Need to Vent

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 5:21 pm

We had a great party...but there was 1 thing about everything that really bugged me....this year I opened our pumpkin carving contest up to my whole town...I sent out announcements to over 600 people through the Chamber of Commerce, my friend is the school principal- he announced it at the middle school, and he put flyers up at the school-he was here at the party, I did the Harvestfest...and handed out flyers there. I posted flyers in stores and at the post office, I told the people at the pumpkin patch to tell everyone. I gave out money as prizes...1st was $50 cash, 2nd was $25 and 3rd was $15. My friends all worked really hard at doing their pumpkins. Out of all the advertising I did...1 person other than my own friends brought a pumpkin. We thought we'd get tons and tons of them. My mom was so excited about it...and thought it would be cool to have tons of them lined up on the wall in front of my house. We could not believe the lack of response from people. My mom said... people complain all the time that kids have nothing to do...and you give them something really fun to do, and they don't do it...the contest was open to everyone, not just kids. What is with people? My friends say it is laziness...people don't want to get their butts up and away from their computers and their TVs. I just think how sad it is for people who don't know what they are missing out on. We decorated a bunch of pumpkins ourselves, just for fun....we had a blast.

Does anyone else live in an area where you wonder what people are doing for Halloween???

What is up with the lack of effort?

LawP · Post by **LawP** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 6:04 pm

You know, I wonder if it isn't this year in particular that's suffering for some reason. Many of my Halloween friends are "too busy" or "not feeling it" this year and some aren't even decorating! Spooky, I think your idea was a wonderful one and if you were in my neighborhood I would have been number 2 aside from your friends and that one extra who responded.

Keep trying, don't give up.

tomanderson · Post by **tomanderson** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 7:58 pm

Absolutely. Continue having fun. It sounds like the lack of pumpkin enthusiasts was a temporary letdown, but ya gotta keep your chin up and squeeze some enjoyment out of the holiday.

(This Halloween season is tough for a lot of people, and it is to everyone's credit that they are jumping into it anyway, with as much energy as they can muster.)

A positive attitude helps, so I send you my best wishes!

One Eye'd Jack · Post by **One Eye'd Jack** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 8:05 pm

I'm sorry, Spooky

That's a bummer. Maybe next year.

Haunted Horseman · Post by **Haunted Horseman** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 9:10 pm

That's too bad Spooky. I've notice a lot of people in my town not decorating this year. I wonder what that is all about. But we keep the faith nonetheless and hope spread the spirit.

tomanderson · Post by **tomanderson** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 10:17 pm

That's what keeping the faith is all about--you keep it even if you see people around you losing theirs.

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 10:17 pm

Thanks for the support. I do keep doing what I want to do no matter what the rest of the world is doing, I just feel sorry for people who don't make the effort, because I think of how much fun they are missing out on. You can see on the pictures I posted that my friends really did a great job with the pumpkins...My one friend came as Dorothy and she did three pumpkins to be the lion, scarecrow and tin man...they were so awesome. All those little extra things that each person contributes makes the whole thing so much more exciting for everyone there. I just wish more people would get in to it. I live in a small town, and you'd think that would make people closer...because I grew up in a small town and everyone supported each other...but any more it seems like people are totally anti social. I am working on changing it though. Halloween comes once a year...take the time to make it count, because that's your life going by...if you don't ever take the time to make things memorable then you will not have any good memories...there's more to life than working.

I have been reading about my town ...from years ago...I wanted to know the history of the area I live in, people had way less money 50 years ago...but what they said they didn't have was...over crowded prison,
crowded mental institutions, drug menace and child abuse....they worked hard, but they took the time to celebrate and have fun, and now we have so many things that make it so much easier on people, and give them more time...but the more time it seems you give people...the less effort they make.

Nostalgiascape · Post by **Nostalgiascape** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 2:54 am

In my opinion, all those people really missed out on a good time. Their loss my friend.

Catzilla · Post by **Catzilla** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 7:44 am

Sorry to hear that it did not work out.
IMO....it all starts in the heart, LOTS & LOTS of people see the holidays as a burden.
Myself & my family LIVE IT UP & WE GO ALL OUT BABY !

We are very happy people & that carries over all through out the year.
I hope it turns out better for you next Halloween.

Dutchess of Darkness · Post by **Dutchess of Darkness** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 4:21 am

Spooky, I'm so sorry to hear that so few turned up for your contest, but I'm glad to hear that you're keeping the faith. times have changed and not for the better thats for sure. I know I have a very difficult time with how fast pace everything has become, and I do mean a really difficult time, I'd love to move to a smaller town in many ways, although I do love the town I live in, but I can't move cause if we did it would just create way more stress cause of the financal burden and time burden since all the major Medical centres I need to be near are near where I live " well within 2 hours" if I lived farther away I would have more expenses for everything.
I feel just as you do about the way the world is going, it's so sad really, and yet we have all these things that are suppose to be making our lives easier yet things are only becoming more and more complicated and there just seems to be less and less time.
I'm so glad to hear that you still had a great time, do you think any of it has to do with Halloween being on a school night this year? Keep trying, don't lose your Halloween spirit, can't wait to see any pictures you may have took

Cadaverino · Post by **Cadaverino** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 4:30 am

People today are doing fewer and fewer group activities. There was a whole book about this phenomenon, titled Bowling Alone (the title refers to the big drop in league bowling). It is sad.

Boo · Post by **Boo** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 9:10 am

Hard luck spooky. But well done for being so proactive. Even if you got one person involved it's your victory!