Tink's Mom

I still think it's fine for the younger kids...I just made up some special little baggies for the kids nextdoor....but,after 14 years old...PLLLEEEAAASSSEEEE...don't come to my door dressed in your regular every day clothes with a pillowcase.
I turn out the livingroom and porchlights after 8pm...trying to discourgage the teens

Greenheron

Love it, love it, my favorite secular holiday. We get very few teens but if they come to my door, they are welcome. I'd love to dress up and go door-to-door again.

Scraps

I HATE Halloween - Yes, the little ones are cute and have fun dressing up and getting candy, but I'm glad our community doesn't allow "door to door" anything. Look up the meaning of Halloween and you'll wonder how we ever started celebrating it! Yes, my sons dressed up and went trick or treating. AND I made Halloween door hangings for the grand kids this year.

Deb watkins

I am with you on this one..neighborhood parties for the kids is one thing, but I hate the thought of dressing up a kid to send them out to (in a real sense) beg for candy from others. I have had some look at me and say "Is that all I get"?..... If you want candy that bad, go by a bag....

Amythyst02

Halloween is a great time of the year for the little kids, I remember being a child and Trick or Treating!! What fun to come home and empty the sack and look at all the treats. Sadly times have changed and its hard to let the kids go out and have fun. I think its fine, as long as they are accompanied by a parent.

Lisanne

I totally support Halloween. I loved dressing up and trick-or-treating around my neighborhood, and then, of course, getting to eat the treats (mostly candy) afterward.

Okay, we all know that candy isn't good for you, but c'mon, once in a while you ought to be able to just have as much as you want, and then in moderation for days afterward. The whole meaning of treat is something you love that you don't get often. Not everything has to always be nutritional - sometimes we (kids) just want to enjoy eating.

And, yeah, there are safety risks, but there are ways to guard against them. Better to take precautions than to totally forego the fun.

As for the ghoulish theme of Halloween, if you object, then don't participate, or focus on the harvest aspect of it and decorate with pumpkins rather than jack-o-lanterns, and let your kids dress up as princesses and puppy dogs rather than witches and ghosts. Let them trick-or-treat at only known friends' houses or have a party with popcorn and apple cider.

Mad Mimm

I am curious - what is the "real message?"

As for trick or treating, I take my son around our neighborhood only. It has allowed us to meet the people around us that we might not otherwise meet, and feel more deeply connected to our community. We will take our 7 month old in costume but do not take candy on his behalf. My son has been taught to accept only 1 piece of candy, say trick or treat and thank you, and will not be allowed to trick or treat after he reaches middle school age. We have neighbors who host parties and we love to participate - again, rather than exposing my child to unnecessary harm and risk, he is gaining a sense of connection to his community.

There are plenty of houses who turn lights off and choose not to participate. We don't bother those houses. With the cost of candy being what it is, we sometimes go to the party store and buy party favors to hand out as an alternative. Interestingly, those are some of my son's favorite goodies.

Just because they knock on your door does not mean you have to hand over the candy folks. This is not a shake-down. If the teenager with the pillowcase is not wearing a costume or too old in your opinion, smile and say so.

Halloween is a fun time for kids and it should not be dampened because stodgy folks worry that the devil is at play. If you look at the history of the holiday, it derives from two main sources: The Celtic festival known as Samhain, which was traditionally a harvest festival that celebrated the summer bounty and provided an opportunity to take stock of that bounty in preparation for winter (oooohh, doesn't that sound EVIL?). And the Christian holy days known as All Saints' Day, which was a time devoted to honoring the departed and praying for the souls of those who had not yet reached heaven. Most Wiccans and other neo-Pagans celebrate the harvest aspect of the holiday, much in the same way most other folks do- again, I'd love it if someone could explain to me what is so evil about celebrating the bounty of the earth and praying for the souls of the departed?

Children are taught the traditions of their families and these traditions include holiday celebrations of all kinds. That is why I love the fact that people have so many ways they can choose to celebrate. Local church celebrations, school functions, neighborhood parties, trick or treating, staying home. You get to choose how you and your children celebrate.

As for me, bring on the trick or treaters. They will get a smile and a piece of candy here!

Nanamoms

I don't really like Halloween either. I have not passed out candy in the last couple of years. I live alone and although I live in a safe neighborhood, I don't want to open the door to just anyone. I especially hated it when I opened the door and it was teenagers bigger than me. In our area, a lot of the churches do Fall Festivals and the schools will do something similar. I don't mind that part at all. Most of the younger children go out before dark and usually quit by about 7 pm. I like to see the cute little kids in their costumes but don't like the scary ones. I don't like the real meaning of Halloween. So lights out at my house tonite!! My DGC will only visit their neighbors in their small subdivision and then the candy will be checked and a lot put up for later times.

MIJul

Thank you, Mad Mimm - you said it perfectly! I'm a church secretary who LOVES Halloween, getting dressed up and going with the grandkids trick or treating. My house is decorated to the hilt and I love seeing it every day.

Just have fun. You can't have too much of that! :-)

romanojg

I totally agree. Most don't even celebrate it (like most holidays) for why it's there anyways so what's the big deal. I've never discussed this holidays meaning with my kids; just that its a day to dress up and have clean fun;like St Patty's day. I try to make sure my kids know what the meaning of Easter and Christmas are and to me that's important that they know these meanings and that your actions are more important than what you get. Halloween is a day to dress up and have fun. It should be supervised since we can no longer not do so with the changing of times. Enjoy if you chose so and don't if you don't want to but let others have thier day of good clean fun.