Harvest instead of Halloween?

[imthatgirl]

I am not sure what you mean by that but a big misconception is that Catholics aren't Christians. Catholics believe that Jesus Christ himself began the Catholic church. Catholics are Christians!
Just wanted to clear that up!

huh? where did i say that catholics arent christian? im quite confused? i study religion of course i know that? she asked me where paganism fit into wicca...maybe you need to read it again? maybe?

 

[ALittleDisneyFan]

We like Halloween... but I'm not one for scary things. My DD(2) and I saw a bowl with a hand that comes down when you grab into it ... cute, but scared her. I have a feeling she'll get scared of some of the costumes. I think we'll T.O.T early, as to avoid the older kids.

 

[melancholywings]

DD's school does not celebrate Halloween and it makes me sad. As a kid, dressing up in costumes at school was the best part of it. Our puritain society is determined to take all the fun out of the school system. Boo!

We usually hang out with some friends and go trick or treating in their very small, community neighborhood. It's so awsome, we go out with a huge pack of neighborhood kids. And the cops get very involved and will all be out driving the streets during the trick or treat hours. It's such a great sense of community. My work also has a family friendly party they throw for the kids that is a lot of fun.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

We love Halloween! I have almost as many Halloween decorations as Christmas decorations.

The kids dress up in whatever they want and treat ot treat. Usually DH takes them around the neighborhood and I stay back and pass out candy.

The neighbors across the street are having a party after trick or treat. Here's hoping for nice weather!

 

[challer]

As a Jew we are not supposed to celebrate holidays other than our own but i'm Conservative and as long as you have good intentions and aren't calling the dead back to life or anything then it's not that big of a deal XD So I celebrate it out of habit and because I love the festivities, and of course, candy.

That's not entirely accurate. Jews are allowed to celebrate holidays other than their own, as long as it is purely secular or doesn't go against any tenets of Judaism. For example, there is no problem for Jews to celebrate Thanksgiving or 4th of July - as a matter of fact, I personally feel they should be celebrated. (To live in a country that allows us to celebrate our own holidays & customs and not have to celebrate those outside of our religion in rare in our history.) Its only the holidays & customs that have any form or basis in religion contrary to Judaism that are not allowed by Jewish law. But I'm Orthodox, so I may be more concerned about the strict law than you may be (PLEASE don't take that in a negative tone - positivity, only).

But as I said before, I don't deny myself any sweets (see cupcakes reference)... but that's not limited to this season!

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

I am not sure what you mean by that but a big misconception is that Catholics aren't Christians. Catholics believe that Jesus Christ himself began the Catholic church. Catholics are Christians!
Just wanted to clear that up!

I'm not exactly sure how you came to that conclusion from what imthatgirl wrote. Paganism is a branch of Wicca, just as Catholocism is a branch of Christianity. Just as being a "non-practicing Lutheran, who divorced a Catholic and married a Methodist" still makes me a subset of Christianity.

We love Halloween at our house, although I never could stand the gore. I unfortunately strike when surprised/scared and would hit people in Haunted Houses, when they jumped out at me.

I make a heck of a carved pumpkin show at Halloween when I get a good deal on pumpkins and a lot of time and help. My top year was 13 highly detailed pumpkins flickering in my flowerbeds with very large spiderwebs and furry fake spiders on my porch and rose bushes.

 

[Alesia]

DD's school does not celebrate Halloween and it makes me sad. As a kid, dressing up in costumes at school was the best part of it. Our puritain society is determined to take all the fun out of the school system. Boo!

We usually hang out with some friends and go trick or treating in their very small, community neighborhood. It's so awsome, we go out with a huge pack of neighborhood kids. And the cops get very involved and will all be out driving the streets during the trick or treat hours. It's such a great sense of community. My work also has a family friendly party they throw for the kids that is a lot of fun.

To be honest, not allowing children to dress up at school probably has more to do with the fact that that many children in costumes is a major headache for teachers. We let our preschool kids dress up, and it is absolute chaos all day. There are only 15 of them, I can't even imagine what it would be like to have 5 or 6 hundred kids dressed up.

 

[Ducky4Disney]

First, I would like to applaud everyone who has posted so far in a positive, understanding, and informative manner. I didn't think it was possible for a thread like this to go 5 pages!

I am also pagan/wiccan - take your pick. I love Halloween and I love the fall! It's funny to hear people say "we don't celebrate Halloween because of our religion (or it's religion) but we participate in harvest festivites/celebrations", becasue Halloween (as we know it today) is essentially a secular holiday while Samhain (the religious holiday) is a harvest celebration. So, IMHO, celebrating the harvest is more in line with the religion you don't subscribe to than celebrating Halloween (does that make sense?).

I don't care for all the scary-gory stuff but the general pumpkins, ghosts, black cats stuff is great.

I give a big to those Christians (or non-Pagans/Wiccans) who can enjoy Halloween for what it is: apple cider, pumpkins, candy, and costumes and not get hung up on the religious part. Becasue that's exactly what I do with Christmas. I don't celebrate Christmas as the Christian religious holiday - but I do see it as a time to gather with family, give gifts, drink egg nog, sing carols (yes, I'm not Christian but I love carols - go figure), and wait for Santa!

Blessed Be
D4D

 

[Zeebs]

Also, I would NEVER allow my children to eat candy/snacks from strangers any other day of the year, so I will certainly not allow it on that day either.

I wonder how many people that follow this line of thought are quite happy to put their child on the lap of a fat, bearded guy in red clothes once a year.

Kirsten

 

[livndisney]

I wonder how many people that follow this line of thought are quite happy to put their child on the lap of a fat, bearded guy in red clothes once a year.

Kirsten

How is that even close to letting children ask for candy from strangers?

 

[imthatgirl]

I wonder how many people that follow this line of thought are quite happy to put their child on the lap of a fat, bearded guy in red clothes once a year.

Kirsten

ive never understood that either. i dont let strangers touch my children, im not going to let a stranger in a red suit touch them either. it makes me wonder who gets these jobs anyway. theyre there during normal working hours, so they have to be people that didnt already have a job, or take time off from their job to do it. it gives me the willys.
we wave and say hi to santa, but hes not touching my children.

 

[Chelley00]

We are Christians, and we sorta celebrate Halloween, only as friendly holiday. We allow the kids to go trick or treating and dress up, but not in anything scary or gorey. We decorate in pumpkins and characters dressed up, but not in monsters, ghosts, vampires etc. We don't do haunted houses etc. This way we can feel like our kids aren't being left out, but we aren't celebrating the evil (for lack of a better word) ties in to Halloween.

 

[Zeebs]

How is that even close to letting children ask for candy from strangers?

Well to me out of the context of the holiday they are exactly the same, don't ask strangers for candy and don't go and sit on the lap of a stranger are the lessons we teach our children.

In context, trick or treating and Santa are pretty much the same thing, in most situations people are with their child watching, it is part of the holiday season.

That is just my opinion I realise not everyone will feel the same way but stranger danger needs to be covered fully not just picking and choosing the ones you want to deal with.

In our family I am quite happy to trick and treat and sit on Santas lap.

Kirsten

 

[SLK1]

I wonder how many people that follow this line of thought are quite happy to put their child on the lap of a fat, bearded guy in red clothes once a year.

Kirsten

We love the fat guy, we love the candy, we even love the crazy springtime rabbit! When I'm standing right there, when I'm going through each piece of candy received from my neighbors, when I realize that childhood is just too darned short, you can bet we do it all.

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

ive never understood that either. i dont let strangers touch my children, im not going to let a stranger in a red suit touch them either. it makes me wonder who gets these jobs anyway. theyre there during normal working hours, so they have to be people that didnt already have a job, or take time off from their job to do it. it gives me the willys.
we wave and say hi to santa, but hes not touching my children.

Seriously- I think this is a little too paranoid. Santa = danger?? Children sit on Santa's lap in full view of a camera, parents, and a bunch of other people - I cannot see how this could be a problem.

Most of the Santa's I have run across are retired gentlemen, but so what if this is their only job?

 

[imthatgirl]

Seriously- I think this is a little too paranoid. Santa = danger?? Children sit on Santa's lap in full view of a camera, parents, and a bunch of other people - I cannot see how this could be a problem.

Most of the Santa's I have run across are retired gentlemen, but so what if this is their only job?

like i said, i dont let strangers touch my kids, you do, thats great. i wouldnt let a guy in a supermarket put my kids on his lap, hes in full view of me and all the customers, still wouldnt do it. i dont make exceptions if they have a fake beard on.

 

[imthatgirl]

oh but i do let my kids trick or treat. i dont fear of prepackaged candy, well except for cavities. but i dont want some guy getting his jollies off with my kids.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I didn't read this whole thread so forgive me if this has been addressed. We "celebrate" Halloween. I mean we decorate our house (POTC theme including pirate ship!) and we all dress up and trick or treat. We don't celebrate it religiously. I don't really know anyone who does. I am not paranoid about the candy as we stay in our area and know pretty much everyone. We also check it. I am not paranoid about Santa or the Easter Bunny either. In fact I have never heard of someone thinking they are a bunch of perverts although I suppose anything is possible. I happen to know that Santa is paid a huge salary here and is flown in from somewhere else (the north pole perhaps? ) and has been for years.
I think it stinks that the kids can't dress up for school anymore. Will it be a chaotic day? Maybe but we did it as kids. I am sure the school can suck it up for one day of the entire year. I suppose though letting the kids have fun would be terrible. We love Halloween here and so do the kids.

 

[livndisney]

ive never understood that either. i dont let strangers touch my children, im not going to let a stranger in a red suit touch them either. it makes me wonder who gets these jobs anyway. theyre there during normal working hours, so they have to be people that didnt already have a job, or take time off from their job to do it. it gives me the willys.
we wave and say hi to santa, but hes not touching my children.

Where do you draw the line? What about Disney characters? Some of them are pretty strange LOL.

I know the Mall by me, Santa is a carefully screened retired Grandfather. He has been working with this agency for several years. (Not saying that makes him a saint, but in all the years we have been visiting with him, I have never noticed one thing to cause me worry.)

 

[imthatgirl]

Where do you draw the line? What about Disney characters? Some of them are pretty strange LOL.

I know the Mall by me, Santa is a carefully screened retired Grandfather. He has been working with this agency for several years. (Not saying that makes him a saint, but in all the years we have been visiting with him, I have never noticed one thing to cause me worry.)

no, we dont wait in the lines to see the characters. we do see them at meals. but last time i checked they werent putting your kids on their laps. that to me is creepy. they usually stand begind the child and take the picture.

where does everyone live that they know so much about their santas? ours are in the mall, theres no resume hanging next to him?or any kind of info about who he is. there are about 6 malls near me, i would guess each mall has 2-3 santas.