Halloween Out There
In my town most churches have banned Halloween and have “Fall Fests” instead. The kids aren’t allowed to wear costumes in school anymore.
No one trick or treats in my neighborhood. There’s one neighborhood, the rich one, that gets all the trick or treaters bussed in. Trunk or Treat is the new thing, going to a safe church location to score candy.
It was way more fun to be a kid in the 1970s. My brothers and I got into our dad’s closet and decided who was going to be the pilot wearing my dad’s flight suit or a hobo, wearing his flannel shirt. My mother gave us pillow cases to fill with candy, which we got going door to door singing trick or treat at the neighbors’ houses.
Is there a town in America that still celebrates a good old fashioned Halloween?
Of course I deconstructed the pornification of Halloween on So Sioux Me. Stop by and leave a comment and a stumble.
Tags: blog fabulous, empowering women, empowering-girls, Halloween, so sioux me, tracee sioux, trick-or-treatingRelated Stories
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18 opinions for Halloween Out There
b5 Halloween Articles
Oct 31, 2007 at 7:13 am
[…] Halloween Out There […]
Crystal
Oct 31, 2007 at 6:05 pm
I was never allowed to celebrate halloween growing up and there was no fall fest alternative back then, so I think my little girl has a lot more fun than I did. We go trick-or-treating at the mall and then by friends houses on the way home.
Tracee
Oct 31, 2007 at 6:57 pm
My poor husband never got to do Halloween either. Or Santa. Or the Easter Bunny.
I think he thinks it’s pretty fun too.
Violet
Nov 1, 2007 at 1:23 am
I sort of hate how everything is prepackaged these days. Order one Halloween please. It was way more fun to scrounge our costumes from the family “dress up” box or the local thrift store and make accessories ourselves out of cardboard, glitter and glue.
Rebecca
Nov 1, 2007 at 7:50 am
Grumble. I never got to do halloween either and the easter bunny and santa were pagan symbols that were forbidden. I’m STILL annoyed about that. My parents were such idiots.
Of course, now that I’m 32, my dad is ok with santa clause and the easter bunny. Halloween is still evil though. I found out that he prayed for deliverance and safety from demons when he went to disneyworld this year w/my stepfamily and rode some of the rides that had witches and pirates. Pirates of the Caribbean, anyone? My stepbrother and stepsister were mortified that he prayed for spiritual safety before every ride. Hee. I almost fell over laughing whne they told me about it.
Violet
Nov 1, 2007 at 8:21 am
I’m truly shocked that people feel that way about Halloween! And Santa! I guess growing up Mormon isn’t the lamest. As for trunk or treat - some kid here came home from one with a bottle of meth rocks a couple of years ago.
My husband briefly moved to a small town in Arkansas when he was small, and the kids could dress up for Halloween, but only as Biblical characters. His mom set off a huge firestorm by dressing one of the kids up as the devil! I guess everyone else assumed she understood it was supposed to be one of the good guys from the bible.
Rebecca
Nov 1, 2007 at 8:37 am
That is hilarious about your husband’s mom. I bet they were rebuking the devil all night.
Tracee
Nov 1, 2007 at 8:52 am
My husband, who rationally understands how all this is fear of Halloween is looney, felt compelled to nix mine and Ainsley’s witch costume idea.
When you’re told over and over as a child that dressing like a witch invites satan into your life - I guess you find it difficult when your 5 year old does it. He’s fine with ME dressing like a witch - just not his daughter.
Yeah, I used to think Mormons were extremely conservative - that’s because I had no experience with fundamental Prodestants.
At least I got the Easter Bunny, Santa and dressing up for Halloween. Geez.
Jen
Nov 1, 2007 at 5:47 pm
I know, the bible belt is a collective kill joy of all things fun. Dressing up in costumes and getting candy is exactly the same as halloween we just call it “fall” or “harvest” fest. It irks me, but when in Rome…
Tracee
Nov 1, 2007 at 6:12 pm
learn to play the banjo?
Violet
Nov 1, 2007 at 10:46 pm
The funny thing is, wiccans (witches) don’t even believe in Satan.
I laughed my head off about the Disneyland story all day, Rebecca. I even called my husband at work to tell him about it!
Rebecca
Nov 2, 2007 at 7:54 am
I had totally forgotten that Disneyworld had a bunch of witch and pirate themes…. and then naturally my stepbrother and stepsister asked me why I didn’t warn them about my dad ahead of time. Ooops. :D
I just revel in that fact that someone ELSE was mortified by my dad instead of me. How awful is that? I really do love my dad but he’s ….. crazy. I’m pretty sure he thinks my life has been influenced by demons since my mom consulted a fortune teller (this was before her conversion) to pick a date for my birth. My mom always lamented doing that, like it explained all my problems.
Oh, and my stepmom is writing a screenplay about my dad’s life. (No joke.) There’s a scene of my mom consulting the fortune teller. If that scene culminates in all my evil deeds, I’m seriously going to raise hell. Not that I’m actually concerned anyone will read it (or see the movie that is according to her going to “change many lives”…..). Sigh.
Violet
Nov 2, 2007 at 11:03 am
Oh Rebecca, that movie sounds awesome with a capital A. And now I only want to go to Disneyland if your Dad is there.
I get the witches, but what’s with the pirates? I have always thought it was a little weird that little kids dress up like 18th century gang member criminals, but are they also satanic in some way?
Rebecca
Nov 2, 2007 at 12:02 pm
I guess since they’re criminals, “celebrating” them opens the door to satan. That was definitely the big fear when I was growing up, that by accident or b/c of ignorance we would “open the door to the devil”.
Also, fairies were totally off limits as was anything denoting magic. Anything pretending to be spiritual that wasn’t god or jesus opened the door to the devil. There’s alot of paranoia in fundamentalism.
I cannot believe that your husband is not totally over it, Tracee! If some of that craziness rears its head in me when I have kids I’m going to fall over in shock and dismay.
Tracee
Nov 2, 2007 at 1:29 pm
It’s odd what lingers when you have kids. You think you’ve got all the kinks worked out and then you realize you are doing something with your kids because of some stupid idea from your own background.
His thing is Ainsley dressing like a witch and stuff like that. He freaks about her taking communion.
My thing is crosses. Mormons don’t do crosses for decoration. They don’t wear them and they certainly do not bow in prayer before them (that’s just worshipping idols and engraved images, you see).
I kindly accept all cross gifts from J’s side, and then slip them discretely into a drawer and I “lose” or “misplace” Ainsley’s cross jewelry. I may have one hidden on the wall in the hall.
It’s not that I think something bad will happen, it’s just there - the past influencing the present.
kathylynn
Nov 6, 2007 at 10:39 am
I do not believe in devil worship or witches but come on! Halloween is fun for kids. Let your kids dress up and get candy. You don’t have to “celebrate” Halloween.
Susanna
Nov 12, 2007 at 3:00 pm
I live in a small town in the Bible belt and a good chunk of the population celebrates Halloween by trick-or-treating or going to the Halloween festival in our small downtown. Of course, there are also churches with Fall Festivals and even a “Judgment House” for those who don’t wish to partake.
I’m just annoyed that we got so few trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood and ended up with a huge bag of leftover candy.
Tracee
Nov 12, 2007 at 3:26 pm
I’m glad the complete banishing of Halloween hasn’t happened everywhere. It’s would be a sad death of childhood if it completely disappeared.
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