Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Halloween 2015 ... 2017
- Thread starter D.T.
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Halloween is one of my least favorite holidays. Sorry DT for being a Debbie downer.Cranky, 'meh' on the festivities people need-not-apply.
First, there is this segment of people that dress up for Halloween and just go over the top with quality/authenticity and/or get top far into the character. I sense these individuals would honestly dress like this everyday if it was socially acceptable... Or that for this one day they get to bring to life their deepest fantasy of their ideal self. Often these are the people who dress up as magical elves, warlocks, or some sort of fantasy creature. Sometimes these people can't even really explain what they are. They're not your usual Halloween consumes though.
Second, Halloween isn't even Halloween anymore. Parents drive their kids around, or they do it during daylight or in parking lots, etc. The candy doesn't taste like it used to.
Thirdly, it impedes the national health efforts against the ballooning rates of obeseity and diabetes. The use of chocolate and sugar... Just kidding. Got you!
In all seriousness the best part of Halloween are the scary movies. Nightmare on Elm Street my favorite. The best classic, if not the best horror movies of all time.
I'd hardly call Halloween a worthwhile holiday. It's pretty much dead here. Just parties and private businesses handing out candy. I suspect once my boys are old enough, it'll be in fact a dead holiday, no pun intended. I'm sure it's popular in other states. California, and more to the point, SoCal, is a bit too uppity these days for trick-or-treating.
You should come to my neighborhood
Everybody has a _blast_, folks cooks out everywhere, setup drink stations, we get huge numbers of kids (golf cart loads of 'em), lots of folks (including us) really do up their houses.Can't wait
Well, @A.Goldberg, I suspect that the crux of your complaint is how commercialised Hallowe'en has become, especially in the US, in recent years. Anyway, for once, I find myself in disagreement with you.
Actually, I rather like it - or, rather, I like the idea from whence it came. For, in its original incarnation, it was a festival to celebrate, or acknowledge, or face, the whole idea of death.
Such things were celebrated in the parts of the world where day and night were strikingly different and distinct in their length at different times of the year, - night is very long in parts of northern Europe in the depths of winter and Hallowe'en marks the time of year when you step gingerly, and with no small trepidation, into the winter season.
This is a feast that was celebrated at the time of the year when evenings were visibly closing in, harvests had been reaped or salvaged and stored away, and winter was rapidly approaching. Long dark nights made for deep, and sometimes dark, thoughts.
A good way of dealing with that was to actually articulate them. And find a formal way with which to greet your dead. This is a time of the year when it is traditional to visit family graves, for example.
In common with a number of other feast days, Hallowe'en was one of those pagan festivals of northern Europe that the Catholic Church (and Christianity generally) grafted Christian celebrations onto, all the better to control and tame them.
Thus, it is not a coincidence that the Christian festivals - All Saints Day and All Souls Day - feasts which deal with acknowledging the dead - have been grafted onto and superimposed on the old Celtic (and Nordic) festivals that had already existed at that time of the year, which celebrated and acknowledged the dead, our dead, and our relationships with our dead.
In old Celtic mythology, Hallowe'en (Samhain in the Irish language, these days the word for the month of November) was one of two periods in the year (Beltane - Bealtaine - literally, these days - the month of May, was the other) when the fabric between the world of the living and the world of the dead were unnaturally and unusually, thin, and porous, hence passage both ways was not considered impossible.
In fact, passage both ways was considered more than a possibility if one was curious, unwary, or simply prone to conversation with those who dwelt elsewhere. Or desired to linger and stay there. Of course, much mythology dwelt on the challenge of keeping the dead in their world, lest the longing to return to ours overwhelm them at a time of porous and gossamer thin barriers between the worlds.
Of course, it has been sanitised - a bit - by Christianity (with a strong emphasis on remembering the dead), and further sanitised by modern interpretations considered suitable for children. But this does not detract from the fact that this is an ancient feast, and one - in its original incarnation - that I am glad we celebrate.
Last edited:
Very fond memories from my childhood collecting a grocery bag + of candy, going out at age 10 with a friend to roam the neighborhood on our own, to taking my son out during the 1991 Holloween Blizzard and other years of his childhood when the neighborhood took on a special feeling as goblins roamed.
Now, besides watching Hallowwen flicks like Hocus Pocus, it's ehh where I've get to hand out candy to cute kids or too-old-to-be-trick-or-treating teens, mostly girls.
Now, besides watching Hallowwen flicks like Hocus Pocus, it's ehh where I've get to hand out candy to cute kids or too-old-to-be-trick-or-treating teens, mostly girls.
I pulled a fast one on everyone and went as Robin without a Batman.
Not just any Robin
![1878603-arkham_city_robin_colored_by_qbatmanp_d3jkh4v.jpg]()
Not just any Robin
The only thing I don't like about Halloween is the candy. Otherwise the fall weather, leaves, spooky feelings, fat spiders, black cats, witches, hay rides, haunted stuff, are all fun to see. I'm not big on dressing up tho.
It used to be one of my favorite holidays as a child. Trick-or-treating in the late-80's to early-90's were some good times. I used to trick-or-treat in my cousin's neighborhood in Baldwin Park, CA and I remember when one house offered a handful of coins as the treat. You just had to dig into a large jar and that was your treat. Another home offered a bag of popcorn. My fav candies given away were always the licorice.
The best place to go for Halloween if you get older is at Knotts' Scary Farm. I remember being 13 years old and one of my aunts attractive girlfriends held my hand after the maze. What a wimp I was but she was like 22 and I'm some 13 year old nerd with glasses who didn't know how to talk to girls yet. I was as awkward as a youth as pickup artists, Mystery and Neil Strauss (aka Style) when they were younger. Knotts' in October is a great place to scare chicks out of their pants and skirts before the bump in the nights.
I actually wanted to dress up as Iron Man or Kylo Ren this year. Good times if you are into cosplay and you have another day to use a costume. It is an ok holiday for me. Much better than the overrated Valentine's Day. But the real Holiday season doesn't start for me until Thanksgiving. I miss it because it is an American holiday and we don't celebrate it here. But a great holiday to be grateful and chowing down good food with your loved ones right before camping out for Black Friday. Before, Thanksgiving was an overrated holiday and I preferred Halloween. Now it is reversed the older I get.
The best place to go for Halloween if you get older is at Knotts' Scary Farm. I remember being 13 years old and one of my aunts attractive girlfriends held my hand after the maze. What a wimp I was but she was like 22 and I'm some 13 year old nerd with glasses who didn't know how to talk to girls yet. I was as awkward as a youth as pickup artists, Mystery and Neil Strauss (aka Style) when they were younger. Knotts' in October is a great place to scare chicks out of their pants and skirts before the bump in the nights.
I actually wanted to dress up as Iron Man or Kylo Ren this year. Good times if you are into cosplay and you have another day to use a costume. It is an ok holiday for me. Much better than the overrated Valentine's Day. But the real Holiday season doesn't start for me until Thanksgiving. I miss it because it is an American holiday and we don't celebrate it here. But a great holiday to be grateful and chowing down good food with your loved ones right before camping out for Black Friday. Before, Thanksgiving was an overrated holiday and I preferred Halloween. Now it is reversed the older I get.
Yesterday morning the carer asked whether she could buy a few packets of small chocolate bars - such as Mars bars, Twix and so on, and keep them in a bag (hanging on the newel post of the bannisters) near the front door to give to trick-or-treating children if they showed up.
Word must have gone around, for quite a number of kids showed up over the course of the evening. They were clad in some stunning outfits, with painted faces, and were occasionally shepherded and superintended by a similarly attired adult. All, without exception, were extremely polite; it was a most pleasant evening.
Word must have gone around, for quite a number of kids showed up over the course of the evening. They were clad in some stunning outfits, with painted faces, and were occasionally shepherded and superintended by a similarly attired adult. All, without exception, were extremely polite; it was a most pleasant evening.
So what you're saying is that deep down, I want to be a skeleton?
Well guess what? Deep down, I am a skeleton. So are you. Don't deny it.
So, skeletons of the world, let us unite and raise a glass of Something Nice as a toast to one another.
Skeletons don't fall in the categories I listed, therefore permissible as a valid Halloween consume
But just raise it, because obviously we can't drink anything. Since we're skeletons, it'd only end up on the floor.
Skeletons don't fall in the categories I listed, therefore permissible as a valid Halloween consume
I can accept this.
Indeed. How right you are.
Virtual good wishes, virtual drinks……your health, and ours and may our bones be burnished brightly.
Halloween has changed a lot in my quiet little corner of Northern California. neighborhood trick-or-treaters have dwindled to almost nothing, and this may well be the last year that we buy candy and plan to give it out. Instead, the local shopping areas have taken over as the go-to locations for costumed children and adults to flock to for their treats.
Personally, I don't care. Halloween has never been a favorite holiday of mine. But it has been interesting watching it transform over time.
Personally, I don't care. Halloween has never been a favorite holiday of mine. But it has been interesting watching it transform over time.
Last edited:
Heh, I spent most of my Halloween at the stores. First Walmart and then Home Depot. The funny thing was I went to go have my glasses frames replaced and as I was walking out, the first thing I saw was a guy dressed as a taco.
Then we grabbed some dinner, which were NOT tacos, heh.
A hour later we went to Home Depot and bought the first bit of wood for our new fence, and my dad wasted a good time lugging 600 pounds of cement mix back and forth to the cash register, to customer service, and back the other end of the store to go load in his truck. There were guys who worked there who were watching this happen and going like, "Geez!" The girl checking us out was dressed up as a rabbit too.
People stopped knocking on the door by 8:30 apparently. My mom was very disappointed by that because we usually run out of candy and this time there was still a huge chunk of it left.
The problem was that other than our neighbor who put out his huge spider again, our neighborhood was dark. We used to have a neighbor who'd go all out on his decorations, but he died last Christmas.
The rain we've been having didn't help us either. The other thing was the fact that it was Saturday and they usually plan events at places like the high school, etc, people also have their parties too.
If it wasn't the fact that I've been eating dark chocolate bars pretty much everyday for the past two months, I'd be all over the leftover candy.
I'm not a fan of the holiday in general either.
October - You indulge in candy
November - You indulge in food, leftover candy
December - You indulge in candy canes and cookies, and in my case, since my dad works at a school where pretty much EVERYONE gives out food as gifts, it's a feast of candy, cookies, popcorn, and so much other stuff
January - My birthday
February - Valentine's Day candy
March - Easter candy
April - Leftover Easter candy
May, June, July - Summer barbecues, etc
August, September - School starts, stress builds up
Then we grabbed some dinner, which were NOT tacos, heh.
A hour later we went to Home Depot and bought the first bit of wood for our new fence, and my dad wasted a good time lugging 600 pounds of cement mix back and forth to the cash register, to customer service, and back the other end of the store to go load in his truck.
There were guys who worked there who were watching this happen and going like, "Geez!" The girl checking us out was dressed up as a rabbit too.People stopped knocking on the door by 8:30 apparently. My mom was very disappointed by that because we usually run out of candy and this time there was still a huge chunk of it left.
The problem was that other than our neighbor who put out his huge spider again, our neighborhood was dark. We used to have a neighbor who'd go all out on his decorations, but he died last Christmas.
The rain we've been having didn't help us either. The other thing was the fact that it was Saturday and they usually plan events at places like the high school, etc, people also have their parties too.
If it wasn't the fact that I've been eating dark chocolate bars pretty much everyday for the past two months, I'd be all over the leftover candy.
I'm not a fan of the holiday in general either.
October - You indulge in candy
November - You indulge in food, leftover candy
December - You indulge in candy canes and cookies, and in my case, since my dad works at a school where pretty much EVERYONE gives out food as gifts, it's a feast of candy, cookies, popcorn, and so much other stuff
January - My birthday
February - Valentine's Day candy
March - Easter candy
April - Leftover Easter candy
May, June, July - Summer barbecues, etc
August, September - School starts, stress builds up
Well it was meh for me this year because of 27" iMac troubles... but I love the holiday. Did get a couple of horror screenings in over the weekend so that's cool. No trick or treaters though. The holiday has really dwindled in popularity around here.
I know whenever time / funds permit, I'm definitely going the costume route again. Never too old for that and gosh my Shaw Brothers addiction is seeping over into a desire to cosplay as some of the characters.
I know whenever time / funds permit, I'm definitely going the costume route again. Never too old for that and gosh my Shaw Brothers addiction is seeping over into a desire to cosplay as some of the characters.
One of the worst things about living in the scary house on the hill, next to all those other scary old houses on the hill just outside the subdivision is that I NEVER get trick or treaters. I've had pumpkins lined up on the wall that runs alongside my driveway, and every light outside lit as bright as they'd go, and they still won't show up.
It doesn't help that the house at the end of my street looks a lot like the one from the Amityville Horror movies.
I've come to the conclusion that the holiday isn't dying, it's that kids today are wimpy trick or treaters. You see them all over the place, but they don't go door to door anymore. They're caravanned around to specific trick or treat safety zones.
Damn shame is what it is. Damn crying one.
Well,
Well, for quite some years now, we haven't had many kids because the area is a nice mature middle class area where the population are mainly elderly. Very elderly. Astonishingly, death-defyingly elderly.
In the past three years, there have been several executor sales on my road, as the generation that was already here when my parents moved in around half a century ago, finally die off. Over the previous decade, several more executor sales occurred. Most of the families who were here when I was a kid have died, but a surprising few hardy creatures remain.
We were some of the youngest kids on the road growing up, but we tended to be friendly with the youngest of some of the families who were our neighbours.
However, this year, more than a few brave souls ventured out, to my surprised delight, shepherded by their parents.
Nevertheless, while I am not sure that the kids today are 'wimpy' trick-or-treaters, I am sure that their physical lives (not their online lives) are an awful lot more constrained or limited and controlled than ours ever was. We roamed.
In summer, if the sun was shining, we were thrown out early in the morning and told to get lost, or otherwise amuse ourselves until mealtimes. Now, there were parks, and we live - literally - three minutes away from the Atlantic, so there was always plenty to do.
But kids these days wouldn't be allowed to roam and explore the way we were. Traffic is one problem - we were able to play ball games on the streets - and, moreover, it wouldn't be considered safe.
Notions - sometimes, to my mind - self-limiting notions - of safety and fear of the strange - prevail instead, and it does mean that kids do not seem to get to develop a very necessary sense of street-smarts, or street-sense, or proper survival instincts and learning to trust them until much later in life.
Well, for quite some years now, we haven't had many kids because the area is a nice mature middle class area where the population are mainly elderly. Very elderly. Astonishingly, death-defyingly elderly.
In the past three years, there have been several executor sales on my road, as the generation that was already here when my parents moved in around half a century ago, finally die off. Over the previous decade, several more executor sales occurred. Most of the families who were here when I was a kid have died, but a surprising few hardy creatures remain.
We were some of the youngest kids on the road growing up, but we tended to be friendly with the youngest of some of the families who were our neighbours.
However, this year, more than a few brave souls ventured out, to my surprised delight, shepherded by their parents.
Nevertheless, while I am not sure that the kids today are 'wimpy' trick-or-treaters, I am sure that their physical lives (not their online lives) are an awful lot more constrained or limited and controlled than ours ever was. We roamed.
In summer, if the sun was shining, we were thrown out early in the morning and told to get lost, or otherwise amuse ourselves until mealtimes. Now, there were parks, and we live - literally - three minutes away from the Atlantic, so there was always plenty to do.
But kids these days wouldn't be allowed to roam and explore the way we were. Traffic is one problem - we were able to play ball games on the streets - and, moreover, it wouldn't be considered safe.
Notions - sometimes, to my mind - self-limiting notions - of safety and fear of the strange - prevail instead, and it does mean that kids do not seem to get to develop a very necessary sense of street-smarts, or street-sense, or proper survival instincts and learning to trust them until much later in life.
I agree. You can't blame kids for the society that they are raised in.
They have nothing to do with creating the conditions that they consider normal.
I do wonder about the atmosphere of fear in which we raise our children these days.
Some of it strikes me as somewhat over-protective, and excessive - not every stranger is a danger, while some are - and it doesn't allow kids the challenges of testing themselves and exploring and problem solving and friend making in a relatively spontaneous setting; everything is controlled and monitored - that cannot be healthy psychologically.
While learning to recognise (and respond to) legitimate fear is a very necessary skill to teach children, it is equally necessary to teach sound instincts, good judgement, and an ability to navigate and negotiate the world with a confidence born of experience.