Does Anyone NOT Celebrate Halloween?

[jldriscoll]

Originally posted by sha_lyn
LOL ... It's still acting crazy. The page will still apear to be loading when and then say the page can't be displayed, but if I open a new window and go to the thread, my post is there.
If my tone was off, it was because of the stupid computer (or internet)

Give it a good kick for me

 

[sha_lyn]

If I kick it it might fall off the desk. I can't afford to replace it. I'll just swear at it, OK?


disykat .... You sound like me and New years eve. I've never understood the appeal of staying up until midnight (usually getting drunk, like it can't be done on any other night) to watch the clock strike 12. I think this past NYE was the first in years that we've done anything, and that is because my sister and her daughter spent a couple of nights with us. I don't hate NYE but I just don't "get" it.

 

[jldriscoll]

LOL!!!!

Don't even get me started on new years eve!!!! Never saw the appeal of starting the year with a hang over!!!

Dh have watched the blues brothers (on TBS or something) the last couple of years and danced with are girls until they fall asleep. I know... I live a rip roaring life!!!!!

 

[sha_lyn]

It seems that Blues Brothers and Rocky Horror usually play on NYE. That works for me, they are 2 of my favorite movies.

 

[Planogirl]

Wow, I don't like New Years Eve either! It just seems like a bunch of noise and nonsense to me. It's good to see I'm not the only one.

However, I do love Halloween. I enjoy spooky stories, movies and TV shows. I like haunted houses both fake and real. And the decorations are great IMO. I don't like to play dress up so we just don't participate in that stuff but everything else is fair game!

 

[Tiggerlover91]

I don't celebrate Halloween. Haven't for about 2 years now anyway and that's all I have to say about it.

 

[Pin Wizard]

DS dressed up when he was little and we went around the neighborhood to the "friendly" houses. His school has given the kids off on Halloween the past 3 years. They don't want to have to deal with it and prefer to focus on All Souls Day. I expect they'll have the day off again this year as their reward for hitting $100,000 in sales in the magazine drive. That's the usual excuse.

 

[catsrule]

Me, but only because DH and I both work second shift, so we aren't home to give out candy. When it falls on the weekends, we celebrate it.

 

[Mermaid02]

Halloween has got to be my least favorite holiday.... I don't like the decorations, there's no good music, and this is Maine- you usually have to cover your kids $30 costume with a parka!! All that being said, we "celebrate" it...... but the day after... (All Saints Day) is my favorite day..... cause I rip all the orange and black decorations down and put up the TURKEYS! My favorite time of the year is November 1 thru December 26......

 

[dianeschlicht]

Another "Haloween Hater" here too. Sure, we celbrate All Souls at Church, but what does dressing up in ridiculous costumes and begging for candy have to do with that? I HATE the Haloween decorations too. We have folks around here who decorate as much for Haloween as Christmas. I don't get it. I don't celbrate NYE much either, but then I am not an imbiber, so maybe that has something to do with it.

 

[believe]

We celebrate on Halloween, but I call it a Fall Celebration. Last year I made little breads and gave to my immediate neighbors which I had a note wishing them a Happy Fall Season. I give out candy, but I also give out Tracks. My church believes that we should use it to our benefit to spread the word, I agree with them. I will not allow DDs to dress in anything I feel is 'unappropriate' and when handing out the candy I tell everyone Happy Fall, not Happy Halloween. I also decorate for Fall, not Halloween....keeps from from decorating twice

 

[jipsy]

I love Halloween. The colors, the decorations, it was always a fun celebration for me.

I'm wondering though - I see alot of you who say you know people who don't celebrate Halloween for "religious reasons". What exactly are those reasons that they give you?

 

[snoopy]

The way I understand it, Witnesses do not celebrate Christian holidays because Christ is not thier SAvior, therfore they are not Christian.

Well, of course, that only makes sense. The guy that I know who is Jehovah Witness doesn't celebrate ANY holidays, regardless of whether they are Christian holidays or not. No birthdays, no Halloween, no 4th of July. The only ocassion they celebrate is wedding anniversary. I think he said something about putting Jehovah before themselves, although I'm not clear on exactly what that means.

 

[RitaZ.]

We celebrate Halloween, my kids love it! They don't seem to like scary costumes though.

One of my close friends doesn't allow her DDs to celebrate Halloween, she is Catholic. She says that she read somewhere about the beginnings of Halloween. I can't remember the specific details, but she said something about children being sacrificed.

 

[Robinrs]

I don't like it, either. Never did. Like Valentine's day I just don't GET it!

tc, I am so sorry about your experience. It's really sad when a traumatic experience is near a holiday and that day comes back with a vengeance every year, with people jumping for joy when all you can do is cringe. I know the feeling and I'm so sorry.

I don't connect Halloween with anything "religious" I just don't like what it depicts. I grew up in New York City where it was NEVER safe to go from door to door. Every day after Halloween was the new reports of who was poisoned, who had razor blades in their candy and whose house was egged, marked up or set on fire. Not good memories. Since I moved South I've seen it being treated innocently, and have let my son dress up and hang out at his Halloween Happening at his school. That's as far as I'll go. As for hanging up the witches and black cats as decorations... ... can someone tell me why that's CUTE????

 

[Blondie]

Originally posted by jipsy
I'm wondering though - I see alot of you who say you know people who don't celebrate Halloween for "religious reasons". What exactly are those reasons that they give you?

The two friends that I have that do not celebrate feel that Halloween is a focus on witchcraft and the devil.

These two friends also won't allow their kids to see Harry Potter either.

 

[Marla Hellwig]

One of my girlfriend's sister in law will let her kids - go trick or treating - but when the kids get home with their sacks of goodies - she makes them stand there and watch her throw it away - the reason - because the candy has sugar in it - BUT - she will let each of her kids drink at least one gallon of fruit juice - which is loaded with sugar - a day.

 

[Nancy]

My neighbor is a Born Again Christian and they do not celebrate Halloween. She said it's the day all evil walks the street. It's a holiday to honor satan. Her whole family stays locked up in the house all day and night listening to religious music. I know for a fact that her kids absolutely hate this...they want to dress up and trick or treat with their friends, I know this because they are at my house a lot and I overhear their conversations with my kids.
Now, last year we did nothing for Halloween, I did hand out candy, but not as much as previous years. My kids did not go out at all. This was their choice, I think we were still shell shocked over 9/11.
I have no idea what they are doing this year, I haven't had any of mine aske me to start looking at costumes yet.
I'll probably put out my decorations this year...I just bought some cute Pooh Bear decorations for outside.

 

[Nancy]

Oh Yeah...I'm another one who doesn't "get" NY's Eve. We usually do dinner and a movie with the girls and are home by 11:00pm. We refer to it as amateur night.

 

[SeaSpray]

I usually avoid religious-based threads, but I clicked on this one because my DSs don't like Halloween, they never did and I guess they never will. I don't force them to participate. lol

I do feel compelled however to comment on the Jehovah's Witness comments in this thread. My sister and her family are Jehovah's Witnesses. I've seen this religion firsthand for the past 31 years, as my sister and her husband raised my niece as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. I have learned a LOT about their beliefs and about the bible itself.

First of all, they are ABSOLUTELY Christians. 100%. Jesus Christ IS their saviour. If it wasn't for Jesus Christ's sacrifice, there'd be no salvation for anyone. Period. "Jehovah" is simply God's name, as originally written in the bible. It has been removed from many versions of the bible because of supersticious beliefs. The reason they feel it's important to use God's own name is because of the worship of so many false gods, back then, as well as now. I have read for myself in the bible where God says he wants his worshippers to know who HE is. Anyway, I'm getting off course here.

I know they don't celebrate any of the traditional holidays. But I have to tell you, my niece is now 31 years old and has had the best life imagineable. My sister always had parties for her and her friends, all through her school years. They can have parties, have fun, presents, the whole thing. They just don't have parties for holidays that began with pagan origins. And I have looked up the origins of almost every holiday, MYSELF, in encyclopedias, and yes, they all have, at least partially, pagan roots. Some were legitimate religious roots but then pagan and other religions who worship false gods beliefs were added in. Kind of to make everyone happy at the same time.

I remember being in high school and kids saying bizarre things about Jehovah's Witnesses. My sister is an awesome mother. Her daughter is an awesome kid who NO ONE should "feel sorry for" because she didn't celebrate her birthday in the typical way. Those kids know why they don't celebrate their birthdays. It's not a punishment. And from knowing my sister's friends all these years, NONE of their kids were ever wanting for anything. Parties, get togethers, pool parties, bowling parties, etc were what I saw my niece take part of all the time with her friends.

Obviously most of you have beliefs other than these and of course that's fine, and to be expected. But when I see false information about ANYONE, I do my best to correct it. Please don't flame me or PM me if you're going to mean. Actually, I really don't care if you do, because it won't bother me.