UKC

In the supermarket last night I saw three different people pushing trolleys containing huge pumpkins. Which are going to be very mushy by thr 31st - unless they have a chest freezer. Also the inevitable aisle full of tat.

So is Halloween mutating into a season? Genuinely baffled.

In reply to Andy Johnson:

*Especially* if they go in a freezer surely.

If they're not carved, just left out whole on the doorstep until needed they'll last just fine, they were sat in a field just fine before being sold.

Yes. Another prolonged excuse to sell tat.

jk

In reply to Andy Johnson:

Halloween is a season and has been for sometime I'm afraid

I enjoy the confusion when the shops have both the Halloween decorations and the Christmas decorations up at the same time, anyway I’m off to stockpile Easter eggs…

In reply to Andy Johnson:

Yes and it should be cancelled.  Kids have too much fun these days year round, guising is no longer needed as a relief from the grim and grey misery of the encroaching early darkness.

my children fundamentally disagree of course and somehow persuaded me last year to dress up as a banana.  Other parents in the street were without costume, and I like Halloween even less now.

In reply to J72:

I can proudly assert that never in my adult life have I ever succumbed to Halloween, this despite having a 10 year old who each year begs me to join in. There are some lines one shouldn't cross and for me this is one of them. She always seems to have a pretty good time anyway!

In reply to john arran:

Coming from a fairly Presbyterian background I am suspicious of all types of fun - I have to say that my children were very pleased at their jape, other parents (all mums might I add) clearly thought I’d a screw loose.

I would suggest that living your principles are serving you well.

In reply to jkarran:

Well I'm not going to do the experiment. But when they were sitting in the field they were connected to a root aystem. I'd naively expect them to last less long once harvested, but I know nothing about pumpkins.

As my childen enjoyed reminding my wallet when they were younger. Bah.

In reply to J72:

A bent banana or a straight one?  Somehow that's still an important question apparently.

In reply to the thread:

I think there's some truth in the theory that Halloween is the only thing that's now stopping Christmas from slowly expanding until it hits the start of the school year in late August / early September.

Something to be grateful for, maybe...

In reply to deepsoup:

It was akin to this: https://www.fancydress.com/products/adult-novelty-banana-costume?currency=G...

note: I wore trousers and clothes rather than this brave/possibly cancellable soul who didn’t in that photo. 
 

it’s neither bent nor straight really - but I can confirm that my costume wasn’t a heavily symbolic post modern commentary on the nature of brexit.  

In reply to Andy Johnson:

I've never been into Halloween, but even less so once you realise how bad it is environmentally! 2000 tonnes of plastic waste for one evening. Usually not even a whole evening, just half an hour or so!

https://www.wastemanaged.co.uk/halloween-waste/

In reply to echo34:

Well, you can get hot cross buns. And mince pies.

In reply to Andy Johnson:

Big Fan here. Our estate has tonnes of young families on it. It’s relatively affluent. When we first moved here, 12 years ago, we run out of sweets. The next year I made up my own very stingy sweet bags and counted 120+ guisers. People drive here and join in the fun. Great community spirit. Our house lends itself to being well decorated, I get huge compliments for my pumpkins (?!) which are magnificently carved (??!!).  It’s now a complete ego thing on my part, and the thought of a neighbour outdoing me….this simply can’t happen. 

In reply to J72:

I am loving the concept of the reluctant banana.  Surely when you slipped into that glorious yellow skin, you embodied some of the joyful spirit of the golden fruit - no?

Also had a very presbyterian upbringing and wasn’t allowed to go guising as a kid (mam considered it begging).  I now love halloween.  Not all the plastic crap but the spooky costumes and games.  Our local WRI put on a halloween party for the kids of the parish, it’s too rural and spread out for effective guising.  There’s apple dooking, loo roll mummy making, music, games, competitions, lanterns, masks etc.  My own kids are too old for it now but it was a blast when they were little 

In reply to jkarran:

Instead you could go to that big  farm shop on the a66 just west of scotch corner and pay extra for the privilege of picking your own . No wonder he drives a Bentley .

In reply to J72: excellent .  my youngest is still insisting on participating. I will now agree on that basis that I can go with him …….might get a couple of grapefruit to and hang thEm around my waist like a fruity sporran . Now that would be a novelty .

In reply to Bottom Clinger:

Reminds me of my F-in-L - usually, very straight and posh, but every Christmas went full National Lampoons on the house!

Since he passed away, we're slowly accumulating all the illuminations, as my M-in-L loses interest and passes it to us.

In reply to J72:

Amateur - I have a full-on horror scarecrow costume for prowling the streets that night

Originally bought for a friend's house warming that coincided with Halloween.

In reply to girlymonkey:

Not in our house. We only do sustainable games (apple bobbing) and we make cakes & eat pumpkin soup. On our street I've hosted for all the little kids (luckily only 4 or 5 of them) every year and it's one of their favourite events. They do a little trick or treat around our cul de sac afterwards

In reply to echo34

Local garden centre has a Christmas tree up that is decorated in a Halloween theme

In reply to LastBoyScout:

An apparently blood soaked ghillie suit and glowing red eyes I think would suit the occasion well.  Accompanied by horrible panting wheezing sounds

In reply to wercat:

Good idea

I hate Halloween. One year all the huge bag of sweets had long gone, I was home alone, and the doorbell kept ringing far into the evening. I was eventually reduced to switching all the lights off and hiding upstairs with all those lights off too 

Bah humbug 

Sorry if I sound like a Scrooge not my normal happy go lucky self today ha ha ha

In reply to LastBoyScout:

That’s my normal look.  That’s what the parents of crying children tell me when I’m walking the dog.

In reply to Bottom Clinger:

My house is like a Scooby-Doo house; very overgrown front garden. No-one comes. I keep the lights off.

Bah humbug (or the Halloween equivalent...)

In reply to wercat:

Excellent.  I suggest adding one of these in a pram:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-asia-66944513

In reply to Sealwife:

I did indeed - I think it might be impossible not to feel joyful whilst dressed as a potassium-rich fruit.  Can’t say I liked the feeling though.

In reply to Andy Johnson:

I think more £ is spent on bonfire night than halloween, but the combined £ is huge:  

https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/reports/brits-to-spend-more-than-650m-on-bonfir...

I like them all, (well, Halloween and Xmas/NY) and they come at the right one of year for many people, BUT anything that delays the Xmas build up is fine by me. 

In reply to Bottom Clinger:

Is not X mas proprietary now?  Pretty much Muskmas or twittermas

In reply to wercat:

First time I’ve thought of that. The crafty little b’stard has secretly took over Xmas, and got millions celebrating his birthday every year!!!

In reply to Bottom Clinger:

The Grinch!