I've Always Disliked Halloween

[Dalisclock]

To me it looks like they are setting up Christmas aisles. Supermarkets and department stores are getting lazy. It's like only the Summer and Christmas seasons exist anymore.

Wait, they're not even waiting until November to start that anymore?

If there's a War on Christmas, I'm all for it. Christmas needs to get pushed back to the back half of December where it belongs and stop trying to consume the rest of the calender.

 

[Asita]

To me it looks like they are setting up Christmas aisles. Supermarkets and department stores are getting lazy. It's like only the Summer and Christmas seasons exist anymore.

Wait, they're not even waiting until November to start that anymore?

If there's a War on Christmas, I'm all for it. Christmas needs to get pushed back to the back half of December where it belongs and stop trying to consume the rest of the calender.

Nope. I've seen Christmas Decorations out by Columbus Day in past years. This year I've had a few relatives claim to have already seen a few stores setting out a Christmas section. And as someone who loves Fall and the fall holidays/festivals, I find that immensely frustrating.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Where I live, Halloween is just another example of mindlessly aping things the US does, or is believed to do. Don't see people making their own costumes, just kids walking round in cheap, not quite copyright infringing superhero costume knockoffs.

I could see the appeal if everyone came up with their own stuff to express themselves, doesn't seem to happen here.

 

[happyninja42]

I personally never put much emphasis on holidays when I was younger, being an atheist.

Having grown up, and having 3 god daughters that I routinely spend Halloween with, it's become just a night to have fun. It's not about any ritual thing or whatever. It's a chance for their mother, to express her creative arts skills, making up their costumes. It's a chance for the girls to play "dress up" out in public, and to do it with friends in a social setting. It's a chance to invite other kids over to join in the "pack" to go from house to house, showing off their outfits, and being rewarded with candy for their "spooky outfits!" It's a chance for them to share candy with friends, by plopping down in the kitchen at the end of the night, and play "I'll trade you all my snickers for your kit kats". It's for them to have fun at night, which is normally not something that we do these days in regards to children. It's a chance for the regular neighborhood to become altered and strange, as people put up elaborate displays and front yard haunted houses, playing spooky audio tracks that can be heard from down the street, giving the night a creepy vibe to it, as the kids psych each other up to go through the haunted house. It's a chance to just wander around, in relative safety and ease, passing by lots of new, random people, and commenting about outfits and having fun.

Like all holidays, it's basically just a socially agreed upon excuse to get together, under the auspice of appreciating the company of those around you, and expressing your feelings for them in a positive way.

We have fun, and that's about all there is to it really.

 

[Asita]

It's a chance for the regular neighborhood to become altered and strange, as people put up elaborate displays and front yard haunted houses, playing spooky audio tracks that can be heard from down the street, giving the night a creepy vibe to it, as the kids psych each other up to go through the haunted house.

My personal favorite has to be the musically coordinated lightshow houses. Granted, I imagine the neighbors might get annoyed at those homes if they regularly 'perform', but as an outsider who rarely sees it, I love the showmanship.

 

[happyninja42]

It's a chance for the regular neighborhood to become altered and strange, as people put up elaborate displays and front yard haunted houses, playing spooky audio tracks that can be heard from down the street, giving the night a creepy vibe to it, as the kids psych each other up to go through the haunted house.

My personal favorite has to be the musically coordinated lightshow houses. Granted, I imagine the neighbors might get annoyed at those homes if they regularly 'perform', but as an outsider who rarely sees it, I love the showmanship.

In my experience, the neighbors are usually well aware of the person's habit of doing a big display, and they know it's just the one night a year anyway, so it's hardly a huge issue. I'd personally be more annoyed with the Christmas lunatics that light up the entire damn block for like a month or two. If I had to choose, I'd take one night (and really just a few hours anyway) over 2 months of glaring annoyance any day of the week.

 

[Batou667]

I find Halloween pretty difficult to get worked up about, even though it's a bit tacky and quasi-Americanized here in the UK. It's a bit of fun for the kids, even though in most of my country it's not socially acceptable to talk to your neighbours, much less ask them for sweets (in fact that goes diametrically against the advice of the childhood PSA campaigns we had). Adult Halloween parties are a pretty good excuse for fancy dress, even though it seems like every female has collectively misread "spooky" as "slutty" and just ran with the idea with nary a look back (but again, no real complaints there). On the subject of the origins of the festival? Who gives a hoot. Christmas and Easter have been thoroughly rid of their Christian roots, let alone their pagan roots; I don't think "fun" events should be required to stay true to their roots. If people enjoy it, let them interpret it as they will.

No doubt there'll be the traditional minority group complaining that somebody of the "wrong" colour dared to wear a costume or play a character outside of their race. Because of course the entire globe is welcome to wear Western clothes, speak English and eat McDonalds 365 days a year, but if I want to be a tipsy Viking for one evening of the year that's an insult to Wiccans and Odinists, or something. Pfft.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

Agreeing mostly with evilcats assessment so far, as it's a time to feel fabulous - no doubt for girls too - and one of the few excuses for me to be an out-and-out weirdo without attracting too much negative attention. Also using ouija boards to troll the afterlife into losing their shit and accidentally proving they exist...one day, eventually. Just like Christmas is a good excuse for self-indulgence and alcoholism. And easter is...well, fuck Easter.

 

[laggyteabag]

Im from the UK, and my parents have never liked Halloween, so I grew up in a house where it was never celebrated.

All of my childhood friends loved to go around and do trick-or-treating, but I only ever got to tag along twice - the first time we were taken to church after 30 minutes, and the second time I walked up to a door and the guy told me I was too old to go trick-or-treating.

As an adult, I have taken my general indifference with Halloween with me. Sure, its goofy, and I appreciate that kids have a great time with all of the sweets, but im not into dressing up, im very much so not into horror movies, and anything else seems like a waste of time and money to me.

But my girlfriend loves Halloween, so it will be interesting to see how we navigate that one.

I have already had to talk her down from decorating our house on the 1st October.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Is Halloween even a thing outside the US?

 

[Chewster]

I never got to celebrate Halloween growing up so I am somewhat indifferent to it as an adult. Some years I dress up and go out with friends, some I don't. But who actually cares what the origins of the holiday are? Every holiday has been commercializated all to fuck and their origins obscured. Let people have their fun I say. At the very least, it's an excuse to dress funny and get plastered.

In Asia, at least where I am, the only people who really celebrate it are foreigners anyway, usually by making elaborate costumes and getting wrecked up in overpriced clubs and bars. Sometimes the natives get involved, but they are the types that hang with foreigners all the time anyway. It's stupid but it's fun and a lot of people put some serious effort into their costumes so that is nice to see too.

 

[Hawki]

Is Halloween even a thing outside the US?

See my first post.

But yes, Halloween's become a thing over here. Probably not as big as the US, but certainly bigger than when I was a kid.

 

[SupahEwok]

I do not have the inclination to do the arts and crafts to make my own costume, and I'm not willing to spend money on buying one. And I don't like zombie or horror movies. Therefore, I get exceedingly little out of Halloween.

At least Thanksgiving and Christmas have the good eats.

 

[TopazFusion]

Is Halloween even a thing outside the US?

Oh yes. Well, trying to be.

It's mainly pushed by corporate business in the retail sector, as an excuse to sell more useless tat to the public.
Actually, it might be like that within the US too, for all I know.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Is Halloween even a thing outside the US?

Oh yes. Well, trying to be.

It's mainly pushed by corporate business in the retail sector, as an excuse to sell more useless tat to the public.
Actually, it might be like that within the US too, for all I know.

I mean it's a "thing" here too in that some shops will put up decorations on the display. That's about it. Kids don't trick-or-treat, and it sure as shit doesn't mean anything to anyone.

 

[Asita]

Is Halloween even a thing outside the US?

Oh yes. Well, trying to be.

It's mainly pushed by corporate business in the retail sector, as an excuse to sell more useless tat to the public.
Actually, it might be like that within the US too, for all I know.

I mean it's a "thing" here too in that some shops will put up decorations on the display. That's about it. Kids don't trick-or-treat, and it sure as shit doesn't mean anything to anyone.

It kinda doesn't mean much to anyone anywhere. The festivities around Halloween have long since overtaken the significance behind them. It's not Dia de Muertos, wherein the festivities are there as part of remembrances for deceased loved ones. It's an excuse to dress up (or let the kids dress up), go out, and have fun.