Halloween Fun with the family

I have a love hate relationship with Halloween. I know a lot about the traditions and like reading about them. As a child I enjoyed the simple things, like apple bobbing and silly scare games at halloween parties. But the way it has become a huge deal (old traditions enlarged and migrated back to us from America I guess) especially with the pumpkin obsession (RIP my Instagram feed at this time of year - if you don't like pumpkins avoid Instagram) and the 'trick or treating' which, while cute with little kids, with teenagers is just scary, and not in a good way.

And then this year of course the world feels like more of a horrific place than in years gone by. Threats of nuclear war (common in my childhood but I had thought long gone), terrorist attacks, increased knife crime, all of these things make 'celebrating' horror feel just wrong.

Looking around the shops for halloween party and costume ideas I couldn't giggle at fake blood, artificial slashed throats, comedy knives, hachets, and even, in Poundland, Donald Trump costumes and themed decorations!

And so I decided to ask some friends what they did at halloween that could be enjoyed by all the family without the usual horror or the dreaded pumpkins!

and here are some of the ideas.

Becky, clearly my soulmate, just hides!

"I mainly hide! I don't mind the little ones coming to the door, but beyond 7 o'clock I won't answer and pretend we're not in. I hate the gangs of teenagers who don't even dress up. "

Lizzie, given up on the niceties on halloween, just gets drunk!

"Many years ago as a joke I back combed my hair put on a black sack and handed out rubber cables. As I've gotten older I've become much more aware of how embarrassing this is but it's become somewhat of a tradition. So I have to be very drunk every Halloween. It's something I hope my children will do for me once they're of age"

Laura focuses on doing some halloween crafts with her family, and while she does go trick or treating, only to houses she has previously checked with.

"Mine are just 3 and 5 so it's more Halloween related crafts, movies and snacks than anything. We do go trick or treating though as the kids love it, but only go to obviously door knocking friendly houses, friends and neighbours that we know won't mind. This year there's a local disco for little ones so we may do that instead"

Sarah celebrates her birthday with the family, with a meal out.

"We love Halloween in our house, it is also my birthday. We do costumes with a different theme every year and then do family photos and often go out for dinner dressed up."

Louise has a doorstep party! Which sounds really fun.

"I was never allowed to go trick or treating as a child as my parents hated the idea. Now I love Halloween but the idea of not trick or treating has stayed with me and so instead, we hang out with snacks, music and wine and have a 'doorstep party' with our friends & neighbours as they call in!"

Jada likes a halloween movie, but in costume!

"A Halloween night in, a “spooky” movie - age suitable of course, popcorn, a treat and we do sometimes have a Halloween buffet style tea - it’s easier than cooking as the door constantly knocks by trick or treaters. We also do dress up too so we’re not missing out on the costume side of things! "

Following Jada's lead I think that on the 31st I will be wearing my Deadpool morphsuit (just in case anyone calls) while watching a comedy halloween movie and munching on autumn snacks like apple cake and popcorn. Although we are squeezing in a halloween party on the 27th - a party at Fizz's dog groomers! So there will be some silliness and fancy dress and no doubt tricks and treats at Pooched Paws Halloween Party.

What will you be up to? And which (not too scary) halloween movies would you recommend?

For some safety tips pop over to Carolin's blog - and also think about using pumpkin lights instead of candles

Pup image copyright: adogslifephoto / 123RF Stock Photo

Halloween Fun, Fear and Fancy Dress

Halloween has become a proper mishmash of cultures and ideas since it all started. And who even knows when it all began? The celebration seems to have started around the ancient Gaelic festival of Samhain, a sort of harvest festival linked to the collecting of crops and the slaughter of animals for winter, the Celts also linked this time of year to a thinning of the walls between the worlds, where spirits may pass.

Later, half stolen by the church (as so many pagan festivals were) it became All Hallow's Eve, the eve of All Saint's Day (hallowed meaning holy) and All Saints day a day to honor the saints. Of course people liked to cling on to the superstitions and fears of the past too, so spirits and the departed were caught up in it all over again.

The idea of dressing up seems to stem from the Scottish tradition of guising, where children dress as the dead and perform entertainments in exchange for apples, cake and nuts. In Americia this has become trick or treat with vague threats for those households not giving treats to those dressed up!

The Day of the Dead in Mexico (Dia de Muertos)  also occurs around this time so it is of no wonder that it too is stirred into the melting pot of myth, magic, respect and fears of the dead in costume and decoration, though it's origins are slightly different.

Zombie Bride

In the US trick or treat costumes have totally moved away from those of the dead or of scariness, with people dressing as cowboys, cartoon characters and animals. But in the UK we still look to scare or at least cause a squeak of surprise with our costumes, drawing from around the world with vampires and werewolves from Eastern Europe, mummies from Egypt, voodoo and zombies from Haiti, ghouls, wraiths, goblins, ghosts and skeletons. (and even killer clowns!)

Spider Ghoul - guaranteed to give you nightmares

While I won't be attending a halloween party this year I do plan on greeting the trick or treaters that visit the house in costume!

Stop staring at my coccyx!

There is no excuse not to look fabulous while terrifying if you pop over to the Morphsuits website and check out the amazing costumes. This year I will be wearing the gorgeous Sugar Skull suit, with a mask of course. But there are many frightening suits to choose from. How about a clown costume? A monster? an alien?

What would you choose?

Pop over to Facebook and let me know - or let Morphsuits know! and visit me on twitter to see me in the suit on halloween.

You still have plenty of time to choose and buy a suit - prices start at  £9.99 and they have suits and fancy dress costumes for all shapes and sizes, adults and children.

I was sent a Sugar Skull Morphsuit in exchange for this post. And for reference, I'm a size 12/14 and the ladies large is slightly too big on me! So while there is extra room for pumpkin pie and sweets, you might be better buying a medium if you are a 12.

Halloween, I loathe it ...or do I?

Yes yes I'm old and grumpy. 

You knew that. 

So of course I don't like Halloween. I don't like that people of various religions try and claim it as theirs, or declare it is certainly not theirs, 'because it's evil'.  I dislike superstition. I don't like that it's become a huge festival so that if you don't have a party or go to a party* then you are some how a party pooper and no fun. And that now not content with taking turnip lanterns and making softy pumpkin lanterns (it takes a real man to carve a 'neep!) the American influence is such that we have to have 'Trick or Treating' instead of souling (and souling sounds pretty superstitious)  AND trick or treating has just become a demand for money with menaces in some places to such an extent that people put up posters provided by the Police to scare you away - now THAT is party pooping. But then terrorising old folk is pretty poopish behaviour too. /rant

That said, I love dressing up, I do go to parties (if I'm lucky enough to be invited) and I arm my house with treats in case a small and cutely dressed child should call (they rarely do, it's usually a scruffy teen in a hoodie wearing a 10p mask with his hand out demanding a quid) but here we are at another thing I hate - it's cheap crappy sweets. 10p bags of sodding jelly sweets, gummy eyeballs, handfuls of Roses chocolates, and on and on into a diabetic coma or candy delights so sweet and sickly that Willy Wonka cries ENOUGH!

So this year I plan my treats to be of the non edible variety (I'd actually love to give apples and satsumas but I fear the wrath of the hoodies) I'm thinking of the sorts of tat you get in a party bag. Bouncy balls, key rings, pirate eye patches, sparkly rings, yoyos and the like. I don't know if we will even get anyone call, I'm not the sort of house to advertise in the way of polystyrene graves on the lawn, a wreath of bones and a vampire at the door, and our street has very few children in it - but it's well to be prepared I think.

So maybe I don't loathe Halloween at all, maybe I loathe the pressure to have the perfect Halloween, to have fun, whether you want to or not. And the sweets, I do hate the sweets.

What are you planning? 'Traditional'? Modern? Party or going Trick or Treating? A trip to a scary movie or just a night in like every night. Love it or loathe it Halloween is coming!

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Thanks


*for party if you are an female adult read "dress like a slut and get pissed" - see Bigfashionista for details

Image credit - 123rf