Happy Halloween

[Lord Twig]

Originally Posted by Chaot

I ended up staying home, sick. Watched 'The Dunwich Horror.' Took the wee one and the very pregnant wife around the block for trick or treating. Woke up at 2 the next morning. Drove the wife to the hospital and had a bouncing baby boy! I was a couple of hours away from having a Halloween baby!

Congratulations!

My sons were born in June and July, both prime months for gifts. I was born on Valentines Day, which has worked out pretty well. I had to put up with heart shaped cakes when I was a kid, but now I get a bit of leeway with the wife about Valentines Day. I mean Valentines Day can't just be all about her, it's my Birthday after all!

[Nightshade]

My wife and I did as we usually do, and went out to one of the (relatively) local haunts, in this case the Old Town Haunt in Pasadena, CA.

[Triff]

Originally Posted by Chaot

Woke up at 2 the next morning. Drove the wife to the hospital and had a bouncing baby boy!

Congratulations!

I was a couple of hours away from having a Halloween baby!

Just as well you didn't. Maybe he would grow up to be a d20 player or something equally spooky!

SGL.

[Joseph Paul]

Triff what are the Haloween traditions in your neck of the woods?

Joseph Paul

[Triff]

No traditions at all. It was imported by our country's mercant a few years ago, and now everyone are bothered by the little critters begging for candy. There's also usually some costume parties going on, but other than that, no pumpkin, family dinner or whatelse marks this occation in the states. In Norway, it's fully at fully commercial holiday (actually, it's not a holiday either, no free! ).

SGL.

[jarulf]

Same here in Sweden and with everyone confused about when haloween actually is, kids come begging all week.
Many visit family graves to light candles on All Saints', not that that is a particularly old tradition either as I think it's from the 50s. There is also a tradition around Easter with kinds dressing up as witches and walk around begging for candy.

[Joseph Paul]

Ha! That's interesting. Hopefully they haven't learned about the 'trick part of 'trick or treating'.

Joseph Paul

[jarulf]

:-) Nah. No burning dog pooh, firecrackers in the mailbox or anything like that.

[Rurik]

Halloween is a great holiday, and now that I'm a parent I realize why it was always one of my favorites holidays.

I mean, I'd always thought Halloween was cool because Ghosts and Goblins and Witches and the like were cool - and there is something to be said for that.

And there is free candy, which rocks. But then Easter has free candy too, and while a fine holiday in itself, does not rock as much as Halloween by any measure.

What I think is really the root of Halloweens appealis that it is really the one holiday where kids are allowed to be whatever they want, where their sense of creativity and play are encouraged, and better yet, funded by their parents.

For most Holidays kids are dressed in their fine clothes, and eat fancy meals where they must be on their best behavior, etc. etc. On Halloween however, they can be a Wookie (albeit a short one), a Princess, a Power Ranger, a Skeleton, whatever they want. They can put on face paint and pour fake blood on themselves and run awaound with a big black cape saying "I vant to suck your blood!". How is that not awesome?

It is in fact very akin to LARPing, really. That's my take on it. So in those places it is a new holiday I encourage you have fun with it. How many holidays are just about fun these days?

[jarulf]

Originally Posted by Rurik

. How many holidays are just about fun these days?

I think the main objections to Halloween from people where the holiday doesn't really have a history is that it is so blatantly commercial here and means more work for parents (on costumes etc) and another reason for the kids to beg you to buy more stuff for them. That's the vibe I get anyway, it's less about having spooky fun than buying stuff.