and drew on a face. He was put on the top of the bonfire. We had our own fireworks but when displays became popular, we went to them but had hot dogs around our bonfire. So maybe make a bonfire and Guy? At least they might learn about the Gunpowder Plot, who orchestrated it and why. Plenty of cooking and craft opportunities too.

Halloween snd pumpkins is American. We never saw a pumpkin when I was young.

I wondered how long it would take.

5 November was a bigger deal to us than Halloween when I was growing up - anything that interests them in that? Building a guy?

Why do you have to do anything? It's just one day, and a school night too. 13 is too old for going out anyway.
If your kids aren't into you don't have to do anything - my daughter is too old to go out but we love carving pumpkins (and this year, in a new house, we're surprised when I've grew in the front garden) and get about 100 kids coming to the door (two primaries with a couple blocks). After that dies down we'll watch a slightly scary movie.

Halloween snd pumpkins is American.

I don't understand how some people are still so ignorant about this

Haunted House? Lots of those in my area. Can be a fun night out…you go in the dark.

@stressedandunimpressed I may have misunderstood but are you looking to do something else on the night of Halloween that's not related to Halloween? I don't really understand the point.

Surely just treat it like any normal night

What about something in Thorpe park? Or do a Halloween party

If you don't like the trick or treating/ guising and nobody wants sweets, and the boys would prefer to sit at home and play video games, then why not stay home and play video games?

You don't have to participate in the Irish and Scottish traditions of the UK if you don't want to.

We just make Halloween cupcakes or something then watch a spooky (age appropriate) film.

Why do anything if you don't like halloween? Just treat it as a normal night. Bizarre post.

Could you get a scary video game to play together? I remember me and my dad got silent hill when I was far too young to play it- we didn’t get beyond walking the character up and down the street as the sound of the footsteps scared us far too much but it’s a really fun memory.

Just realised that sounded like I was actually suggesting silent hill for your 8 year old which I wasn’t haha something along the lines of Luigis Mansion or something!

Do as you'd usually do. Washing-up, laundry, homework. I don't understand.

@boxybox I don’t need your sneering opinion. Pumpkins were not grime here pre the commercializations of Halloween. It wax All Hallows’ night but it was not celebrated by people. It just happened. We celebrated all saints day. In other words, the triumph of good over bad. No one would have been allowed to honour begging for sweets. Just didn’t happen. You only have to go to the USA to see how it’s a big deal there. People can, of course, do what they want. However don’t pretend the modern version of Halloween is anything other than that. Modern. We have Guy Fawkes. The fireworks and bonfires actually mean something in a historical context. Maybe everyone could learn why?

Halloween definitely existed in Scotland and Ireland. We did turnips not pumpkins (what you'd call a swede).

I don’t need your sneering opinion.

It's not an opinion. You are ignorant as I said & which your reply to me proved...

Hallowe'en was definitely celebrated in Northumberland in the early 60s. I know cos I remember it - carving swedes (not pumpkins), bobbing for apples, making flour cakes with coins balanced on top (for after the apple bobbing, so you ended up with a flour mask) - and I won the Brownie's costume competition, dressed as a 'tramp'. The only way we celebrated All Saints day was by singing 'For all the saints' at school assembly on the day.

You know there are vast swathes of the United Kingdom where Guy Fawkes was never celebrated?

I'm confused as to what you want.
I thought you meant something completely different like a trip to the beach or an escape room but then you mentioned pumpkins and conkers which I'd class as the usual Halloween stuff that you say you find boring 🤔

It disgusts me that kids are taught this rubbish but most have never ever even heard of Guy Fawkes or November the 5th which could have changed European history.

How have you come to that conclusion? And what does it have to do with a thread about Halloween?

We despise Halloween and the Americanisation of our culture

Would you like star of the week? 🙄