Growing up in little tiny villages in England, as a child, Halloween was a big deal.
The evening before All Hallows Day (All Saints Day) was a mark of a turn of the seasons, a mark of the end of harvest time. Perhaps with pagan origins, certainly some Christian origins, as kids, we celebrated big time by "guising".
This involved dressing up with all the other kids in the village and telling spooky stories and singing to our neighbours in order to earn treats. Idle threats of tricks may have been made and quickly dismissed. Our dress ups were usually nothing more fancy than a sack or a cloak, and often the treats were apples. Apple bobbing was always the culmination - in someones kitchen, safe and warm, with water being sloshed all over the lino floor as we fought for apples with our mouths.
In more recent times, it seems Halloween celebrations has become all about the lollies and chocolate and commercial costumes and parties and elaborate decorations and loot bags. I am not sure how? But I know the shops are full of pumpkins and masks and orange plastic stuff...and lots of chocolate and packets of lollies!
Olivia, Charlie and Lexie, are all seduced by all the promise of abundant sugary prizes. They are intrigued by the concept of it all, the glamour of the lit pumpkins and the general air of partiness. The concept of running through the streets in dress ups is so novel to them, they are entranced the idea of it.
Previously, I have never entertained the thought of celebrating Halloween particularly.
But this year they have nagged my ears off.
So I am relenting.
We won't be cruising the streets in witches and skeletons costumes.
But we will play dress ups at home. I may even try my hand at some face painting.
I am going to carve out a pumpkin and light a candle inside.
I am going to introduce them to the delights of apple bobbing.
I am going to cook up some spooky Halloween treats. (Bat shaped biccies?!)
And I will let them stay up and settle down for a "Spooky" movie on the couch.
Tell me, do you do Halloween? Do you have any Halloween traditions to share with me?
In celebration of Halloween, I have the brand new Spooky Buddies Blu-ray and DVD Value Pack (RRP $49.95) and a Buddies plush toy (RRP $14.95) to give away...as well as a $25 Woolworths Gift Card (to buy some lollies and a pumpkin!) and a Halloween party pack full of Halloween games, recipe and costume suggestions!
All you need to do to enter is make sure you are following my blog, and leave a comment telling me YOUR Halloween traditions.
Open to Australian residents only. Giveaway closes Tues 25th October - winner will be picked at random.
I'm waiting for the nagging to start! Until then nothing...
ReplyDeleteAre you kidding ... husband is an American!!!! Candied sweet potatoes and pumpkin city here we come...
ReplyDeleteWoe is me!
cheers
M
What a great post! Halloween for me has always been about dressing up, haunted houses, and getting candy door to door. I like the idea of bobbing for apples and carving jack-o-lanterns and face painting and such. I bet you'll have a blast this Halloween! :)
ReplyDeleteAs for me, Halloween will be like a regular day for me. I have 2 exams at school and I also have a shift at work.
We like to celebrate Halloween with the kids. They just love it. Sometimes it's a last minute dress up and trick or treat or sometimes a party. This year we are having a party. Dress ups, decorations and trick or treat. Just a bit of fun and it is a long, long weekend in Victoria (no school Monday and Melb Cup holiday Tues) so a good excuse for some light hearted fun.
ReplyDeleteSome Aussies get a little cheesed off celebrating a traditionally 'American' holiday, but to us it is just fun with the kids so why not?
We didnt celebrate Halloween growing up - even though Oct 31st is my brother bday! - but i worked as a nanny in the USA for a year, and since then i've loved the idea of it. Being part of it over there and seeing how much joy it gives the kids was really fun.
ReplyDeletenow? I'm going to dress my almost-2yr old in a costume to go to daycare that day, and some kids i neighbourhood do go trick-or-treating, so i'm going to carve a pumpkin to leave on the doorstep this year.
I cant wait to see their faces when they realise its a real one and not a plastic one from the shops!
Sadly Halloween has never really been a tradition for us. Although as a small child I seem to remember trick or treating probably when I lived in England ( a looong time ago). It's fun to watch Halloween crafts and activities emerging on blogging sites though.
ReplyDeleteMy youngest grand daughter was born on Oct 31st so celebrating her birth could be our 'Halloween' tradition now!
wendyhatton(at)yahoo.com.au
yes my daughter wore me down too, this is our first year celebrating but the start of a new tradition nevertheless.
ReplyDeleteWe've done some crafts and I made bunting. The kids are having a couple of friends over each and we are having a halloween party, (more of a playdate)
Then they are going to trick-or-treat but only our two neighbours who I'll give stock too. I feel a bit guilty expecting others to give, especially since its not huge here in oz. check out my blog post on the halloween lanterns we made, they were super easy I'm sure your kids would love them.
I actually love Halloween - I think it's great for the kids to get dressed up and have fun - I just don't much like all the lollies they consume afterwards - LOL. Still find it hard tho - so many families they don't join in so we don't want to intrude and knock on their door - it's definitely gaining momentum in Oz tho I think.
ReplyDeleteWeee! I'm a new follower.
ReplyDeleteOur halloween traditions include forgetting it's the day, and then hiding from the few kids who come trick and treating. Nice, huh? :P
Last year was the first time we celebrated it properly. My two eldest daughters dressed up as witches, and bub as a fairy. We had a Girls Day In to raise funds for women's cancers, and some of the guests dressed up too. It was alot of fun. Hubby even put up some fake spiderwebs!!
ReplyDeleteI'm following as Di from Max The Unicorn.
ReplyDeleteUp until now, we haven't really been into Halloween, however I think this year we may get into it, since my son is at the right age. Our tradition will probably just be Trick Or Treating, I think he'd have heaps of fun with that! :)
djchilds at hot mail (dot) com
Halloween is as big as Christmas at our humble little home, as far as decorating goes. There's a creepy mannequin in the window to frighten the wee ones as they flit by....jack o'lanterns everywhere....even my tiny American Miniature Horse has a few orange streaks in her otherwise white mane and tail just for the holiday. :)
ReplyDeleteI have very fond and warm memories of my boyhood Halloween. We would travel the streets going door to door saying, "Trick or Treat!" The owners of the homes always seemed surprised and acted frightened.
ReplyDeleteWHen my children were young we repeated the customs making the point of visiting the homes of family.
Hi Lucy great to visit here again we love Halloween and celebrate every year my little grandson always has a Halloween birthday party his school friends enjoy dressing up. Hope you will come over and visit my blog some time, enjoy your day.
ReplyDeleteAlways Wendy
So far the kids have been too young for Halloween, however this year my son is very interested. Might be dressing up as a ghost this year and starting a few traditions.
ReplyDeleteWe have this great neighborhood nearby that decorates the entire street.. It's like in the movies... Kids running along collecting candy and socializing with friends... Fun stuff... BUT, my kids have outgrown me as a tag-along... They do their own thing.. So I will be at home waiting to hear about their adventures of the night...
ReplyDeleteNo we don't (haven't so far) but really feeling the pressure this year to let L join in. Sigh. We must be the only family left in the world...
ReplyDeletewe don't have halloween traditions, although the kids do ask to go trick or treating and i usually have some individually wrapped lollies incase kids come to the door.
ReplyDeleteI am American and grew up celebrating Halloween big time - schools in the states even do dress up parades etc. I was so thrilled when we found out a pocket of our suburb celebrates Halloween and we happened to move to that pocket a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteThey have a great tradition where this one lady sends out a letter to all the hosues in the neighbouring 3 streets and includes a big orange ribbon - if you want to participate you hang the ribbon on your house visibly. If you also want to join in the trick or treating she invites everyone to her house for a sausage sizzle etc beforehand and then we send the families out in small groups so the neighbours are not overwhelmed. It is awesome - people without any children even decorate their houses, get the candy out, etc.
I wish carving pumpkins did not cost a fortune here - i am too cheap to spend $20+ on one so we don't carry on that tradition.
Deb @ home life simplified
We really have no halloween traditions in our house tyhough this year im planning on carving a pumkin i have always wanted togive it a go and im sure the kidswould enkoy it.
ReplyDeleteI love Halloween - or as you say, All Saints Eve.
ReplyDeleteWe celebrate with friends and neighbours, yes there is trick or treating, but there is also a wonderful celebration in a friend's home with all mannor of delicious foods.
Like anything I lament the commercialism that has taken over, and we try to keep that out of it as much as we can. xxx
(PS I don't want to be in the give away, my kiddos are too old)
I love Halloween , mainly because i think its sooo funnny! One time i was scared by my friend in the woods....well the problem was he was dressed like a gorilla! I screamed worse than a little child.
ReplyDeleteMy girls are 2 and 3 so we haven't made any Halloween Traditions as yet but my 3 year old really wants to 'do' Halloween this year. She has a witch costume and wants a pumpkin and wants to go trick or treating with her cousins. I don't think she realises that there are sweets involved.
ReplyDeleteI love it (in theory) but not so much in practice. Only coz I don't know who does and who doesn't participate in my neighborhood. My own post on my halloween conundrum appears tomorrow. Happy halloween Lucy!
ReplyDeleteWe've never celebrated Halloween as the kids are scared of scary things and there were definite 'rules' in this house about things we couldn't celebrate but now the rule makers gone... ;) . We have been invited to a Halloween birthday party so this will be our first year dressing up and getting spooky :) . Should be fun (and hopefully not too many meltdowns ensue from the scariness of it, although the birthday party is one of K's aspie social group friends with all the Aspies invited so at least the parents will understand if my boys become over stimulated :) )
ReplyDelete