Ghosts & Ghouls.

[real mad hatter]

I see MK is getting ready for Halloween.How busy is it at this time? In comparison to July/August. Over here in Scotland it's no big deal.Iam lucky if I have 6 or 7 kids at my door trick or treatin.I remember visiting sister in law in Los Angeles in September and the shops were full of Halloween costumes.Can you explain why it is such a big deal in the USA.

 

[unkadug]

I see MK is getting ready for Halloween.How busy is it at this time? In comparison to July/August. Over here in Scotland it's no big deal.Iam lucky if I have 6 or 7 kids at my door trick or treatin.I remember visiting sister in law in Los Angeles in September and the shops were full of Halloween costumes.Can you explain why it is such a big deal in the USA.

Commercialism

 

[real mad hatter]

Commercialism

How sad! Here's me thinking it's got to be something magic & special.

 

[Crush Dude!]

I see MK is getting ready for Halloween.How busy is it at this time? In comparison to July/August. Over here in Scotland it's no big deal.Iam lucky if I have 6 or 7 kids at my door trick or treatin.I remember visiting sister in law in Los Angeles in September and the shops were full of Halloween costumes.Can you explain why it is such a big deal in the USA.

Halloween is the same here but we love the Halloween season!

Went last year to DLP for Halloween night and it was BRILLIANT! Would love to go to WDW for it!!

 

[unkadug]

How sad! Here's me thinking it's got to be something magic & special.

Well most kids do find it magical and special that the rest of have fallen for the commercialism.

 

[real mad hatter]

Halloween is the same here but we love the Halloween season!

Went last year to DLP for Halloween night and it was BRILLIANT! Would love to go to WDW for it!!

Ah,But what would you go as?

 

[The Mom]

IMO, the commercialism followed the "big deal" not the other way around. And it only happened when more adults became involved in what had previously been something that kids handled themselves, probably in an effort to recreate (or improve) childhood memories.

My costumes were always homemade, except for the old stiffened cheesecloth eye masks and greasepaint. I think we had a pirate's hat and patch. I didn't see many children wearing "store bought" costumes until I was an adult. My mother had a trunk of old clothes that we could rummage through. This was typical for our neighborhood.

We would walk for hours, filling a pillowcase with treats. Started as soon as it was dark (6ish), and came home around 9PM. The streets would be filled with groups of kids. If we got home early, my parents would sometimes raid our bags because they had run out of treats.

My family lives close to a church that has a carnival, so we have a lot of people (vans full) who come after it ends. They are not from our neighborhood, but some families come every year, and are even bringing grandchildren. I had to retire a decoration due to damage, and had several children ask me where Mr Bones (a singing, dancing skeleton) had gone. I go through about a dozen bags of candy.

I would dress in costume while bringing my children trick or treating, but now a witches hat, and a holiday themed blouse, is about the extent of my costume. Some very young children come by, and I don't want to scare them.

I do have many holiday lights, etc outside, plus a jack-o-lantern, of course.

 

[Blueskyze]

I love Halloween! It has always been a big deal to me - when I was a kid, my mom would make my costume and we'd walk all over the neighborhood and fill up a pillowcase. Now, we decorate the whole house (bought a few new decorations at WDW last week!), and last year we started a new tradition of having a kid-friendly Halloween party the weekend before. We made lots of Halloween-themed snacks, had a fun scavenger hunt, and even had a fog machine and spooky lighting. In the weeks leading up to Halloween, we make a visit to a pumpkin patch, have a pumpkin-carving night, and then of course, go trick-or-treating.

 

[Crush Dude!]

I love Halloween! It has always been a big deal to me - when I was a kid, my mom would make my costume and we'd walk all over the neighborhood and fill up a pillowcase. Now, we decorate the whole house (bought a few new decorations at WDW last week!), and last year we started a new tradition of having a kid-friendly Halloween party the weekend before. We made lots of Halloween-themed snacks, had a fun scavenger hunt, and even had a fog machine and spooky lighting. In the weeks leading up to Halloween, we make a visit to a pumpkin patch, have a pumpkin-carving night, and then of course, go trick-or-treating.

All sounds AWESOME!

 

[Nemo14]

My parents hated Halloween and did not allow us to go out trick-or-treating (they considered it begging), but they did pass out treats, usually apples, to the kids who came around. When my own kids were young, I made all their costumes and my husband would take them out in our neighborhood and at his parents' neighborhood while I stayed home passing out candy. We generally get between 80 and 100 trick-or-treaters here. It's still not a favorite of mine, but I did enjoy designing their costumes.

 

[Bob Saget]

Commercialism

^Exactly.

I actually saw Halloween decor, candy, and other merch. at a Walgreens last week. That's right, not even out of August and the stuff is hitting the stores. Not that I'm complaining...it is one of my favorite times of year.

Oh, and you will be seeing Christmas decorations for sale at stores before Halloween day arrives. Bank on it.

 

[unkadug]

^Exactly.

I actually saw Halloween decor, candy, and other merch. at a Walgreens last week. That's right, not even out of August and the stuff is hitting the stores. Not that I'm complaining...it is one of my favorite times of year.

Oh, and you will be seeing Christmas decorations for sale at stores before Halloween day arrives. Bank on it.

Of course....Christmas comes earlier this year...I thought you knew!

 

[ratherbeinwdw]

I see MK is getting ready for Halloween.How busy is it at this time? In comparison to July/August. Over here in Scotland it's no big deal.Iam lucky if I have 6 or 7 kids at my door trick or treatin.I remember visiting sister in law in Los Angeles in September and the shops were full of Halloween costumes.Can you explain why it is such a big deal in the USA.

Because you can put on your mad hatter costume and go out to eat or whatever and no one will think you're
"strange". It's my teen's favorite time of year. As Wynona Rider says in Beetlejuice, "I am strange and unusual", or something like that. That fits my DD. However, at Halloween, she fits right in. She plans her costumes for months. She usually has at least two; one for parties and one for taking our friend's little children trick-or-treating. One of her costumes last year was Ziggy Stardust, David Bowie's persona in the day. It took days cutting and styling a wig and making the clothes. Her make-up matched his exactly. She is very feminine, so it was really a testatment to her creativity that she looked just like him. She even wore one contact to represent his blown pupil. All her costumes are to exact detail. This is one reason it is a big deal to some; others just want the candy .

 

[The Mom]

^Exactly.

I actually saw Halloween decor, candy, and other merch. at a Walgreens last week. That's right, not even out of August and the stuff is hitting the stores. Not that I'm complaining...it is one of my favorite times of year.

Oh, and you will be seeing Christmas decorations for sale at stores before Halloween day arrives. Bank on it.

I've already seen some - lights, and college themed.

 

[luv]

I really like everything Halloween. I like the gruesome stuff. I like HHN at Uni. A friend of mine has one of those houses that you see that have bloody limbs hanging from trees and such. It's a lot of fun to put together.

I like the cute decorations. The little kids in their costumes are so cute. And sometimes they are really shy, but you can tell how happy and/or proud they are. It's all so adorable.

Although you don't get this in the South, I like the orange garbage bags with pumpkin faces on them full of fall leaves. And the crisp fall air.

I like the tradition. Pumkin carving, Tacos, then ToTing.

I also like giving out good candy. I always wanted good candy as a kid and was frequently disappointed. My bowl has Reese's cups and sticks, kit Kats, Snickers, Butterfingers, Skittles and Starbursts. And every year, I'm proud that it isn't Chuckles, candy cigarettes, Bit o Honey (blech) or Necco wafers. Or, God help me, a toothbrush.

It's just all so fun.

How could you NOT love a holiday that stems from religion, focuses on gore and is celebrated by cute little kids in Dalmatian costumes who extort candy by threatening to perform property damage if you don't pony it up?!?!

 

[wiigirl]

Commercialism

lol....that goes for all holidays

 

[acishere]

How could you NOT love a holiday that stems from religion, focuses on gore and is celebrated by cute little kids in Dalmatian costumes who extort candy by threatening to perform property damage if you don't pony it up?!?!

Yeah as a kid you get free candy for dressing up as something you think is cool.

When you get older you get to party in ridiculous costumes with a girl dressed as a naughty princess.

And when you get even older you get to sit around watching horror movies with mountains of candy at your disposal.

How do you not love this holiday?

 

[luv]

Yeah as a kid you get free candy for dressing up as something you think is cool.

When you get older you get to party in ridiculous costumes with a girl dressed as a naughty princess.

That last part was probably more fun for you than it would be for me.

 

[WDWNooby]

I'm not a huge Halloween fan but think it would be awesome to see WDW all decked out and of course, the kids having fun.

As a side, yes indeed Christmas is upon us. My son and daughter both work retail and the trees have arrived!

 

[ScoutN]

I've already seen some - lights, and college themed.

Last year I made my biannual visit to walmart around Oct 20ish. Xmas decor was already out. That clearly was to pump the quarter profits (cant blame them)