Deciding Not to Celebrate Halloween
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By Lyz Lenz
Growing up, we didn’t celebrate Halloween. We were still allowed to dress up, but our costumes took on a more Biblical feel. One year I was the burning bush that spoke to Moses in the wilderness, Jezebel the evil queen, and Nehemiah a costume I cleverly concocted out of a cup and a stuffed bear. (Nehemiah was a cup-bearer to a Biblical king, it’s a pretty obscure reference and only amusing if you went to church your whole life). My family frequently hosted “fall festival” parties, but when it came to witches, ghosts or trick or treating, my parents did not let us participate. They hated the holiday. Hated the ghosts and goblins that freaked my sister out and gave her nightmares. They hated the incessant trick or treaters, who would always wake up the sleeping baby by ringing the doorbell. Also, Halloween is expensive.
On Today Mom’s, blogger Liz Murtaugh Gillespie talks about her own hatred of Halloween and how she struggles to “play along” with a holiday she hates. Gillespie explains, “Maybe it all started the year someone singled me out in a pack of trick-or-treaters and shouted, ‘Oh, who’s that cute little boy in the cat costume?!’ Maybe it’s the annual wasting of money better spent on anything but candy and overpriced costumes.”
An iVillage poll reveals that one in 10 parents hates Halloween. With the hassle of costumes, candy overload and the dangers of trick or treating, it seems more parents are choosing to opt-out of this spooky holiday.
But as a new parent, I’m excited for my first holiday with my daughter. And despite the fact that she is a mere seven months old, we’ll be dressing up and hitting up a few neighbor’s houses before bedtime. But we’ll see what I say after I have a few Halloween’s under my belt as a parent. No doubt the magic will fade, but I do hope I’ll always celebrate Halloween with my kids (those present and those to come), because behind all the candy and ghosts, it’s the one holiday that encourages creativity and allows you, just for one day, to be whatever you want.
Will you be celebrating Halloween this year?
About the Author:
Lyz Lenz is a writer, a mom and a midwesterner. Although, not in that order. She lives in Iowa and on the web at LyzLenz.com
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Comment by Kim on Oct 28 2011 05:41:05:
I would rather not celebrate Halloween, growing up we did not celebrate Halloween. We were not allowed to dress up or go out for candy, we did however give out candy. My LO is 6 months old and my husband is really into Halloween, this year we are not planning on going out for Halloween since it falls on a work night, but I am sure in the future we will probably be celebrating. I do agree that it is a waste of money, but who am i to judge.
Comment by Tracy on Oct 28 2011 05:57:22:
We love Halloween and all things fall. We are also not big on candy and processed sugar, so as our child grows, we plan to limit the amount of candy he actually gets to take and eat. Many places in our state have special types of Halloween parties – like at the mall, or at a church with all the parents in cars (trunk or treat) to decrease the danger of kids wandering in dark, sidewalk-less neighborhoods. Like all other holidays, there’s no reason why Halloween has to cost a lot of money unless you choose for it to. Our son’s costume this year is a well-made $10 dragon from Costco, and next year we will bring it to the local costume swap for some other baby to use. A bag of candy large enough to feed the neighborhood is less than $5. $15 for a night of make-believe and entertainment is cheaper than one adult movie ticket in this area.
Comment by Cortoney on Oct 28 2011 08:20:27:
I absolutely LOVE Halloween. It’s the only holiday I really like. Christmas is my most hated holidays because buying gifts always breaks the bank. I love giving gifts because the smiles are worthwhile but hate being broke after buying.
Comment by Sandra Caro Barajas on Oct 29 2011 06:39:22:
I love Halloween because it's my parents aniversary. This year is there 41st. We love giving out candy. This year I have my 8 month old baby that is going to join us.