Party idea.....

[Trio]

My friend and i decided today that it might be a good idea to put up a poster at school to try and get all parents to jointly organize a halloween party, to put a poster up for all interseted parents to put their names down and to help out, we thought we could hire our local community centre which is quite big and thoroughly decorate it with lots of scary things, and have a buffet table for them too! We thought we could throw the party at about 5pm onwards and that way they have something to get dressed up for and they arent knocking on doors and hassling people in the street (i have heard no end of parents moaning about trick or treating so far this year) but its an idea which we need to put alot of thought into and im hoping some of you lovely people will help us to decide if its an idea worth pursuing or not?? TIA xx

i think it sounds great! go for it

A great idea!

Sounds great to me. Just a warning though...Our PTA thought about a Halloween disco once but a few parents who had strong religious views said they did not approve. They did not want the school to be associated with it and the Head agreed. It's not a particularly religious area/school. Hate for your good idae to be shot down in flames for this reason.

we do this at our school,very successfull and everyone enjoys it.The children dress up,parents can if they like,local hall is decorated and we pay for an entertainer for a few hours as well. Last year we added face painting,apple bobbing (in icing sugar), mashmallows on string type game ,unlucky dip ! and various little competions and everyone won alittle something to take home.The parent commitee sells tickets for £2 (reductions for parents with more than one child)
A food list is put out ten days before and people sign for what they would like to buy or make for the buffet.The food is simple and is plated up so there isn't a mad rush .Drinks are cartons of juice or water.
Good luck with yours

i don't understand really why so many people find celebrating halloween a bad thing now. we did it when we were young, i really don't get it.

I guess it is because it has for some, in some areas, got a bit nasty and goulish (from Hollywood horror films), mercenary (trick and treat is an American exaggeration of an old European custom from America again) and if you are strongly religious - it's about magic and the devil.

Christians are told to avoid anything to do with the occult and the devil. I don't take part in anything Halloween related.

I dont celebrate halloween and although would let dd take part in a nativity (in the future she is 4 months) or christmas party wouldnt let her go to halloween party, but i wouldnt expect school to cancel it either! im muslim btw.

julienetmum, 'Halloween' is derived from 'All Hallows Eve' which is a christian festival adopted centuries ago by a pope!

Yes, it was adopted from a pagan festival but this was nothing to do with the devil; it was supposedly marking a night when spirits could move between 'worlds'.

Lighten up I say, and enjoy the festivals that the seasons have to offer.

ooh, and trio I think it sounds a great idea, much more fun for the kids than trick or treating which lets face it is just begging!

Our parents association have a Halloween disco at the school, my 2 think thats what you do , oldest one has only recently realised kids go round the doors, but he is happy with school disco. They do 2 to spilt the ages up so P1-3 plus nursery with parents, and P4-7. Great fun, loads of sweets etc.

I don't like the trick or treat thing, we used to have to sing songs, recite poems and tell jokes. We lived in a cul-d-sac were everyone knew everyone. We went round in groups of 3 to 8, at each house you were invited in to give your performance and coffee tables were laden with goodies, no cash, not the done thing.

well i suppose i understand a bit, but why are people suddenly objecting?

Sunnyside, our local church hold an All Souls party and I would attend that but chances are the average Halloween party is going to involve witches etc etc which to me is the occult.

I don't make a fuss though, just don't attend. The parent of a child at our dd's school owns a water centre and holds a PTA HAlloween party there every year. We just don't go.

I think people are objecting more because of the goulishness and monetary aspects that are more common now (and getting worse). A couple of years ago it was kids with ghost and witch costumes asking for sweets. Now they carry pretend axes etc which is to do with horror films and sk for money!

I think it sounds fun, Trio, good luck with it!

Would much rather dd went to a community party than trick or treating (never done either yet, she's not quite three). When I was little, we made fairy cakes with green icing on and put blue colouring in the teapot with the tea (to make blue tea when milk was added) and told ghost stories - was lots of fun, but very simple and didn't involve hassling old ladies for sweets.

In our street, little kids get taken door to door (only doors where someone has put a pumpkin lantern) by their parents - they're more into showing off their costumes than the sweets, mostly. But where do you draw the line later??

My mother has been terrorized by older kids yelling outside her door after dark, threatening 'tricks' - and thats in a 'nice' neighbourhood in Oxford

Wish more parents would organise parties for the children..

Much better than knocking on my bloody door all evening..

Dogs get exited.. DD got really scared last year (she was 1.9 at the time). Went running to the front door (glass) and saw a very scary (to her) boy of about 15 with a horror mask etc on..

She still mentions it now...

Hate Hate Hate Halloween.. Except of course the party that DD will be going to at our toddler group...

I just don't like the knocking on other people door bit...