Halloween

[Trickyvee]

Over the last few Halloweens I've only had about one knock on the door and the streets have been deserted of lanterns and ghouls. I'm assuming kids have Halloween parties now rather than wandering the streets.

I have fond memories of wandering the streets myself, clad in a black bin bag and cardboard witches hat (there seemed to be only one hat you could get, black and orange with frilly bits on the bottom available in every newsagent) and a turnip lantern.

We'd go around the block with the wind blowing out the candles every 5 seconds (it was ALWAYS windy), no trick or treating for me as even then I wasn't allowed to knock on strange doors, then back to someone's garden for outdoor beans on toast by lantern light.

I had a pumpkin on only one year - you just couldn't get them normally back then, and that same year my dad (being a sparky) rigged up a little light for it! Great stuff.

[Marine Boy]

Re: Halloween

I never went round the neighbourhood on Halloween but it does bring back some memories, It's my birthday, for a start. I had some great themed parties as a child.

[darren]

Re: Halloween

maybe he reason for this tricky is the over the top p c ness that is everywhere.

must say i don't see as much t and t anymore either.

yes i loved halloween as a kid getting dressed up trying to (get the apple out of the bowl of the water) etc maybe im thinking of something else not halloween.

we normally got quite a lot of money etc.

[Jacqueline]

Re: Halloween

It must depend on where you live, people seem to make a lot of Hallowe'en in this area. My brother always has a Hallowe'en party and the whole family do the spooky fancy dress thing. His house always looks like something from a Hammer film - fake cobwebs over the big staircase etc. The kids in the family love bobbing for apples, eating spider cakes etc

It's handy cos it's my birthday too

As a child I had a couple of birthday parties that I can remember but nothing much seemed to be made of the fact it was Hallowe'en. The emphasis seemed to be on Bonfire Night a few days later.

[FLYING SAUCER]

Re: Halloween

I always liked the idea of getting dressed up for Halloween, and kids having great fun! Nothing wrong in that at all, until the nasty teenage yobbo element crept in, where old people get terrorised and have their windows smashed, not good.

But when I was a kid not many people went in for it, we are talking early to mid 1970s, and the stuff to actualy "buy" was very limited, you had to make your hats and cloaks. I seem to remember going to an Oxfam shop and buying an old black skirt and making it into a cloak! And yes, we kept it to the back garden not the streets, folk didnt seem to have parties either then ?

I rather think Halloween is made more of in the USA?

[Trickyvee]

Re: Halloween

Perhaps going around the streets was a thing particular to where I am from. Everybody did it up to the age of about 12. The older lads would trick or treat and sometimes would be horrible and kick your turnips in. Nobody ever had a Halloween party. You couldn't get costumes. Just those hats and the odd mask.

[Heather74]

Re: Halloween

We made our own costumes and knocked on houses saying trick or treat, having three brothers if they said trick you'd play a small practical joke like knocking on the window and running off.
Not many said trick though they'd just give you 10p to get rid of you, all money collected got put into a jar to go with any Penny for the Guy money which would then be spent on fireworks ready for Bonfire night.

A neighbour(Adult) once took us Trick or Treating and she encouraged us to knock on the door and say

Trick or Treat?
Money or a sweet?
If you dont like fun,
We'll kick you up the bum.

Most took it in good spirit. (no pun intended)

As an adult I make my kids costumes and pumpkins and we do knock on a few neighbours doors. But its all prearranged and they know we are coming. I would never allow them to go on their own the way we did.

[FLYING SAUCER]

Re: Halloween

Do you remember the masks that were available in the 70s? I seem to remember heavy compressed card brightly painted with a thin bit of hat elastic at the back? Only available from newsagents? I suppose we didnt have Poundland then?

[Trickyvee]

Re: Halloween

I can only go by the 80s ones. Plastic with the thin elastic. Eye holes usually in the wrong place and developing a horrible smell once you had breathed and snotted it up a bit.

[Jacqueline]

Re: Halloween

There are def a lot more costumes/access available these days.

[Heather74]

Re: Halloween

I remember my mum trying to stick Rice Krispies to my face for a wart the year I decided to be a witch

[Jacqueline]

Re: Halloween

I remember my mum trying to stick Rice Krispies to my face for a wart the year I decided to be a witch

What a great idea! Lol

[Richard1978]

Re: Halloween

I remember those plastics masks, they would get a film of condensation inside after a while.

My Mum had me & my brother some cloaks that lasted us a few years.

Some had glow in the dark paint, which was good for scaring your neighours when you used it to make the head of a scarecrow. I speak from experience.

As well as T&T I went to a few halloween parties, either at school or at cubs.

[memoman]

Re: Halloween

I don't agree with letting kids wander the street these days.But it does depend on where you live.But stick to houses you/they know.But not young kids unless with a responcible person.

[Trickyvee]

Re: Halloween

Some had glow in the dark paint, which was good for scaring your neighours when you used it to make the head of a scarecrow. I speak from experience.

It reminds me of one year when I had a set of glow in the dark witches fingers. The holes were so small that they cut all the circulation off. My fingers were grusome enough on their own when I took them off.