The Halloween That Wasn't

I am one of those grinches who darkens my house and actually leaves not to deal with candy and kids! I live in a village so I live in one of those neighborhoods too. I did it for years and now I am done. This year my grandchildren and great niece are meeting up here so I will give them candy and then maybe even walk around with them while they trick or treat. Maybe :-)

I'm probably not even going to be home tonight before the trick or treaters have to go in, it being a school night. I don't really miss Halloween - it didn't go anywhere...It's my 22 year old's birthday, so it will always be a party atmosphere for his birthday (: I look at the old pics of my kids in costume and think "that was fun, glad to be done".

I totally know what you mean! I never really looked forward to trick or treating and it was always so hot here, which made it even more unpleasant. I only let my kids go to houses that we knew, which meant we drove around stopping at the grandparents and a few other friends. I'm so glad my boys are old enough that I don't have to deal with that anymore. :)

Hi Kim,
Good for you to stand up and be real here. This is not a holiday for everyone! I still enjoy seeing the trick or treaters in their sweet costumes that come to the door. I love that my grand girls are now enjoying the fun of picking out and wearing their favorite costumes and into the parties and trick or treating. The problem here in Illinois is that is usually is rainy and cold for the little goblins. It is a shame because then they have to cover up their fun costumes with coats and hats. So I too sometime feel is this worth it!
Hugs,
Kris

I loved Halloween when our kids were young and I do enjoy the kids coming to the door. I do not like all the decorations outside because to me it just looks junky - being honest here.

Our new neighborhood doesn't have trick or treaters- I'm told. So we are going out to eat instead. :)

We live in a neighborhood with mostly older people and we haven't bought any candy for kids in years. My girls enjoyed dressing up in costumes from the box of old dance recital outfits and other odds and ends. Since the baby is now forty-two years old, I am well past all that. Even the Halloween decor seems to have gotten out of hand. I agree with both you ladies...time to sip some hot chocolate and enjoy the quiet.

I used to hand out gospel tracts and good candy, but the last few months have been so hectic, I haven't made any arrangments for Halloween tonight. If someone hadn't reminded me this morning, I may have completely forgotten it.
And that's just fine by me! The last few decades, what once was a fun time for the kids to dress up and go collect sugar (with the underlying holiday background in the background,) the floodgates on the actual holiday have flung wide open, and I find it difficult every year to come to a conclusion about participating or not. My youngest is 33 in a month, no grandkids, so there is no compelling family reason for me to be involved. Also, having moved to a new neighborhood, I don't know what the participation might be like.
Oh! I just thought! My church is having a Fun Fest next Saturday. Tonight would be a good time to hand out flyers. Guess I better go buy some candy...

I was so happy when my daughter was too old to trick or treat. We live in Michigan and it seems it is always raining, snowing or just downright cold. It could be 60 leading up to or after Halloween but it would be 45 on Halloween (or colder). I have always enjoyed decorating though, and still do. Now Christmas is another story. I really do not like Christmas decorations!

I love Halloween. Sadly, we missed our church's Trunk or Treat Saturday to go to my college football game. (Big fans.) Tonight, we'll give out candy at our daughter's house while she and hubby take the big kids around the neighborhood. We don't get any where we live, so we're happy for the chance to see all the cute little kiddos.

I hear you, Kim! I loved it as a kid and the festival my kids participated in when they were little. It's been a treat to watch my daughter dress up my grandson. This year he's a banana ;) I really dislike how extreme decorations have become. Would you believe, in 17 years, I have never had a single trick or treater come to the door?! I usually keep some candy on hand for the occasion, "just in case" but it's never happened.

I don't really enjoy Halloween either though I did as a child. I guess as I've gotten older there is so much about it that creeps me out!

Here's a post written by a dear personal friend of mine on why she celebrates Halloween....this friend celebrates everything! And she loves all things creepy crawly. She seems such a contradiction yet knowing her, she is one of the dearest people I know. Anyway, thought you might enjoy her perspective.
https://mssamwearsdresses.blogspot.com/2017/10/why-halloween.html

If you do browse her blog, be prepared...her family Halloween party does have lots of creepy things in it!

Kim, I never liked Halloween when my kids were little. It really seemed a bother to me. It wasn't until I worked at the elementary school that I had second thoughts about my feelings! I guess it is just like having grand kids that you can love and do and then send them home! Since my grandson grew up apart from us and we weren't able to be with him on Halloween, I guess I am just seeing it through other little kid's eyes now. There are times, though, that I absolutely hate getting off the couch, away from the TV to answer the door! Kai makes it fun as he loves to see the kids and trying to steal out of their bags.. This is just me and it is only just a stepping stone until the real fun..Christmas! xxoJudy

I love Halloween! I don't do any of the typical Halloween decor....spiders, webs, skeletons, etc., but our home is decorated with Fall decor and lots of pumpkins. Until we moved to this home in this neighborhood, we had never had more than a handful of trick-o-treaters. Here, we get a couple hundred and it turns in to a very festive evening. All the neighbors sit outside to pass out candy and we stroll around chatting with each other. Okay, this is because Halloween usually signals cooler weather (70's) after a scorching hot summer when no one poked their heads out of their houses. So, yes, I love Halloween!

Hugs,
Carol

I'm not crazy about Halloween. I did my duty with my kids, now it's their turn. I haven't had trick or treaters in years.
Brenda

I made costumes for my children for Halloween every year. The closest either ever came to a store bought costume was the year my son was Darth Vader. I had bought the mask and saber at the previous year's after Halloween sale. The rest of the costume was homemade. One year the kids channeled
Bettlejuice. I made cheerleader costumes for my daughter and three of her friends and my son was the football coach.....all "dead" of course. They never asked for a store bought costume and reminisce to this day about all the different and unique costumes I made for them over the years. Both of my children loved and still love Halloween. My son-in-law called earlier today to see if I had a red tie....a last minute costume for a last minute party. He and my daughter were going as Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane. My son was dressing up as Jake from State Farm, lol! They're 35, 33 and 32. The hubs and I took them trick or treating as children and to the occasional Halloween/costume party. But, as much as I enjoyed making costumes and as much as I like spooky movies and ghoulish stuff, Halloween has never been something that I've gotten excited about. I'll be content to watch Stranger Things and eat popcorn tonight with my feet up and the front porch light turned off!

Hi,
This is our first year back to trick or treating. A few years ago we had a kid fall down our steps dumping all his candy. He fell because his siblings were pushing to get to the door. Well after that we needed a break.
So here we are tonight. So far so good. ;-) We have had 14 kids so far.
Trick or Treat
Carla

I'm going to admit, I'm not a huge fan of Halloween either. We've had quite a few trick or treaters tonight and I'm officially out of candy and glad it's over until next year.

LOLOL!!! oh come on dearest bean! tell us how you really feel!
this was wonderful. and of course you already know how glad I am you withdrew the giant black SPIDER!!! XO♥

No matter if you like Halloween or not, you posted a very interest Halloween post. Thank you for sharing your feelings with all of us. Kisses, my friend.

Its Halloween here and it cold, windy and overcast. I use to be into it back when the kids in the neighborhood were young but now not so much. And we've gotten older and save our energy for Christmas! Happy Halloween!

Not my favorite holiday either, as others have said. I hate the spiders & emphasis on death & skeletons & such. I remember as a kid thinking, "oh those poor people inside the house...they're too old to get out here & trick-or-treat." I'm so glad I don't have to now! We've had more kids than usual this year. Maybe it's b/c I decorated. The hubby is on candy duty & I'm dozing in the recliner.

When our adult kids were little we did Trick or Treating, until one year. That year my daughter who was sensitive about people in masks or costumes anyway, got traumatized by a dad handing out candy. This guy was dress up all gorey with an ax in his head and bloody. We were done. After that we'd go get pizza on Halloween and go to my parents house to have a candy hunt. Now we as a family have an annual Fall Fest we host that includes hay rides etc. Its not on the 31st but the Sunday closest to it. Many people are happy to have an alternative to participate in.

Growing up, I loved Halloween and when my daughter was little I enjoyed getting her ready for it. I think my favorite costume for her was a ‘housewife’...curly wig, housedress with big fake boobs, feather duster, fluffy slippers...you get the picture. When I was little in syosset there were so many trick or treaters my mother didn’t have time to go to the bathroom. It was crazy but fun. Now, we haven’t had to buy candy for years! Even when we lived in Westchester there were so few kids coming we only needed to buy one or two bags of candy and had leftovers! I like to see the small kids dressed up and having fun, but the bigger ones need to stay home ;).

As for decorations, I’m not a huge fan either and never really decorated for Halloween. Most of the decorations look tacky so just some mums and pumpkins are what I used.

xxx

The one thing I loved about Halloween when my kids were little was taking them trick-or-treating. They loved dressing up and running from door to door, collecting candy. We'd always go with friends and bring along thermoses of hot chocolate to keep us warm. Simply a happy, fun time. Now that I don't have any little kids or grandkids, Halloween is no big deal to me. I don't decorate for it, but I do enjoy seeing all the kids at my door. We didn't have many - we never do - but they were all so cute and polite. If we ever have a grandkid, I would love to take him/her trick-or-treating again.

It's your break time, Kim. Enjoy it. When you have grand kids it will start all over. LOL EVERYTHING will start all over :) From your furniture getting trashed again, to the heart-stopping worries about possible accidents, to...just all of it. So enjoy this pause...because I can assure you, it won't last. Seize the moment :)

Hah!! Not what I was expecting to read Kim!! I am at the opposite end of the spectrum. Because I was deprived for some 20 years I love Halloween. This is the first time my girls got to experience it and they had a blast. They got all dressed up and handed out the candy. And I sat inside and grinned from ear to ear. I also had a small stash of candy that I was stuffing myself with. ;)

Halloween was fun when the kids were participating but now that they are grown I don't really miss it. No decorating. No trick or treaters. We have never had kids stop at our house. I live in the country and when the kids were going door to door we would drive into town and 'do' the neighborhood that I grew up in. That neighborhood was one of 'those' and it was fun to go back and say hello to the old neighbors, many have lived in those same houses for 40-50+ years. I am now content to let others having their fun.

LOL, I love this post. I am not a grinch, but I don't pass out candy because we are out with our daughter. We go every Halloween and visit this sweet elderly couple. My girl loves to see them and they love when we come to visit for a while. Afterwards, we come home and watch a Halloween movie. It's a fun night for us.

For me, the fun of Halloween was seeing it through the eyes of the grandchildren ...

Wishing you a Happy November!

All the best Jan

I am not...nor have I EVER been a halloween person. I don't think kiddos need all of that candy, so I pass out small packets of pretzels, whistles, pads and pencils...anything that is not sweet.
One year a young boy left my porch only to holler down the street at his buddies...."Hey, come up here, this chick's got whistles". Their Mothers probably hated me, but I loved the "tweet tweet's" that I heard all evening, neighborhood wide :^)
Blessings,
J

I prefer fall to Halloween, too, Teri. It's a lovely time of year, but the hype of Halloween is not my thing. November Blessings to you too, my friend!