Halloween Curmudgeon

Why is it that someone who loves costumes as much as I do, has such mixed feelings about Halloween? I love this holiday. I love dressing up and helping my kids dress up. I love going to the pumpkin patch and picking out the perfect pumpkin. I love the taste of freshly baked pumpkin seeds. So why do I spend most of October agonizing about all the negatives about Halloween. Here's a list to enjoy with your candy hangover.

• Kids costumes reinforce gender stereotypes.
• Kids costumes are too expensive.
• I don't have the time or skill to make my children's costumes.
• Toddler costumes rely too much on a cute hat that my kids will not keep on their heads.
• Women's costumes are too sexy.
• Candy rots your teeth.
• Trick or Treating teaches your child to take candy from strangers.
• When stores offer a "safe trick or treating experience," it's just a cheap advertising ploy.
• Neighborhood teenagers ring the doorbell too late and wake up my kids.
• Pumpkin seeds are way to hard to separate from pumpkin pulp.

Comments

[Chris]

I know exactly what you mean about the taking candy from strangers part. We fully expected our youngest, Gillian, to be afraid and/or shy about the whole trick or treating thing. Instead, she's bravely walking up (and practically into people's houses) with her bag out to get candy. Very eye-opening.

[Mark Lees]

Megan here are the answers to your worries over Halloween:

* Kids costumes reinforce gender stereotypes.
Nothing wrong with this. Men and women are different.

* Kids costumes are too expensive.
True. But there are many ways to come up with less expensive costumes.

* I don't have the time or skill to make my children's costumes.
Cut yourself some slack. You can't do everything. You are a good mother.

* Toddler costumes rely too much on a cute hat that my kids will not keep on their heads.
One word = Velcro

* Women's costumes are too sexy.
Some are, but you don't have to wear them.

* Candy rots your teeth.
Not if eaten in moderation and you brush alot.

* Trick or Treating teaches your child to take candy from strangers.
Not if you teach them that you only do it on Halloween and that your parent's are with you and only if it is a Snickers.

* When stores offer a "safe trick or treating experience," it's just a cheap advertising ploy.
True. Just don't purchase anything from that store.

* Neighborhood teenagers ring the doorbell too late and wake up my kids.
Pit bull on the porch.

* Pumpkin seeds are way to hard to separate from pumpkin pulp.
Two words; Store and David's.

[Natasha]

Your statement about halloween reinforcing gender stereo types caught my eye.

If you can convince your kids to go for the scarier side of halloween (boys AND girls) then the gender issue can be removed (i.e. no dainty princesses etc).

If you cant and your daughter still wants to dress up as cinderella, well then the gender reinforcement has already been ingrained.

Just an idea.

[George]

When I was growing up in the 1940s and 1950s in Berwyn, just west of Chicago, I always wore a homemade costume my mother made for me for Halloween.

For example, one year she used red Rit dye to color a pair of my Jockey briefs and a sheet, then trimmed the sheet into a cape, and made a removable "S" for my navy blue sweatshirt. I threw on my outfit, grabbed a shopping bag, shouted "Up, up and away!" and began my rounds.

Usually, I left home about 6:30, right after dinner, and made two or three trips around my neighborhood, dropping off a shopping bag at home after each trip. The bags were filled with all kinds of candy and treats--homemade popcorn balls, fudge, small brownies, cookies, or small bags of potato chips or pretzels.

Around 8:30, my parents and I walked along the alley by our house for two short blocks to 31st and East, where there was an open football/baseball field. Volunteers stacked wood high and, at nine o'clock, they set it ablaze. The kids in their costumers and their parents gave a big cheer.

We watched the bonfire for awhile, then walked back home. I sifted through my bags and sorted my candy, enough to take with my school lunches for the next month or so, with plenty left over for late afternoon snacks.

We never worried about a sicko putting razor blades in fudge or brownies or some pervert hurting us. In those days, I knew everyone on our block and most of the people on the neighboring blocks. My parents knew most of them, too.

There were two cranky old ladies, whom we called "crabs," living across the street from one another at the end of our block. They never gave us any treats. Our parents told us to leave them alone, but some nasty kids always threw rolls of toilet paper over their houses. I wonder who they were?

Today, I live in a two-story apartment building in Los Angeles along a busy boulevard. When I moved in eleven years ago, I bought several bags of candy for Halloween, because so many chilren live in my neighborhood. But no one ever knocked on my door. And no one ever has on Halloween.

Why? I learned after that Halloween that the kids in the neighborhood dress up in their costumes and go to Halloween parties at their schools or churches or someone's home. Their parents do not allow them to go "trick or treating" around their neighborhood. It is simply too dangerous in these times.

That is very sad.

[mlgreen8753]

Nothing wrong with cheap advertising ploys as long as they are delivering what they say will. It's a common business practice to offer something free or cheap with a backend upsell. For example, http://www.adwido.com offers a free advertisng packages but they also have upgrades. That's just good business.

[Jean]

Oh dear it Halloween ! that's only the time where we enjoy and eat candies and do all stuff. We do not enjoy that staff later, so leave your concerns a side and enjoy because its HALLOWEEN

[Jordan 1]

I like the style of your article! I was shocked that you think it!

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"Neighborhood teenagers ring the doorbell too late and wake up my kids" that'a problem.

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i also like the holiday, it can be release my nervous mood.

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"# Women's costumes are too sexy.
# Candy rots your teeth." Totaly agree that! Aha.

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