Papist Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 [url="http://www.milehimama.com/faith/why-we-dont-celebrate-halloween/"]http://www.milehimama.com/faith/why-we-dont-celebrate-halloween/[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MithLuin Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 I think the most sensible way to approach this is to recognize that Halloween involves 'excesses' that require (at the very least) some parent-enforced restraints. Dressing in costumes doesn't have to mean buying whatever the costume store is selling (which will be needlessly 'sexy' (ie, skimpy) for [i]any[/i] female costume). I realize not everyone has the time and energy to make their own costumes from scratch, but you can still be creative about it. When I was 3, my parents dressed me up as a 'little old lady'. They put on a dress that was too big for me (and thus went to my ankles), wrapped a shawl around my shoulders, and put one of those old-fashioned little hats with the bit of lace in front of the face on my head. My brown hair whitened up nicely with liberal application of baby powder. Oh, and my dad made me some fake spectacles out of wire. I was, predictably, adorably cute. Trick or treating never involved going to strangers' houses, and it wasn't something the kids did by ourselves. We didn't live in a 'neighborhood' where you could walk from door to door anyway. So, my parents drove us, and we visited with the neighbors on our street. Literally. We only went to a handful of houses, and at each one, my parents stopped and chatted and caught up with their neighbors (who we didn't see very often, truth be told). At the last house, we were invited in and sat down at the table and visited for an hour or so. Everyone was very generous in giving out candy, but the running from door to door saying 'trick or treat!' and trying to maximize your loot was [i]not[/i] my experience of trick or treating at all. I was sad, though, that we never got any trick-or-treaters ourselves. I guess the 1/8 mile long gravel driveway would discourage most anyone . [That 'last house' I mentioned had an even longer driveway, so we were the only trick-or-treaters they got.] But this means that whereever I am now, I'm always happy to dress up and give out candy myself. I think parents have to say no and put their foot down to a lot of things that 'all the other kids' seem to be doing. Halloween is no exception to that. But I do think it sad that some Christian parents think that never celebrating anything for fear of these excesses is the way to live - that seems to me to be a bunker mentality and...lacking...in some things. But of course, if they see it as necessary for their family, that's on them. 'You can shut yourselves in, but you cannot forever shut the wide world out.' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 [quote name='nunsense' timestamp='1325300981' post='2360325'] Well, it can mean any one of the following... but I meant it as I know, right? [/quote] Got it! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice_nine Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 I work at a scary clown house during october. I've made some people cry, cower in fear, and piss themselves. It is the best job ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basilisa Marie Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 (edited) [quote][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I think parents have to say no and put their foot down to a lot of things that 'all the other kids' seem to be doing. Halloween is no exception to that. But I do think it sad that some Christian parents think that never celebrating anything for fear of these excesses is the way to live - that seems to me to be a bunker mentality and...lacking...in some things. But of course, if they see it as necessary for their family, that's on them. 'You can shut yourselves in, but you cannot forever shut the wide world out.' [/font][/color][/quote] ^ That. Aren't lay people supposed to be living [i]in[/i] the world as examples of Christian life, and doesn't that involve some kind of interaction with that world? But that's another debate for another time. Although I don't see anything wrong with letting older kids wear an appropriate scary costume (I'm thinking Dracula, not Freddy Kruger), a good compromise might be letting them pick an amesome martyr. That way, parents are happy that the kid is learning about a saint, and kid is happy and gets to have a razzle dazzle story to go with his or her costume. In college me and my fellow RAs would put on a Halloween party for our dorm, in hopes that it would minimize cases of freshmen drinking. My scary-fairy-tale-witch costume (that has the best hat ever) probably had more fabric in it than the costumes of all the cheerleaders that lived on my floor did combined. We gave the prizes to the most creative costumes, had pumpkin carving (or painting, depending on the resources), food and games. My school usually hosted an actual exorcist to come and give a talk on the influences of evil in the world (peppered with the occasional vague story of exorcism, of course). That always drew a large crowd. Earlier in the day (if it was a Saturday, the nearest weekend otherwise) professors would bring their costumed kids through the dorms to rooms with a pumpkin on them, and we would give them candy. My cheerleaders wore their uniforms then, thankfully. I think people need to consider that no matter what the origins of Halloween might be, nowadays the holiday has a completely different meaning to most people. But the whole shallow consumerist meaning of Halloween really lacks substance, it lets Catholics show their kids the deeper meaning of All Saints Eve. Edited December 31, 2011 by Basilisa Marie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i<3LSOP Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Ummm, I like free candy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mysisterisalittlesister Posted December 31, 2011 Author Share Posted December 31, 2011 [quote name='i<3LSOP' timestamp='1325370469' post='2360830'] Ummm, I like free candy... [/quote]same here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizabeth09 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 If I can find some candy somewhere or someplace where I can buy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mysisterisalittlesister Posted January 27, 2012 Author Share Posted January 27, 2012 [quote name='elizabeth09' timestamp='1327521139' post='2375209'] If I can find some candy somewhere or someplace where I can buy it. [/quote] yeah, but not free. and not in a nun costume evangelizing people. I mean, get over it people. It's candy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strictlyinkblot Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Candy is always good. But seriously, children and teenagers often crave what's forbidden. If they see their friends going out in costumes and getting sweets they'll probably get jealous and look for ways to join in. Maybe if the parents explain to them about All Souls and All Saints and help them to pick a costume that represents those Holy days. Or, in some places its traditional to dress up as what you want to be when you grow up e.g. nurse, police officer, teacher etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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