I am a Halloween Scrooge.
I do not like the holiday or the costumes or the associated
festivities. I am a rational, educated
man.
I do not believe that on this night the boundary between the
living and the dead is somehow merged. (I
do not believe there is such a boundary in the first place.) I do not believe that we need to mask ourselves
to remain safe from ghosts. I do not
believe that a day of support for fear mongering is a good thing. I do not believe that simply awarding
children candy is a good thing. I do not
believe awarding children candy because they threaten me with some sort of
prank is a good thing. ‘Tis the night of
institutionalized begging by masked small humanoids accompanied by blackmail
and veiled threats. And the payoff to
avoid the threat is candy, not a substance I promote giving to children. Why would I promote such an annual event? Trick or Treat? How dare you!
Is this a religious or a secular holiday? It began as a religious holiday of sorts but
now is pretty much all secular unless one is a tithing member of a coven or a deacon in a satanic church. 25% of all
the candy sold in the US will be sold in preparation for this event. I look at the revenue generated by cards,
decorations, costumes, etc., and I see another commercialization of what may
have been an interesting event 2,000 ago but is no longer needed today. I look at other secular holidays and
rejoice. Thanksgiving is a wonderful
notion. The 4th of July is a
wonderful celebration. Even Mother’s Day
is highly appropriate despite the commercial overtones and the perk for
restaurants. I see no such benefit in
Halloween.
I get it that the Celts believed all this malarkey 2,000
years ago. I get it that October 31 is
celebrated as the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. Though of Scottish origins, I am not
Celtic. Any other day of the year a
masked person at my door threatening me with pranks if I do not give them
something would result in a 9-1-1 call.
Not tonight. We have
institutionalized this bribery.
I am an educator. I
would love to have as much parent involvement in our schools as we will have on
our streets tonight. Entire families will
walk miles to reinforce all these negative behaviors in children, and the same
parents will not show up at the schools when we invite them in to share all the
good things we are doing for their kids. What is up with that?
Yes, I am a Halloween Scrooge. I shall not be masking up and harassing my
neighbors. I do not believe dead people
are floating around tonight. In my
profession the harvest is in late May or early June, so I have none of that to
celebrate. Are we sure we want to
celebrate and reinforce the practices of Halloween? I do not think so.
And yet, I am all talk.
I will not scare the children at my door. I will give them candy. I am both a Scrooge and a Halloweenie. I will succumb to the peer pressure and
promote bad habits in children. Just
this one night. I should be ashamed.
Be safe out there tonight.
Masked blackmailers and beggars are afoot.
I with you for the most part, but I sure like the candy, preferably the chocolate...I tend not to think about the historical significance as I indulge in that dark chocolate Snickers bar that my kids won't eat. Can't wait...
ReplyDeleteOur street is full of families and children all dressed up in costumes! As the little and not so little come up the walk, I love seeing some of the originality and imagination in putting these outfits together!! Is there something to the idea that our neighborhood is called " Sleepy Hollow"?? A family down the street has created a scary Bates Motel that they plan and have put together for the past 20 years. Scarily dressed folks jump out at you, blasts of air, spiders, huge rats in the flower bed, - people come from all around to see it. Mr and Mrs. Dracula greet you at another house. The headless horseman at another. We get it here - it is FUN!!
ReplyDeleteMaybe it is because I taught Kindergarten so long, but in observing the Home Living or Dress up Center for years, and seeing my own sons enjoy being Superman, a spider or Pinocchio, a fireman, policeman and now my granddaughters love dressing as a princess, a fairy, Mary Poppins. Later they want to be a Vampire or even a witch or a monster. Is this really so bad?? We love being someone else for a little while, trying out what it would be like to actually Be one of these people.
Maybe begging for candy is just an excuse to get out and be something we will never be! When I was growing up, I always loved Halloween. Our Dad would sometimes come home from work wearing a scary mask. Our family usually dressed up - my mother often made costumes. I made costumes for my sons and always put on a little party for the children on our block so that they could show off their outfits and act out their fun!
Maybe that is why my husband and I have been having a party on Halloween every year for the past 3 or 4 years for several friends and our extended families. We eat taco soup and take turns handing out candy while we visit - the grandchildren come over and show their costumes and enjoy giving out candy as well as getting it!! My husband has one daughter who does not participate because her husband was once involved in the occult ( as he describes it) and now is a minister who is extremely opposed to any type of Halloween celebration. Those grandchildren have been taught that they must stay indoors and watch movies while all of the frolicking of little make believe goblins goes on outside their windows. I understand in a way, but in another - maybe some people have made too much of something that has just become a way to escape from the everyday humdrum of life!
Thanks, Dinah, for sharing your view. I hear you. Wish I could feel the same way about this "holiday" but I do not. I know kids love it, and many parents really get into it. I remain the scrooge. Thanksgiving and Christmas are my holidays!
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