Am I just a 'Grumpy Old Woman' ?

I wish it was in August; at least young children wouldn't be running around in the dark [which always worries me].

At least Halloween doesn't start in August - or even July, like Christmas in September. I can't make out whether I'm a grumpy old woman (well, actually, I know I am) or whether I'm merely jealous of all the diversions for the children these days. Halloween, I'm sure, was unheard of in the 40s and 50s when I was really young, Bonfire Night was on 5 November, not before and not after, and Christmas was three days - Eve, Day and Boxing Day. New Year was a sort of diversion, if you call being the only youngster at the Methodist Chapel social followed by the Watch Night Service at 11.45 pm, only just awake, and all the adults high on orange squash, a diversion. And don't get me started on Proms - a quick whip round with an autograph book and home. School - end of! But live and let live - as long as they don't make a noise and frighten the horses ...............

I used to buy sweets for any trick or treaters but none ever came around. (so I just HAD to eat them!). Last year I didn't bother only for two sweet little witches to knock on my door (accompanied by their Dad), I did have some individually wrapped choc cakes which I was planning to take to a friend so I gave them to the little witches.

This year I have again bought the sweets, wonder if the witches will return!

I'm all for a party too, but I don't see why we need so many commercially driven excuses to have one.

Sainsbury's is selling, amongst other things, "creepy cakes", bumper bags of Trick or Treat sweets, etc. etc. Asda has a huge range of Halloween "accessories", including children's "blood-spattered tights", "animal beating heart", "demon-faced clown masks" - the list goes on - and then, of course, there are all the packs of barbeque and party food.

So shop and supermarket staff who dress up in these ridiculous costumes are all part of the push to sell these products.

I don't like the landfill tat but I do enjoy the goblins blood soup (pea soup)the worms and dragons poo and a pudding of evil intent for the DGC

You'd be very welcome, jinglbellsfrocks! They'll probably need a substitute nana by then as I'll have knocked myself out cold on the "Beware all who enter" sign now hanging above the kitchen door. You'd have thought I'd have learnt by the third time, or the fourth, or the fifth....

Must admit, I've seen some impressive pumpkin carving. I like that bit, the Jack-o-lantern thing. The rest, nah. I just don't like grim and ghoulish. And one can make kids excited about something any time.

I love your post, pompa

Yes, I remember carving turnips. And the pong as they burned.

I wanna come to yours maggiemaybe!!!

Or even

Well, I'm up for it - any excuse for a party. I'm about to decorate the house with the tasteful but pricey Emma Bridgewater witches and bats I invested in last year and the huge pile of jolly Hallowe'en tat I bought yesterday in Poundland for £14 (I retired in September - taste the difference!). Then I've got two pumpkins to carve. We don't get many trick or treaters as we're off the beaten track - just the littlish ones from our street - but I'm keeping it all up as we're having the grandbabies and their oldies round on Sunday for a spooky tea.

We'll be having pumpkin and tomato soup served in a plastic cauldron, with a cream spider's web drizzled on top if my hand's steady enough, mummified frankfurters and pizzas, spider buns and gingerdeadmen, strawberries disguised as ghosts in white chocolate, banana ghouls, mini pumpkin tangerines and whatever else my devious mind can think of. I'm really looking forward to it, sad nana that I am! Oh, and I shall certainly be wearing my witch's outfit and brandishing my broomstick. I've already got the cantankerous, hissing black cat that the children know to keep well away from.

I do remember taking part in some Hallowe'en traditions back in my 60s childhood. Apple bobbing, throwing peel over your shoulder to find the initials of your true love, looking in the mirror at midnight hoping (or not) to see his face over your shoulder (gulp!). Games that involved the dark and a dead witch and passing round grapes for eyes, wool for hair etc. Carving turnips - now that was a labour of love, and the house stank for days once the candle inside had scorched the flesh. [thismile]

I think you'll find, pompa, that we kept the essence of it here, as Halloween, All Hallows Eve, Samhain and guising. It was to do with the harvest. The church took it over to encourage lots of illiterates to darken their doors. It was originally a pagan festival, much like Christmas.

DD and a friend are holding a Halloween party this afternoon at a local hall (so there is no mess at home!). I am ambivalent about it all but, nevertheless, have been on a hunt for lychees this morning (eyeballs) and was persuaded to buy nasty things to attach to fingernails . The children are so excited about it, so no doubt I will join in as the Wicked Witch with gusto when the time comes. I am usually a GOW and if I were at home, I would be turning off the lights and pretending I was out rather than endure a stream of little visitors on the doorstep...

So we spent hundreds of years trying to pass it off on someone, then we found America, hoora they wanted it, good riddance.

THEN, we go and import it back again, are we stupid or what ?

I quite like Halloween although I would never dress up. I do put a pumkin outside the front door just to show that we are "Halloween friendly" and always buy heaps of sweeties for the local children. I can't see the harm in it at all.

Halloween comes from Celtic tradition. Even trick or treating was practised in this country before it was reimported from the US.
Halloween is older than America.

Can't join the GOW group. Yes, there's loads of crap that grace the shelves in an effort to part one from cash, but it's not just at Hallowe'en that this happens. I just pass on by. All the stuff is v. garish & ghoulish though which I dislike, along with the dressing up. Don't feel grumpy about it. Feel grumpy about the harrumhping.

And if I was fortunate enough to have my stateside grandchildren around at this time of year, I would be happy to buy into a bit of trash for a bit of fun - though thinking about it, I'd probably make it myself.

I was feeling decidedly grumpy trying to find a parking space in town yesterday and thought the council was wasting money stringing hallowe'en decorations across the road. Then I looked closer and spotted a snowman, lantern, Christmas pudding, reindeer.........FFS, it's still OCTOBER.....just

Halloween dressing up for adults FGS have they nothing better to do ? having said that my 73 year old sister bemoaned the fact that she couldn't purchase a Halloween card in our town centre

I have one friend in particular that, when we greet each other at 'that' time of year always start with 'Bah Humbug'.

You have just given me an idea Tegan. I will buy a plain white T shirt for DH, have GD's write BAH HUMBUG with fabric pens and present this to Grampa for Christmas

I don't like Halloween one bit. I'm getting too old now to enjoy flying around on my broomstick entertaining spoilt children. And have you seen the price of broomstick fuel?
It's just another commercial opportunity for supermarkets to fleece us,
but I must say I don't really care if their staff dress up.

I have a Bah Humbug placard thingy that floats around the house all year, not just at unowot time. It's currently hanging next to the pooter. Does that make me a grumpy old woman? [alas, I fear it does ]....

Pompa, I have just shared your post with DH. BIG MISTAKE. He is on a roll now, Halloween, Christmas, retail festivals........oh my poor ears