Do you celebrate Halloween?

[tinhorn97062]

Do you celebrate Halloween? Why or why not?

Me: I’ve never participated, for various reasons. This isn’t meant to be s war about right/wrong/other...I’m simply curious, and thought it might be a fun topic of discussion.

[Tom W.]

I haven't had any kids at my house here in Phenix City for maybe five years, and the one who came then was the neighbors kid from across the street. In Eufaula I haven't had any in fifteen years. I used to buy a bag of those small fat Tootsie rolls, knowing no one was coming, but I stuffed my hunting jacket pockets with them. Tonight I put what we had into a plastic bag and took it across the street to the little kid.

[EDG]

I think it is a fun thing for kids. Older teens and adults should find something a little more mature to do.
The fruit cakes that object based on some religious grounds probably need to get a life and let others live theirs without your input.

[Walks]

No Celebration, but we leave the porch light on and buy a bag of candy for the few kids that still come by.

[Thundarstick]

No no no

[dragon813gt]

I hate Halloween. Never liked it as a kid and don’t like it now. Adults that are really into it are perplexing to me. It’s for kids, not adults. I did take my kids out last night. The older one had fun. The other is to young and I took him back home after a few houses. It is great to see your kids dressed in costume and happy. But I still don’t like the holiday.

[Hickory]

Who in their right mind would want to?
Who would want to celebrate the undead?
Why would you give the devil a day of recognition?
Seem like a way to scare little kids and distract from God.
No, not in my house or my family.
Just another sickness that has taken hold in America.

[nun2kute]

Yes I do, 365 days a year ! I eat as much sugar as I can get my hands on, preferably Hershey's Chocolate (Chocoholic, thankyouverymuch) On Oct. 31 I hide downstairs in the reloading room and let my sister and her husband hand out the candy, but I really enjoy seeing all the kids dressed up and having fun.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

No! :evil:

[DocSavage]

35 years on this street and only 2 kids,but the neighbors know my wife is disable so we never were bothered when there were kids in the neighborhood. I do get a kick out of the kids getting dressed up,I wish I had a picture of a friend's son dressed as the Lone Ranger looked very good.

[Texas by God]

As far as I know halloween is not a gateway drug to devil worship. That said, I enjoyed it as a child because we got homemade caramel popcorn, fudge ,all that kind of stuff. As a teenager we ran wild on Halloween night throwing eggs and water balloons at the County Deputies- they enjoyed it as much as we did lol. But now we are remote on the farm so no little ghouls and goblins show up. I did eat a King Size Hershey bar last night, though.

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[rockrat]

Loved it as a kid. Just as TBG, the teenage years were more the trick part. Later, enjoyed the kids coming by and seeing the costumes and watching their faces light up when you plunked some candy in their bags. Always went overboard on the candy, but got that from my Grandfather as he gave out only hershey bars and not the tiny bulk bag kind.
I am a big/tall guy and where I used to live, I had a hallway to the front door about 15' long. Kept it dark, but backlit just a bit, so the kids could see my outline somewhat. Had a few run away screaming about the "monster" coming to the door. Course, that was after they were at the neighbors who had a kind of "haunted house" and you could hear the screams of the kids up and down the block (we had fun on that block)
Since I move out to the country, havn't had any kids here for 27 years. Miss that part.

[ShooterAZ]

We usually get a lot of kids in our neighborhood, and most years we hand out some candy. We didn't participate last night though, both of us were just too tired. I think it's fun watching the littler kids in their costumes. It gets really old though when the older kids are still ringing the doorbell at 9-10 pm. We both have to be at work early.

[MrWolf]

I like it. Loved seeing my kids dress up and enjoy themselves and the group of families we would have going around. Now I don't have any kids much less neighbors trick or treating near me. Closest neighbor is a farm 1/4 away.

[Dennis Eugene]

Who says it for kids and not adults? It all about fun, not devil worship or any of that nonsense. Some of you guys need to relax a bit and just enjoy the small things. Sheesh.

[crowbuster]

Love it. Always have, always will. Good clean fun and there's candy ! It also helps that it is my birthday. And my mother in laws as well. Go figure.

[lightman]

I'm not sure if "celebrate" accurately describes it but we participate. We live in a decent neighborhood and get lots of kids. Several smaller towns around us and several local churches bring their kids out. The Wife buys a few large bags of candy and we sit on the porch, saving wear and tear on the doorbell.

I don't associate it with evil or the devil, just as a fun time for the kids.

[bbs70]

I love Halloween, not for the trick or treating, but for the imaginative costumes, decorations, and Halloween get togethers.
The time of year I can let the kid in me out to play
Yes I believe in God, don't worship the evil one.

[waksupi]

I've not had a trick or treater in 32 years of living here. Off the beaten path, and people are already scared to come here in the daylight, let alone after dark!
Years ago, we adults would costume up, and head for the saloons. Saw some great imaginative ideas. One friend didn't know what to put on the last minute, so got a sheet and a pillow case, going as an Arab sheik. When we got to where we were going, we saw at least 20 other people dressed the same as he was. It looked like an Arab oil cartel meeting!

[bedbugbilly]

We did when we were kids - a looooooooong time ago! :-) For forty plus years, we lived out in the country and got very few kids except for maybe a couple of neighbor's kids - we always had something on hand to hand out when they came to the door. We're in a 55 + community in AZ during this time of year so we have never had any kids show up.

I'm with some of the others - as far as I'm concerned, it's a harmless day for the kids - if you don't like it, then don't participate in it - that's your choice - but don't push your values on someone else. Way too much of that goes on and I'm sick of it like so many others. What does bother me is the stories that always come out of kids getting apples with razor blades in them, meth laced candy, etc. The wackos who do that type of thing need to be tossed in a locked cage and the key thrown away.

[375supermag]

Hi...
Not really a fan.
When my children were small I took them trick or treating.
We haven't had any trick or treaters in my neighborhood in the 24 years since I built my home. It is a small 13 property development...we have had small children in the neighborhood but they never trick or treat.

I don't go to Halloween parties, parades or participate.

I have gone to a few Halloween parties over the years as favors to friends and family members. I never dressed in a costume or any of the associated tomfoolery.
Just not my thing.

[Bazoo]

I trick or treated when I was a kid. My wife and I view it as a celebration of evil. Nice to see churches in our area putting on an alternative party for kids

[OldBearHair]

Long ago we lived in a developed town by the name of BlueMound. Sidewalks, tall hedge between houses, a large elm tree centered in the yard. We had lots of kids coming by to trick or treat. I would stand out by the hedge in a long wool coat and quietly watch proceedings. People walking on the sidewalk six feet away did not see me. One halloween in particular, I was out there while my young son handed out the candy. A big kid was walking with his little sister for her safety and as the little girl got to my door, the young man stopped and was looking back at his sister. He had stopped about two feet away from me. I could not resist the chance and said Booooo. Well he almost tore down the end of the hedge. It had quieted down a little after thatwith no kids in site. A large black dog came towards me prancing along in a trot. I had the long coat tail gathered up and holding it real wide, walked in a crouching way toward the dog, and then....he saw me turned wrong side out to go the other way. The dog was still going YIKE yike yike for a couple of blocks. Who says adults can't have fun on Halloween.

[RED BEAR]

not anymore the trick or treaters were looking a lot less like kids and more like thugs. the final straw came when a so-called kid bigger than me ( i am 6'4" ) set his 40 oz down to come to the door. the neighborhood just ain't what it used to be.

[Down South]

I don't celebrate Halloween for the supposedly religious holiday it is supposed to represent. But I do give out candy to the kids who are out to just have a good time. I enjoy it and I enjoyed it when I was a kid. Halloween today is nothing more than a time to have a good time with kids who know nothing about the religious background it supposedly came from.
Sorta like Christmas and Santa Claus, eh.

[fatelk]

Like most holidays, it is what you make of it. Christmas and Easter both have some strong pagan origins and traditions too. We choose to celebrate them for our perspective instead.

Like a couple others have said, we don't "celebrate" Halloween as such either, but the kids do dress up and have some good clean fun. Last night we took the kids to a "harvest party" at the church. They had a good time, then we let them go around the close neighborhood for candy. We don't do the scary, evil looking costumes (not a fan), and we don't decorate with witches and demons. No judgement towards anyone who does, just not us. Also no judgement towards anyone who abstains from Halloween altogether. I can respect that too; it's much how I was raised. My wife and I have just come to feel that to a degree it's innocent fun for the kids, and we've had discussions with them as to why we don't allow the gory, evil, slasher type costumes and decorations. I just don't see anything good coming from that kind of stuff.

My kids seem to love the fun, goofy costumes anyhow. Last night we had a human hot dog, a shark, Robin from Teen Titans Go, and a five year old giant box of movie popcorn. :)

[abunaitoo]

What is Halloween????
From wikipidia.....
Christian influence

Today's Halloween customs are thought to have been influenced by Christian dogma and practices derived from it.[71] Halloween is the evening before the Christian holy days of All Hallows' Day (also known as All Saints' or Hallowmas) on 1 November and All Souls' Day on 2 November, thus giving the holiday on 31 October the full name of All Hallows' Eve (meaning the evening before All Hallows' Day).[72] Since the time of the early Church,[73] major feasts in Christianity (such as Christmas, Easter and Pentecost) had vigils that began the night before, as did the feast of All Hallows'.[74] These three days are collectively called Allhallowtide and are a time for honoring the saints and praying for the recently departed souls who have yet to reach Heaven. Commemorations of all saints and martyrs were held by several churches on various dates, mostly in springtime.[75] In 609, Pope Boniface IV re-dedicated the Pantheon in Rome to "St Mary and all martyrs" on 13 May. This was the same date as Lemuria, an ancient Roman festival of the dead, and the same date as the commemoration of all saints in Edessa in the time of Ephrem.[76]

[jonp]

Not anymore if what you mean by celebrate is dressing up as a kid and trick or treating. People that get all worked up about devil worship and such should get a grip. I doubt kids going door to door for candy are being indoctrinated by Satan Worshippers

[Lloyd Smale]

yup some religious nuts get all wrapped up in what they want it to represent. Not just a bunch of kids having fun. You can pick apart about any holiday. Do you give presents on Christmas and did you tell your kids when they were young santa was real. I did. Even though its suppose to represent Jesus's birthday not what it is for most. Even thanksgiving has been attacked by Native americans that don't like the fact they fed the whites and then they turned on them and brought them disease. Easter is another one that some say worships some God. It about all looks like the kind of **** the liberals wrap themselves around today. I say let the kids have fun. there only kids for a blink of an eye.
Not anymore if what you mean by celebrate is dressing up as a kid and trick or treating. People that get all worked up about devil worship and such should get a grip. I doubt kids going door to door for candy are being indoctrinated by Satan Worshippers

[sav300]

Halloween,thats when they ripped out the wireing on the doorbell.
Was not home,so I guess I got the trick.

[Ickisrulz]

Whatever Halloween started out as or might mean to some weirdos, it has nothing to do with what our culture has made it. It is a time for kids to have fun. I have seen more than one party put on by churches as an "alternative" to Halloween. People still dress up and get candy. This hurts no one and is not a spiritual stumbling block.

That being said, I don't like Halloween because it is a major pain.

[Big Tom]

We never "celebrated" it like a real Holiday, but participated when the kids were still in the house. Loved to set up "scary" setups for the little kids... with our kids out of the house and not a lot of neighborhood kids around either, we stopped doing that about 4 years ago and instead leave and grab a nice dinner... But for sure some fun memories and never a thought around it being in conflict with our believes...

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(wild gorilla cage with a backdoor to get behind them at the candy table...)

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(haunted 30x10 tent, with fog machine and living props inside even too scary for some adults...)

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(also loved the pumpkin carving with friends...)

[PerpetualStudent]

Grew up in one of those households that have nothing to do with it. Now that I have kids of my own, and my wife's family did do trick or treating, I take them trick or treating and whoever is home has candy for the trick or treaters we get.

The onion has a great video about "the real meaning of halloween" which never fails to amuse me. https://vimeo.com/58922252

It is a pagan high holiday and I don't take the dark side of the supernatural lightly. At the same time, the vast majority of how it is celebrated isn't taking it seriously. At the end of the day the shared experience with other kids getting candy and having fun is something I'm happy for my kids to share. I'll have serious talks with them as they are older about the ideas and symbols that we play with at halloween. But at 4 and 2, all they know is costume and candy. Hard to hate that.

[GONRA]

80 + year olde Mr. & Mrs. GONRA believe Halloween has become a Harmless Secular Holiday for the kids.
In semirual PA, we have <10 kids showup every year.....

[jlm223]

We do not celebrate, but my wife likes to give out candy to the kids.

[Love Life]

Lol. I loved it growing up. Now I I just follow my kids around. My daughter will not skip a house!

[Blanket]

no we don't