Do You Think Halloween is a Dumb Holiday?

A few days ago, a person, who will remain anonymous, posted a message against Halloween on a social site where we are both members. The person said that they hoped that this year's Halloween were over soon because it is a "dumb holiday" due to the pain of being out with little kids, the mischief caused by older kids and that it is not "funny or healthy for adults to frighten little kids."

Halloween is my favorite holiday. I watched The Exorcist when I was 8 years old. It's not a good idea to generalize because some of us liked to be scared as kids.

I was told by this person that I am the exception when it comes to liking Halloween and everything that goes along with it. I really doubt that. If I am the exception, why is Harry Potter so popular with children? In my opinion, it is very much a Halloween type of story. Why is the Halloweentown series so popular as well?

I think it is the exception that is against Halloween. Trick-or-treating is fun for kids as well as adults.

As for big kids doing mischief and the kids trick-or-treating, we hardly get any more in my area and I miss it.

Why is Halloween a dumb holiday? Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day are not? What about Columbus Day? Columbus is not even the person that's discovered America! I always thought Thanksgiving was a dumb holiday because we basically stole America from the Native Americans. And does anyone honestly like all of the work that goes into Thanksgiving dinners?

If anyone is afraid of trick-or-treating because of the possibility that children might get poison or razor blades in the candy, that is not the case by far. The scare of the 70s and 80s with some apples being passed out with razor blades inside was propagated by people trying to make a bad name for Halloween because they believe it is bad, a prank or using as an alibi for murder-- all of these cases are small anomalies, not widespread incidents. A Wikipedia article about the poisoned candy scare show that the cases of candy or food tampering during trick-or-treating are few and far between. Of course, common sense should still be used when receiving trick-or-treat goodies and parents should check it before allowing their children to eat it.

To add a certain level of fairness and validity to my argument, I have asked a few of my friends with children about their thoughts on Halloween. My findings show that some parents are all for Halloween and some are lukewarm towards it but none is really a staunch anti-Halloween person.

Erin:

I think Halloween is a sweet holiday. Adults have a lot of things to get excited for with the year and there's no reason for kids not to have something special to happen once a year. They go with friends to trick or treat, get candy and costumes, fun haunted houses, you name it. I think it's fun to take Gage out trick or treating. We both go together with the kids most years and they seem to have fun. I know Gage at 8 is already excited Halloween is so close right now.

I don't think it's okay to frighten little kids, no. Since I have a child that has always been a scared child for some reason, scaring him can be a much bigger deal than scaring other kids. He's more sensitive to that kind of thing. We went to a haunted house in a neighborhood last year but it was more geared toward adults and the kids stayed outside with Melissa's parents since they seemed frightened, although Gage seemed curious. Other than that I've never had an adult try to scare Gage."

George:

I don't have a problem with Halloween although I think all holidays have become commercialized.

I think Halloween scares some little kids but it depends on the kid. My kid is not afraid of Halloween. It all depends on how they are brought up. I brought my kid up watching horror movies, so there's not much that scares him.

The thing that bothers me about Halloween is the narrow mindedness of some parents that won't allow their child to participate then that child feels ostracized and is made out to be an outcast.

I believe in personal censorship if your child gets scared easy then keep them away from things that will scare them or traumatized them. To each their own.

Decorating on Halloween depends on one's own preference if you think it's dumb don't do it. I think decorating is pretty cool.

I think Trick-or-treating is cool for children. We usually try to give out some kind of candy. I never have my son here on Halloween but I would. Last year he was Freddy Krueger.

I was brought up with very little censorship as to what I could see.

Christina:

Ok...this is what I think. I do honestly believe that Halloween is a "dumb" holiday. It provides meaningless entertainment for children and adults. It is yet ANOTHER reason to have a party or attend a party.

Growing up my mother never made a big deal about Halloween, with either decorations or costumes...perhaps that is why I feel the way I do.

I do not decorate this house with any nonsense although I do have pumpkin shaped candles around but no mock spider webs, witches, brooms, witches brew or whatever.

I do participate in Halloween night by getting my kids dressed up (keep in mind that this is the first year that Cole can actually speak for himself and pick out his own costume). I want what they want and, if they want to participate in Halloween, I am all for it but, in the same breathe, I do not emphasize on it.

As far as being scared...yes Cole is very frightened by all the crazy looking figures that are out there. When we go into a store that highlights Halloween, he gets scared and asks that we don't go "that way" (meaning, I need to find another way around the store to bypass the scary stuff).

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