Hallowe’en decorations now?

My GDs aged 5 are loving it and I am too! Some people will always go OTT. It’s lovely to see them getting excited over some sweets!

Halloween seems to have overshadowed Guy Fawkes night now, which is a great shame in my opinion. I don't like Halloween, particularly the 'trick or treat' side of it, but I think I'm just old and grumpy.

Doesn't have to be commercial, lots of kids enjoy the crafting of decs and it gives them something to do on rainy days. I love to see the trick or treat kids out and about and at my door.

I am not keen on the American hype of everything but we don't have to do things their way.

At least 'cabbage night' has not come over from U.SA. - maybe just confined to New Jersey - and may it stay there. Unpopular people would find house and garden covered in eggs and flour and if there was a tree it would be t.peed, ie covered in loo paper overnight. This was a few days before Halloween.

All so over the top and Amercanised no disrespect to the US but it's ok for the young ones a bit of fun but not sure about the older ones they can be a problem.
My children loved it when they were little and so did my gd.
Just gone to far now.

My Halloween decorations used to be a ceramic pumpkin with candle lit placed on a bin in the front garden so children would feel welcome. Worked for a few years then last year some delightful ratbag egged the front of my house & took the pumpkin! Will try again this year with a new pumpkin but if the same happens then next year I will put all the lights out & hide behind the sofa as my neighbours do! Dont know what the ratbags would have done it I had more decorations out, probably wrecked them & stolen what couldnt be wrecked!

As a child with a Scottish Gran living in SE England we had a huge party at a local hall where she went for Scottish dancing during the year. Bobbing for apples, eating sticky buns hanging on strings, ghost stories etc.Lots of country dancing & all the family went. It was great!
Halloween is a long standing tradition but Trick or Treat is a US invention & like most things from that side of 'the 'pond' very tacky & nt something I think we should have encouraged. We are now stuck with it. Yes- houses near me have decorations in their windows already & my older GC ( 9-13) are very excited about dressing up & going out 'begging'. They don't live very near me but we will get children knocking on our door & I could not turn a child away without a sweetie- most come with their mums & dads & it is well organised &I know most of them anyway.
Interestingly when GC were staying this week I told them about the parties we used to have & they thought they were a fantastic idea & much better than trailing round the streets for a few sticky sweets!

Agree with Mawbroon etc. I can remember dunking for apples in an old tin bath with other kids in my mum's outhouse (not posh enough to be called a utility room!), and if my dad wasn't at work he'd sometimes make a turnip lantern as no pumpkins available then. Parents spend a fortune on it now. Maybe I'm an old grump too!

I agree MAWBROON. What is going on in this country that we have to adopt this silly business from America. The 31st October has always been the eve of All Souls Day to me and nothing else. Nobody seems to observe All Souls Day (1st November) except in Church. I no longer open the door on Halloween as it is all about money/material objects. The whole meaning of Christmas has already been obliterated by commercialism. So here we go again.

Lots of houses round here are already decorated. Luckily for me/us, being members of the grumpy old gits club, the custom in our village is to only knock on doors that have a lit pumpkin outside. Needless to say, none outside my house!

Well we’re having a family get together tomorrow at DS’s and our excuse this time is Hallowe’en. So my box of Hallowe’en tat has gone over there today to add to their own. I’ve made three small green-iced cakes for the older DGS to decorate - the best will win a prize - and we’ll be having a spooky treasure hunt, slightly scary stories (the oldest is 4 ) Hallowe’en bingo and yes, apple bobbing. My splendid witch’s outfit complete with spider’s web cloak and green tights is hanging up ready, my broomstick is polished and I can’t wait!

May we have Christmas first Imperfect ? ?

Halloween is a tradition that crossed the Atlantic and came back dressed in frills.
Brilliant definition Iam64!

Commercialism gone mad again. Yes, decorations on some of the houses near here. We too had a hollowed out pumpkin - and we played apple bobbin on Halloween - and that was that! Never mind, won't belong before all the black, purple and orange tat in the supermarkets gives way to ... Easter eggs!

Our family Halloween traditions included reading or telling ghost stories, bobbing for apples and later, dressing up. We never left the house and the idea of knocking on doors for sweeties or other treats never entered our heads. However, times move on don't they, whether we approve or not.
I'm a grumpy old bat and don't want children knocking on so I switch the lights off and spend the evening in the back of the house. One of my sisters loves it because she knows her neighbourhood children and stocks sweeties for them. My older as well as toddler grandsons will be dressing up and going to age appropriate parties - what fun.

When we were children in Scotland Halloween was a night for 'guising', visiting neighbours, doing a party piece and receiving sweets or nuts. There were parties where we had 'dooking' for apples. But it wasn't a major cause for celebration and certainly not for decoration. Halloween is a tradition that crossed the Atlantic and came back dressed in frills.

We always did a pumpkin with a nightlight inside it but nothing else.

I've never had Halloween decs even when DC were young. If I had, I would have done them on the day, although unless your having a party why would you
I have seen a few decorated houses this week.

Anyone want some plastic bunting?

I don’t see why anybody has to put up Hallowe’en decs at all
#grumpyoldgitsRus

I haven’t seen any as yet, but no, it’s not custom to do it before the day. Maybe it’s getting a bit like Christmas though, ie. they go up when anybody wants them up.?