Inappropriate Halloween Decorations

[SharpMomOfTwo]

We have neighbors next store to us who decorate for every holiday - I love it! We don't go anywhere near as nuts as they do, but I think its great.
So this year I was watching them do their Halloween decorations, and saw them taking out the same stuff they had from last year, and then some new stuff..... They brought out head stones (no prob there), and some skelletons (no prob there), but then some huge nasty looking rats ripping the "flesh" from all the skeletons. I'm not OK with that part at all! First of all, other than the fact that I have two young children over here, they have a young daughter, and I can't believe that shes OK with it! This is a very young neighborhood, and I just really don't think its appropriate at all - and the fact that she is an elementary school teacher down the street, she should know this! What do you think? I don't think I'd ever say anything to them about it, its just not my place, but I know we won't be trick-or-treating at their house this year!

 

[JR6ooo4]

We have neighbors next store to us who decorate for every holiday - I love it! We don't go anywhere near as nuts as they do, but I think its great.
So this year I was watching them do their Halloween decorations, and saw them taking out the same stuff they had from last year, and then some new stuff..... They brought out head stones (no prob there), and some skelletons (no prob there), but then some huge nasty looking rats ripping the "flesh" from all the skeletons. I'm not OK with that part at all! First of all, other than the fact that I have two young children over here, they have a young daughter, and I can't believe that shes OK with it! This is a very young neighborhood, and I just really don't think its appropriate at all - and the fact that she is an elementary school teacher down the street, she should know this! What do you think? I don't think I'd ever say anything to them about it, its just not my place, but I know we won't be trick-or-treating at their house this year!

What kind of store is it? Maybe the carnivorous rats are appropriate for what they sell.

Mikeeee

 

[AlexTina]

I voted that they can do what they want, however, I haven't seen it. Is it very realistic? Are your children scared by it? My daughter (7) loves scary stuff, she loves to watch the scary shows on t.v. all the Travel Channel shows Extreme Halloween Attractions etc.. My son (3, 4 in Dec.) is scared by it. They don't have t.v.'s in their rooms so if she wants to watch the shows the younger kids see it too. I'll admit some of the stuff they show is very scary but I just explain that it is all props and makeup (it helps that in most of these shows they show how they do the makeup and transform the actors) and in the end the younger ones are alright with it. It doesn't keep them up at night and they know it's just fun for Halloween. There are a lot of people aroud us that are over the top for holidays as well and some of them have people dressed up like zombies or other scary Halloween characters that sit very still and then jump up when the trick-or-treaters walk up. This probably offends some as well, we just stear clear of anything we are not sure of to avoid having the kids truly scared. Although I don't really think that jumping up at trick-or-treaters is appropriate it's their right to do it if they choose.

Tina

 

[tink_n_pooh]

Where are the pics


I voted that they can do what they want. It wouldn't bother me at all. I don't see the PC police arresting voltures as they rip meat off of carcasses on the road and that is real.

Good for them for celebrating the holidays and not spending all of their time wrapped up in all the junk that we are forced to be surrounded by everyday...

 

[amyhughes]

We have neighbors next store to us who decorate for every holiday - I love it! We don't go anywhere near as nuts as they do, but I think its great.
So this year I was watching them do their Halloween decorations, and saw them taking out the same stuff they had from last year, and then some new stuff..... They brought out head stones (no prob there), and some skelletons (no prob there), but then some huge nasty looking rats ripping the "flesh" from all the skeletons. I'm not OK with that part at all! First of all, other than the fact that I have two young children over here, they have a young daughter, and I can't believe that shes OK with it! This is a very young neighborhood, and I just really don't think its appropriate at all - and the fact that she is an elementary school teacher down the street, she should know this! What do you think? I don't think I'd ever say anything to them about it, its just not my place, but I know we won't be trick-or-treating at their house this year!

I guess I am on the other side of most arguments here in that I too would have a problem if the decorations were over the top. I have one dare devil and one scaredy cat with regards to Halloween and the various icons that go with it. I guess in my view your neighbors may not be thinking to clearly on what is going to make everyone feel welcome at their home on this holiday. And yes, I LOVE HALLOWEEN. But, from a theatre/showman standpoint, you gotta know your audience. If the neighborhood is filled as you say with young kids, they may not get ANY trick or treaters with this type of yard art.

We put out some things and from the last few years I have refined it so that it has the classic "icons" of Halloween, but is more friendly and not threatening. Mainly so that young Trick or Treaters aren't scared of our house and we get to see them all each year.

 

[Angelhalo]

I think its their house and they can do whatever they please. If a person thinks their kids my be upset by it, then just skip that house. Geeeeez what's next? Jack-o-lanterns are too scary? When did this world become sooo friggin PC? Everyone is offended by everything it seems.

Sorry for the rant I just get so tired of it all. If you don't like it, don't go there, if you don't want to watch it change the channel etc etc etc.

 

[binny]

I think its their house and they can do whatever they please. If a person thinks their kids my be upset by it, then just skip that house. Geeeeez what's next? Jack-o-lanterns are too scary? When did this world become sooo friggin PC? Everyone is offended by everything it seems.

Sorry for the rant I just get so tired of it all. If you don't like it, don't go there, if you don't want to watch it change the channel etc etc etc.

she just said she wasnt going to say anything and that she would just skip it.


She asked what we thought.



I think its tacky personally. I love Fall decorations but I am not into the scary stuff at all. I am all for pumpkins and whatever but I am no Clark Griswold when it comes to decorations for any season.

I have never been a fan of scary stuff at Halloween though.

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

I say more power to them. I decorate our house for Halloween but only for 2 days, Devil's Night and Halloween. I do 2 fog machines in our bushes, black light spotlights in the yard, scary dead trees, tomb stones, a black rose wreath, and two stone busts sitting on pedestals on either side of our front door, one of Satan and the other of the Grim Reaper. I also change out our interior lamps near the windows with green light bulbs so the front of the house glows green from the inside. Most kids love it, but it's fun to see how many little ones are afraid and won't come up to my door, no matter how much their parents push. IMO, being scared is what Halloween's all about.

The thing that most gets my goat during the Halloween season are the people who do the huge lawn inflatables who let them deflate during the day. I think they look like garbage bags laying in the yard. If you're going to do those inflatables for Halloween, commit to spending the extra coin on electricity and keep them full 24/7.

 

[Angelhalo]

she just said she wasnt going to say anything and that she would just skip it.


She asked what we thought.



I think its tacky personally. I love Fall decorations but I am not into the scary stuff at all. I am all for pumpkins and whatever but I am no Clark Griswold when it comes to decorations for any season.

I have never been a fan of scary stuff at Halloween though.

And I replied with what I thought. So sorry you didn't approve.

 

[AnnetteF]

I think they can do whatever they want, but I agree that the gruesome Halloween decorations are just getting to be a bit much. Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays and I love it to this day. But I prefer the whimsical decorations like the witches that look like they've flown into a tree, ghosts, spider webs, jack-o lanterns, etc.

There is a house that near us (not too near thank goodness) that fills their yard with every gruesome gorry disgusting ghoul imaginable and to top it off, they have a real hearse parked in the yard with a coffin popping out and something unpleasant popping out of that! They haven't put their display out yet this year, but I noticed the hearse parked in the driveway so I can tell they are getting ready. I can't imagine coming home to that house late at night!

 

[4greatboys]

It wouldn't bother me at all. Now I do like that kind of stuff but I also have 2 young kids (8 and 6). I would just explain to them it's not real. My 8 yr old likes creepy, gory stuff like I do but my 6 yr old does not. When he sees something in the yard (or maybe HHN stuff since we were just in Orlando) then he just turns his head and doesn't look at it.

 

[binny]

And I replied with what I thought. So sorry you didn't approve.

it isnt that I didnt approve of your opinion, youre entitled to it and I couldnt care less.

Its that you said

I think its their house and they can do whatever they please. If a person thinks their kids my be upset by it, then just skip that house. Geeeeez what's next? Jack-o-lanterns are too scary? When did this world become sooo friggin PC? Everyone is offended by everything it seems.

Sorry for the rant I just get so tired of it all. If you don't like it, don't go there, if you don't want to watch it change the channel etc etc etc.

She said she wasnt going and yet you still accuse her of being overly pc and offended.

sorry if I didnt make it clear which part I was talking about.

 

[Angelhalo]

it isnt that I didnt approve of your opinion, youre entitled to it and I couldnt care less.

Its that you said





She said she wasnt going and yet you still accuse her of being overly pc and offended.

sorry if I didnt make it clear which part I was talking about.

Just because someone doesn't go over and bang on the door to complain doesn't make them any less offended. I knew exactly what you meant and I still disagree. Not to mention the fact that I never spoke of the OP directly but was speaking more of people in general.

 

[agentpleakley]

I say more power to them. I decorate our house for Halloween but only for 2 days, Devil's Night and Halloween. I do 2 fog machines in our bushes, black light spotlights in the yard, scary dead trees, tomb stones, a black rose wreath, and two stone busts sitting on pedestals on either side of our front door, one of Satan and the other of the Grim Reaper. I also change out our interior lamps near the windows with green light bulbs so the front of the house glows green from the inside. Most kids love it, but it's fun to see how many little ones are afraid and won't come up to my door, no matter how much their parents push. IMO, being scared is what Halloween's all about.

The thing that most gets my goat during the Halloween season are the people who do the huge lawn inflatables who let them deflate during the day. I think they look like garbage bags laying in the yard. If you're going to do those inflatables for Halloween, commit to spending the extra coin on electricity and keep them full 24/7.

I totally agree with all of the above. BTW-- I do the green lightbulbs too!!!

 

[Desnik]

I think it's Halloween, it's suppose to be scary! I love it and my kids love it too. Especially my 5yo DS. The scarier the better! My kids are not afraid of that kind of stuff, they know it isn't real and it's all in good fun. Our whole village goes all out for Halloween. There is a neighbor who does an awesome haunted house and everyone young and old enjoys it. We decorate for Halloween too. I have the strobe light, scary music, tomb stones, fog machine, skeletons, cob webs, orange lights, black lights, black wreath on the door. It is my favorite holiday. I think your neighbor can put out anything they want. As long as they take it down after the holiday!LOL I hate it when people leave their decorations up after the holiday! What happens in our area is everyone decorates for fall/Halloween, but the really elaborate stuff comes out the day of the holiday. We literally have at least 300-400 trick or treaters. People come from neighboring towns here because the decorations are so amazing.

Personally I don't put anything too grotesque out because it's just not my thing. I do not care what other people do.

 

[C.Ann]

That probably wouldn't bother me..

However, I have a huge problem with people jumping "up" or "out" and scaring the living daylights out of children.. It's not "funny" - it's not "Halloween is supposed to be scary" - it's downright cruel.. I have known children (little ones) that were so traumatized by being scared half out of their minds, they wouldn't TOT for the next 2 or 3 years..

 

[LotsOfQuestions]

Note to add to shopping list:

green lightbulbs

 

[Evil Genius]

They are not real rats! Halloween is a scary holiday! Must everything be sanitized because we MIGHT offend someone. You don't like it don't look at it. It's going to be up for 2 weeks.

 

[heiressly]

i love love love halloween so i enjoy when my neighbors go all out with the decorations. the scarier/gruesomer, the better, as i always say

the only decoration i've seen that i thought was really inappropriate and actually kind of creepy is a neighbor who took the whole bent-over-pumpkin-butt-mooning fake out to a whole new level. lets just say there was some use of gourds on the front of the aformentioned pumpkin butt to replicate a certain male body part

that one didn't go over so well with the neighbors.

 

[SharpMomOfTwo]

Thanks everyone for the replies. For me, I just don't get the need to do anything overly icky... I mean, I have a whole bunch of stuff outside, but its nothing to over the top, KWIM? I have skeletons, and scarecrows, black cats, orange oriental lanterns, and hanging spiders.... we even do three bubble machines for the night, and the kids really love that! I just don't see the need to have a half flesh eaten skull outside - If you are having an private party and you want to put that stuff inside - I say go for it.... and invite me, but when you know that any age range is out trick-or-treating, I just don't think its appropriate.
I have a great RIP stone that opens up and a ghost pops out whenever someone walks by and yells something, but I'm thinking of NOT putting that out this year because I know it may scare the little ones (though I know the older ones LOVE it!).
I have to say that Halloween is my #1 favorite holiday, even more so than Christmas, and maybe I'm more... careful... now that I have kids, and I understand that some things may not be appropriate for a 2 or 3 year old.

Anyway, of course I understand that anyone can do anything they want with their holiday decorations, and I don't have a problem with that, I just don't get it - especially when the person putting it up was a kindergarder teacher for 17 years, and knows how youngsters like that can react to scary things. JMHO