Pumpkins on doorsteps

[Time Waster]

The last bit wasn't aimed at anyone in particular just the general anti Halloween posters who I'd bet pick and choose their environmentally damaging festival of choice and fail to see the hypocrisy of criticising one and not the other.

 

[icowden]

All our costumes were homemade as we're our decorations.

This is one bit I miss. The mass production of cheap costumes and cheap plastic decorations has kind of destroyed it really. They look good, but I do have fond memories of cutting out witches, ghosts and black cats out of black sugar paper, cutting little holes for eyes, or the witches hat and dress and then gluing coloured tissue paper to the back, then hanging them up everywhere. We also got creative with food by making hand sandwiches, monster fairy cakes, jellies and other delightful treats. We had a corner house with a big triangular utility room that was brilliant for kids parties, so they were nearly always at ours after everyone in the street had been trick or treating.

 

[icowden]

The last bit wasn't aimed at anyone in particular just the general anti Halloween posters who I'd bet pick and choose their environmentally damaging festival of choice and fail to see the hypocrisy of criticising one and not the other.

On my local NextDoor we are having the annual whinge festival about Fireworks. Nary a mention about halloween. It's all petitions to ban loud fireworks, stop the sale of fireworks because pets / i don't like em / yoof / neighbours who set fireworks off a week early (or people who don't realise that Diwali is a thing) etc.

 

[Dogtrousers]

When I was a kid, late 60s/early 70s, Halloween was a very minor thing. It existed, but only on the day -there was no build-up, no decorations, and definitely no trick or treat. You'd maybe draw pictures of witches at school. Maybe there'd be a spooky story. The real main event of that time of year was Bonfire Night. I don't think I'd ever seen a pumpkin at the time, I knew of them only from stories - like Cinderella.

I first came across trick or treat when staying at my sister's place in the US in the mid 80s. She was out that night but had bought sweets and left me instructions to hand them out, which I ignored. I just sat in the back room of the house drinking beer and eating chocolate.

 

[matticus]

On my local NextDoor we are having the annual whinge festival about Fireworks. Nary a mention about halloween. It's all petitions to ban loud fireworks, stop the sale of fireworks because pets / i don't like em / yoof / neighbours who set fireworks off a week early (or people who don't realise that Diwali is a thing) etc.

Do you find Halloween noisy? Are your pets freaked out by it?

 

[matticus]

we're our decorations.

This is some deep deep philosophy man!

 

[Jody]

On my local NextDoor we are having the annual whinge festival about Fireworks. Nary a mention about halloween. It's all petitions to ban loud fireworks, stop the sale of fireworks because pets / i don't like em / yoof / neighbours who set fireworks off a week early (or people who don't realise that Diwali is a thing) etc.

Don't forget the vetrans with PTSD. That seems to be a common add on when wanting fireworks banned.

 

[icowden]

Don't forget the vetrans with PTSD. That seems to be a common add on when wanting fireworks banned.

Good point. Although the main one seems to be "my poor fur babies". Honestly, I'm usually fairly moderate but I'd bring back capital punishment for anyone calling their pet their "fur baby".

 

[Gwylan]

"fur baby".

That is a worrying insight into a person type I'm pleased to avoid