Hallowe'en

In the states if you had your lights out or at last your porch light out.. you weren't giving out candy. end of story.. there wasn't any  'trick'  .. at least where we were

Perhaps that's why i never get any trick or treaters here, despite this neighbourhood being crawling with kiddies... we don't have a porch light!

I'm a little wary of the rise of Halloween over here. It's not part of the tradition and it seems a bit contrived. If people suddenly started celebrating bonfire night in the U.S. I would think WTF? I thought it was strange when I started seeing Christmas crackers in all the stores in the states. Personally, I don't look at any holiday as a grab bag of traditions. Vive la difference, I say (but don't spell).

And I've always loved Halloween. I think it's magic. But here in Britain? That said, I don't think there's an American conspiracy to shove Halloween down British throats.

I took my kids to a Halloween "fun day" this afternoon and it was great!  Our local gothic mansion (which is spooky on the sunniest of days  ) had a "witches trail" of brew items to collect, several games to play, face painting (my little ladybird had her face painted red with black dots) and a "haunted" part with corpses climbing out of coffins etc.  Halloween may not be authentic to England, but none of the happy kids we saw there today seemed to mind at all.   

Your haunted garden sounds fantastic, Tin. That's a unique and special offering to your neighbours.  Wish we lived in your neighbourhood.

i've noticed it's a much bigger deal here in the Western Highlands than it was in Edinburgh.

we got a newsletter that even Aillidh's nursery is having a costume party with food and punch - potluck.  she's going as a bride.  she has this wild idea she's going to marry the chap who plays Robin Hood in the new series - he's a bit old for her, but at least she has good taste .

and there were numerous events on in the area, including a very good one in a forest which unfortunately the girls were too young for at present.

we hope to have guisers this year - we bought sweeties, have carved pumpkins and i'm putting out some luminaras.

the cat will have to stay in, though.

I'm a little wary of the rise of Halloween over here. It's not part of the tradition and it seems a bit contrived. If people suddenly started celebrating bonfire night in the U.S. I would think WTF? I thought it was strange when I started seeing Christmas crackers in all the stores in the states. Personally, I don't look at any holiday as a grab bag of traditions. Vive la difference, I say (but don't spell).

And I've always loved Halloween. I think it's magic. But here in Britain? That said, I don't think there's an American conspiracy to shove Halloween down British throats.

I understand what you mean. We don't want every country to be the same and I think everyone here understands that England is different. However, throughout history people have been bringing their own traditions and foods to other countries and I think it's part of the territory when you have people move a lot, we all know how comforting it can be to have things that remind you of where you came from.

I think there are worse things that England can get from the US than Halloween.

I'm a little wary of the rise of Halloween over here. It's not part of the tradition and it seems a bit contrived.

But the origins of the holiday are from these islands!!!

Here's an interesting commentary that is in The Guardian today:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2201145,00.html

(she's American which is noted at the end)

But the origins of the holiday are from these islands!!!

Here's an interesting commentary that is in The Guardian today:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2201145,00.html

(she's American which is noted at the end)

Yes but the commercial aspect and the trick or treating didn't origate here.  When I was little people had hallowe'en parties but you could't buy all the decoratsions etc in the shops that you can now. You couldn't even get pumpkins, I had a swede lantern! The article is right though, what we have now is not really the American tradition either, it's a bastardisation.

Your haunted garden sounds fantastic, Tin. That's a unique and special offering to your neighbours.  Wish we lived in your neighbourhood.

Thanks Airmom, that's really nice of you to say.  I wish you lived in our neighborhood too!  Not enough foreigners livin' 'round these parts... 

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween everyone!   <--my virtual costume

I'm working tonight so it'll be interesting to see what we get over the night.

I don't think there's an American conspiracy to shove Halloween down British throats.

I feel like I've spent all day trying to explain that Halloween isn't some American abomination that I carried across the Atlantic with me like a virus, that Halloween where I lived in the US didn't consist of un-costumed teenagers going door-to-door asking for money, that not all Halloween costumes are witches or ghosts, that it's not a Christian fundamentalist holiday (don't know WHERE that comes from...something about how it's celebrated only by people who believe in devils and ghosts), and that not all holidays celebrated in America are about greed and/or violence. 

Anyway, I've never been big on Halloween, and I don't like the way it seems to be celebrated here (though what I've read about guising in Scotland sounds interesting).   My husband and I carved a pumpkin last year, but otherwise I don't do anything for Halloween.

I am Italian and I lived in the US for many years while there my kids missed out of many holiday and traditions that just don't exist in the US like Carnevale, The picnic the Sunday after Easter.....It was sad for me but I was living in a different country with different traditions and just because Halloween is the same holiday it doesn't me that it's celebrated the same way. When I was growing up in Italy Halloween didn't exist , now they have parties at school for it but that' it. Definally not trick-or-treat. I did enjoy it in the US but in Italy I like to celebrate Italian holidays.  Unfortunally it's part of living in a different country and I definally would not choose where I want to live only according to if they celebrate Halloween or not

I just had two adorable little skeletons and their dad at my door, I gave them some candy and they were so grateful! I am so glad when its little kids and not teenagers. I am so excited that people here love Halloween (at least they do where I am) and I think its just lots of fun for the kids.

The only thing that bothers me is why do British people think you have to dress up as a ghoul or a goblin or a witch or something, I sent my son to nursery in a robot costume today...nothing goblinish or ghoulish about that.