60-day returns • free shipping on USA orders $129+
Must…get…through…this…day!
- This topic has 16 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 5 months ago by
.
- Posts
I am totally looking forward to bedtime today. We do not celebrate “Halloween” for spiritual reasons, but my kids were supposed to go to another family’s house for pizza and a movie. The dad got sick, so no party. I am trying to have a movie night here, and my dad is planning to take the kids to a local restaurant for dessert in a little while, but 12yo ds is driving me nuts today.
My daughters understand and accept our beliefs that Halloween rituals are something we have chosen not to participate in. My son, however, has been talking non-stop about dressing in costume and going trick-or-treating and watching a horror movie (the “slasher” type). Of course, his dad has no objection to anything Halloween, so I know he’s been hearing “Oh, you should go out and trick-or-treat” over there. DS has been going with me on errands and appointments today, and what’s driving me nuts is how everywhere we’ve gone today, people keep asking him what he’s dressing up as or if he’s looking forward to trick-or-treat. Auuuuggghhhh!!!
I can’t wait until it’s November….then I can listen to non-stop talk about Christmas, which I’d much rather hear!
Hang in there! My kids aren’t a problem but I’ve been hearing nonstop for days (this is from church friends!) “Oh, Halloween is so wonderful! Oh, I love Halloween! My kids are going to be X, Y, and Z–what are your kids going to be?” We were friendly and went on Friday to our church’s “Halloween Alternative” activity, a trunk-or-treat. We bring candy and sit on our trunks (or at our church, in the backs of our vans, lol) and pass out candy. The costumes were SUPPOSED to be all positive. My family chose not to dress in costume (we’ve done that for TEN YEARS at least, lol) and we took endless flak from people for being too “uptight.” And this is from people with kids dressed as vampires at a “positive costume” event. GRRRRRRRRRR! You won’t believe the stuff I heard. “But a vampire is a LITERARY CHARACTER!” Um, yeah, right. We are currently hiding in the dark so no one will think our porch light is on and hit us up for candy which we don’t have. If anyone does stop by I’m giving them dental floss. LOL I’m all ready for November too–Thanksgiving, blessed Thanksgiving, and then peaceful Advent. We’re almost there, Sue, hang on!
We too are sitting in a darkened house and refuse to answer the door. We have never celebrated Halloween, the girls did not grow up with it so never felt they were missing out. However I see all the money spent on candy and frankly vile decorations, the going from door to door and to be honest I wonder what is the matter with people…it seems a complete wast of time to me, apart from the origins of the event being not to my taste. It will be over for another year soon, and then the more wholesome festivities can begin…..I feel for all of us who think of this day as not wholesome and not necessary. Linda
Ditto for us!! I had to go put a sign on our door that said “no candy here” because even though our light is off and all blinds closed they still rang our doorbell! We have neighbors who have a rowdy party every Saturday before so this weekend we rented a cabin in the Smokies and played board games all night! It’s sad that we have to get away but we live in a subdivision and no matter how many times I call the police it’s still a sleepless night. I can’t wait to move out of the city!! We love fall and Thanksgiving at our house and we look forward to it each year and we try not to let this night spoil the season for us but it’s so frustrating!
My Mom gifted us a beautiful Nativity set this week. We set it up tonight with delight…maybe a new family tradition.
We are there with you too. My dh is not a Christian anymore. He was totally for no Halloween until 5 yrs ago. Now my son who is 10 kicks back on it too. We’ve never celebrated it and have talked about why over and over again. But, he wants to be like his dad now so there is no winning. I tried to play Christmas music today during the horrified screams coming from the kids out on our streat but couldn’t find the box with the CD’s in it. Oh well.
ROFL at the dental floss, Bookworm! Had to share that with dh.
Actually, this is our first year of not doing anything for halloween. I used to think it was fun and harmless and we did not do any of the horror stuff or bad costumes and decorations. This year we went to a fall pumpkin patch, but no halloween. I was talking to an elderly lady at church about why we don’t do halloween anymore. She could not see the harm in it. She had done it as a little girl years ago. My ds7 says to her, “I don’t think Jesus would have celebrated it.” This year, my eyes were opened to the truth behind it, Praise the Lord. So pray for those who do not understand; that they would receive wisdom and understanding of the truth behind it. What I used to see as cute and harmless is not anymore. As Barney Fife says, “Give them 50 (mph), they’ll take 55. Nip it in the bud. NIP IT IN THE BUD.”
Happy November!
I guess we’re kind of lucky. Because we have lived overseas in developing countries for most of my kids’ lives, they are still clueless about what Halloween is. This year we ARE in the US, but we are staying with my parents this week (who thankfully share our feelings about Halloween). We turned off the porch light, and they don’t have many kids in their neighborhood anyway, so we didn’t get a single knock on the door last night. Just a quiet evening. Like the rest of you, I enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas ever so much more….onward and upward!
Jen
I think it depends on your community. My neighborhood is mostly a quiet, church going family community. Little kids dress up and go to door to door, and we get to visit with each other. It is all done quite tastefully. But I realize that this is probably not the norm. I was telling hubby last night we are so blessed to live in this area of our town. And as for the evilness of Halloween, I think our litte neck of the woods has overcome it with kindness.
I read the history of Halloween to the kids and it is another great learning experience. But I also read about Martin Luther for Reformation day, and that is even better!!
Happy November 1st everyone!
Our family spent the evening at our church’s fall festival. They had bounce houses, food, carnival games, a hayride, music and a cakewalk. It was all free (which I loved) and it was good, wholesome fun for the whole family. I don’t think just because we are christians that we should have to lock ourselves in our house and hide. My family and I do not and will not participate in the pagan beliefs behind Halloween. However, it has become a time for our church family to get together and have fun as we do many times throughout the year. My church and my family has taken this day back for “Him” up above!
Happy November!
I personally don’t have too much trouble with some of Halloween, and like the idea of fun dressing up, but it’s so overdone (like a lot…) But this year in particular I am very glad it is over. We live near a US military base overseas and the on-base grocery store, where I do my shopping, had horrid decorations that terrified my just-turned-two-year-old. For a month we had to do U-turns in half the aisles to avoid the front displays or he would scream and try to climb up my chest! Luckily they had started to bring in some fall stuff last week and the kids liked spotting the raccoons and such, but I am hoping this week the ugly bat, spider, and vampire will be GONE!
We actually didn’t do any Halloween events the American community had going on here. Trust me, my four-year-old who never sleeps doesn’t need the candy! We decided to make some costumes and have a dress-up day at home, just for fun. And of course I had to snag a wee bit of candy when I was at the store…
Our food allergies and homeschooling have caused me to sit back and reflect on what we are teaching our children through traditions, and in some cases, “going with the flow” from our public school days. We changed our entire approach to Halloween this year – we never ever did the scary and nasty stuff – but the trick or treating was out the last couple of years.
So, this year our focus was a dress-up service day. We made cupcakes and the girls delivered them to shut-ins from our church. It made everyone’s day – the shut-ins and the kids. They have already said that they want to do it again next year. Since we have always dressed up, I am not going to not do it. It seems just a bit hypocritical to tell my children that dressing up as a princess is okay everyday – except Halloween, and on that day it is evil.
We ended our Day of Service with a party at home – holiday treats and games at home with each other (and my SIL – my brother died a couple of months ago and we are trying to help her not be quite so lonely). At this point in history, I think the day itself is what you make it become – and what it will stand for in your children’s minds.
- The topic ‘Must…get…through…this…day!’ is closed to new replies.