We're doing Halloween different this year - are you?

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Country Families : One Thread

We're not taking our kids trick or treating this year due to all the current scares. It just doesn't feel safe to me this year. We're going to have a party at home, which the girls are excited about since we don't usually do parties around here. I was just wondering if anyone else was doing something different for Halloween due to the current scares?

-- Cheryl in KS (cherylmccoy@rocketmail.com), October 21, 2001

Answers

My friend and I are also throwing a small party for the kids this year. Also our church has Harvest Party for the kids.It is nice not to have to go door to door in this day and age.Where in Kansas do you live Cheryl?

-- Micheale from SE Kansas (mbfrye@totelcsi.net), October 21, 2001.

Since Halloween falls on Wednesday, we will be at church, so there isn't even the issue of trick or treating. Our church has a Harvest Festival, and we are having on the Saturday before. Since we don't even celebrate Halloween, I just go the day after, and buy the 1/2 price candy at Wal-Mart and then distribute some to the kids. Cost is the same as if we had bought for trick or treaters, and my kids only get the stuff they like!

-- Ivy in NW AR (balch84@cox-internet.com), October 21, 2001.

I am very sad that I feel I cannot take my kids out this year .The baby is just over 2 and would have been fun .She is having a party at school .As for the other kids we will go to dinner for the evening and maybe a movie.It is such a sad time in are countrys history.

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), October 21, 2001.

I never took any of my children trick or treating, always felt it was too dangerous with all the whackos around. They never missed it so they say because we always had a party at our home, inviting all the neighbors to come. It was so much fun because entire families came in costumes. I would bake several cakes for prizes (kids would help) and we would have apple bobbing, and make popcorn balls. Each family brought a different type of candy and it all got dumped in a wooden barrel. At the end of the evening, each one of the children got a "goodie" bag to fill up with handfuls of candy from the barrel. That is one of the many things I miss so much not having anymore children at home! The last two Halloweens have been so quiet!

-- lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), October 21, 2001.

About a year ago, we changed churches from a United Church to a Baptist Church. We had never thought about Halloween being the devil's night and that we should not celebrate it prior to being at the new church. It was the first year our children did not dress up and go out to friend's homes for trick or treating (we have to drive them since we live in the country).

Instead, our church puts on a "Light the Night" non-costume celebration for the children on October 31st. The youth organize the whole event with games, candy, a movie and crafts. Our kids loved it and they were with their friends. This year they have been asking when it is and haven't even thought about costumes (they can play dress-up any time at home).

Silvia

-- Silvia (organic_farmer@hotmail.com), October 21, 2001.



Ya'll wanna do something REALLY scarey for halloween this year?

Make a list of all the ways you're just like your mother!

-- Just Duckie (Duck@spazmail.com), October 22, 2001.


Oh for crying out loud...Halloween is not the devil's night. Before you rag on me for being a heathen or something I will let you know that I am an elder in my church as well as in the choir and I sing my praises LOUD! But I am not a hypocrite and don't follow anyones lead blindly. A woman at the local school wanted all Pokemon books etc banned from the school because she had been told that they were the devil's writings. Thats unrelated of course but just shows how some people can be led. many make a good case for this mistaken belief but then again the tried to build a case against Christ too way back when. Were they right? Look into a little history etc and see what Halloween really was (rather than the modern version of begging for candy.) and make up your own mind. Whew...theres my rant done. As for trick or treating, this whole anthrax scare has me re-thinking taking my boys out. I will though because noone is going to make us a prisoner of fear. And we will only go to houses of friends like previous years. (hubby was pushing for going to town and doing the walking door to door thing) Thats a good compromise isn't it?

-- Alison in N.S. (aproteau@istar.ca), October 22, 2001.

We don't have any children, but we will be at home passing out candy for the trick or treaters on the 31st. I have a favorite movie that I watch every Halloween, we'll do that a bit later in the evening so we won't get interrupted by the doorbell. Also, DH watches the new Star Trek series on Wednesdays so we'll have to watch that first. :) Then on the 3rd we will celebrate Samhain with the other members of our coven.

-- Sherri C (CeltiaSkye@aol.com), October 22, 2001.

I was bringing up my kids in the 80,s and I only let them go out once or twice when they were little to people I knew. When they got older I would let them dress up. My son would hide in the yard and my daughter would answer the door and give out candy. Soon as the kids got there candy my son would jump out of the bushes and scare them. LOL, I did not let him do this to the little ones tho. I bought them there own candy and alot of time there friends on getting to our house would stay and help Luke scare the older kids comming to our door. LOL I would just give them the candy they would have gotten if they were running around. It is much safer to keep them close to home. Also when the hospital says they are doing free x-rays for candy bags its time to stop getting candy from strangers. My fav one was when my son made up this big scarecrow and would sit close behind it and when the kids would go to leave he would shake it and moun at them. It would make them squeel and run. We have always had alot of fun with the trick part of this holliday!!

-- Teresa (c3ranch@socket.net), October 22, 2001.

The kids get so much candy from school (that they really don't need) that we probably won't go trick or treating. However, we have a chili supper at the church and I told them I would bring some. They kids will already be dressed up. As to an earlier comment. Halloween being a devils holiday is irrelevant. It is just like the pagan,Christmas thing. We Celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas and we have fun dressing up and eating candy on halloween.

-- mindy (speciallady@countrylife.net), October 22, 2001.


That's a good point Mindy. I'm Pagan, but I still go to Christmas Eve service at my parent's church so I can hear my mom sing in the choir, and I still buy gifts for my nieces and nephew to open on Christmas morning. I still try to be respectful of the holiday even though I don't celebrate it.

Last year we had a lot of kids come to our door trick or treating that we didn't even know, and a lot of the older ones didn't even have an adult with them. I wonder if this year will be different.

-- Sherri C (CeltiaSkye@aol.com), October 22, 2001.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ