Halloween Discussion Forums, Costumes, Horror!

I'm glad I don't have anyone like that near me. Not that they've told me anyway. I love Halloween(obviously) and would never not decorate just because someone couldn't properly reassure their kid that my decorations weren't going to "get them" or like in the question on page two that they think it's the "Devil's Holiday".

If it's the Devil's holiday then I'm Satan's husband!

That crying about saving the worms part was hilarious.

Rising Dead Man wrote:If it's the Devil's holiday then I'm Satan's husband!

That crying about saving the worms part was hilarious.

So you deny that there is a dark, nasty side to Halloween? I am not saying that because someone celebrates Halloween, they are endorsing the darker aspects. I certainly don't in my celebrations . But is does exist and some people can't separate the fun side from the uglier aspects. Christmas is a religious holiday, but how many celebrate Christmas without even acknowledging that part of it. Kinda the same thing, isn't it?

Halloween has roots in appeasing the dead and having them walk the earth and as such I can understand while some people get uptight about it. However for most people Halloween is just good natured fun.

I don't believe in Satan but I like to joke around about worshipping him because so many Christians piss me off. (Not anyone on here BTW. Old fashioned fascist bigots that try to ban everything are what I'm talking about.)

What dark side do you mean? Like ritual sacrifices?

I didn't follow those links, but the thing is, it's generally only very young kids who get scared by the more gruesome Halloween displays. Those same kids, two or three years down the line, may be loving it. Displays that 8- or 10-yr-olds love could easily frighten a toddler. So I really think it's on the parents to keep their kids away from the "scary" houses on Halloween night, and if the child is afraid of the neighbor's house throughout the month of Oct., it's just a chance to explain the difference between RL & make-believe to the kid.

Like a night or so ago, my daughter & I were watching that new TV show, 666 Park Place, whatever it's called. She is 15, but she was getting really, seriously creeped out by one scene. So I said to her, "Look, it's a TV show. There are cameras all over the place. They broke for lunch. They laughed."

Once kids are old enough to understand that the Halloween displays aren't for real, their reaction becomes a matter of taste. Some people never do enjoy it, but that's like looking at someone else's art work and saying, "I would never pay for that painting."

I bet you're right about the parents, Nevermore. I suppose we all deal with our mortality the best way we can. For me, it seems to help to have a ritualized time of year when we can confront it, often with humor. Obviously many, but not all, people, are like me in this respect.

I do think some religious people are sincerely fearful that they might accidentally invite a demonic force into their lives by celebrating the dark side of life. I guess I do have certain lines I won't cross, but each person makes up his/her mind about these matters.

It's funny, if not for getting scared out of my gourd as a kid I probably wouldn't like Halloween as much as I do today. I'm glad I do. I can laugh at death and tell it to catch me if it can. I'll just keep running as fast as I can until my body breaks down or I run into something.

I freaking love that! I want to quote it everywhere I go now!

That situation reminds me of the time I was building a PVC gurney and cadaver in the hall and my friend and her 3 y/o came over. The little girl was sooOoOoo scared, but we took her over there and I showed her that it was all fake... 2 years later, my friend tells me she took her daughter to Disneyland and they rode "Pirates of the Carry-Bean"... and her daughter kept saying, "Look mom! Skeletons! Just like at [Mr. & Mrs. Jadewik's] House!"

Little kids scare too easy. This is the same sorta thing that annoyed me when my church put "please don't scare the kids" on the Halloween party sign. It's not possible to NOT scare kids that young. They WILL get scared. The trick is teaching the kid to face their fears so they can learn how to deal with that fear.

exactly Jadewik

I haven't seen that movie but I get the gist of it and it's a good quote.