Daveman Posted November 1, 2000 Share Posted November 1, 2000 Just call me the Grinch who stole Halloween. Someone please explain to me why this poor excuse for a "holiday" is still in practice here in the US. I really don't know if this "holiday" is celebrated elsewhere, so to sum up it's the 31st of October. I don't know what the historical basis (if any) is for it, but on Halloween children dress up in costumes and go door to door, at night, and expect to be given candy. How this came about is a mystery to me. Now admitedly, I went out for Halloween when I was a kid and have fond memories. My parents always made up cool costumes for me (Darth Vader, a knight, a soldier, the usual boy stuff) and went with me wherever I went. I remember them checking out my candy first to make sure everything looked OK. BUT, this was maybe up until I was 7 or 8. Then I was "too old" to go out and that was that. In the meantime, there have been occasional horror stories of sickos giving out poisoned candy, abducting kids, safety problems with kids going around at night, etc. I would have thought this was a holiday on its' way out. I'm a recent (2 years now) homeowner and have come to dread Halloween. When I see a neighbor I know with his little ones dressed up real cute I enjoy it, but all to often it just pisses me off. Among my favorite things: 1. Roving packs of kids on rollerblades zipping through the community with no regard for others, presumably to cover more ground faster. 2. Kids who treat our small front porch like the front row of a rock concert, cramming little kids up against our front door so I have to tell them "Now back up so I can open the door" 3. Kids who trample our flowers and other nick nacks on our porch/flower garden to get to the door. 4. Often violent and disgusting costumes: Oh look, it's our cute neighbor Timmy with a big gash in his head weilding a bloody knife! 5. Freaking teenagers (seriously, 16, 17 or older)... go buy your own damn candy!!! 6. Well meaning but lazy-assed parents who follow their kids around IN THEIR CAR... tooling along at 5mph. 7. Kids from other neighborhoods, often dropped off by car by their parents. 8. Kids who don't say "thank you" or the traditional "trick or treat". 9. Fast moving kids (see #1 above) who wear something simple like a cloak, then take that off to reveal some other costume underneath and go round the neighborhood again... IT HAPPENS! OK, I've vented. Time to catch up on some PBEMs. ------------------ "Whenever a mission ends and I still have a member of the red team standing, I have to ask myself: did I do enough to ensure my own safety?" - Old Man Murray review on SWAT3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamski Posted November 1, 2000 Share Posted November 1, 2000 Hey, You know what you can do? I just got done with handing out my fair share of candy here at RAF Mildenhall, UK. While I was taking my own daughter around, there was a guy in his front yard with a scarey mask and a gas CHAIN SAW! No lie. Now, it didn't have it's chain on, but boy did it scare the hell out of the kids with it's noise!! Nobody wanted to go anywhere near that house! I laughed about it as I carefully avoided him as well......... -Ski ------------------ "The Lieutenant brought his map out and the old woman pointed to the coastal town of Ravenoville........" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamstersss Posted November 1, 2000 Share Posted November 1, 2000 You realize that by posting this you are officially an "Old Man" and you are now required to grumble about how kids were more respectful in your day, how girls hardly wear anything, how bad their music is and how great the cars were in, and repeat after me, "The good ol' days." ------------------ I've got far more annoying things than that up my sleeve. -Meeks You must wear awfully loose shirts to fit an oompah band up your sleeve. -Chrisl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hnh3_cm Posted November 1, 2000 Share Posted November 1, 2000 Hehe...I agree. [This message has been edited by hnh3_cm (edited 10-31-2000).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger Posted November 1, 2000 Share Posted November 1, 2000 Someone needs to start drinking de-caf -johnski [This message has been edited by Tiger (edited 10-31-2000).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daveman Posted November 1, 2000 Author Share Posted November 1, 2000 Oh yeah? Well that's the way things were AND WE LIKED IT!! Oh dear... 29 is too yound to be an Old Man isn't it? ------------------ "Whenever a mission ends and I still have a member of the red team standing, I have to ask myself: did I do enough to ensure my own safety?" - Old Man Murray review on SWAT3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaSCa Posted November 1, 2000 Share Posted November 1, 2000 There's something wrong with girls who hardly wear anything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest barrold713 Posted November 1, 2000 Share Posted November 1, 2000 Although I happily live in a neighborhood that is isolated by a nearby very busy road and has very few children, I have been spared the horrors described above. The last time I passed out candy I was kind of shocked at the difference in the behavior exhibited by the kids now and what I remembered from my earlier days. While not all the kids fit the descriptions above there was enough to really put a less than favorable taste in my mouth. Kind of like stale candy corn...God I hate candy corn. Anyway, I half-heartily now believe that Halloween is a government conspiracy to promote a sense of entitlement to be given goodies someone else has to pay for. ------------------ "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb discussing what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote" - Ben Franklin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Der Unbekannte Jäger Posted November 1, 2000 Share Posted November 1, 2000 Daveman I completly agree with you in every way. I refuse to delve into the origin of Halloween because of the flamewar that will no doubt erupt. Right now the kids from the neighboor hood are prancing around in their little costumes and the no-goodnick teens are out doing their own thing. Very sad. And I am no "old man" (my age is NDBBMO) but I feel that the displays that are going on are ludicrous. If only these people knew what they were "celebrating". Thats my mini-rant for this evening, thank you for putting up with me. ------------------ "I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend, to the death, your right to say it." [This message has been edited by Der Unbekannte Jäger (edited 10-31-2000).] [This message has been edited by Der Unbekannte Jäger (edited 10-31-2000).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navare Posted November 1, 2000 Share Posted November 1, 2000 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by CaSCa: There's something wrong with girls who hardly wear anything?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Nothing, as long as the girls are over 18! ------------------ Navare "I am determined to prove a villian..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pvt. Ryan Posted November 1, 2000 Share Posted November 1, 2000 CM just adds to the horror of Halloween. I have three bags of candy that I know will still be here at the end of the night and I have nothing better to do than sit here and munch on it while playing CM. I am going to be very sick and get very fat. Why do I always buy the candy I like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pham911 Posted November 1, 2000 Share Posted November 1, 2000 Well, my kids loved it. They were a vampire, a Powerpuff girl, and a princess(respectivly, from oldest to youngest). They were also very polite, as were 90% of the kids who came to our door. The few who weren't were not impolite to me, but just talking crap to each other. I can't disagree with most points you made, though. The teens are annoying(although one guy came by as Homey the Clown and beat his friend with that thing Homey always beat people with on TV, which was funny as hell), but usually kids who don't say trick or treat aren't being rude, but are shy. Pretty much every other point you made are things that the parents are doing wrong(as in "not watching thier kids"). So, everytime you say kids stepping on my flowers(for an example), it should read "parents letting kids step on my flowers"... It's the parents that are idiots usually. The kids are just excited. And, there was a pretty interesting thing on the History Channel tonight about Halloween (it's over 3000 years old, in its pagan origins). I find Halloween much less confusing than Christmas... "Ok, so this guy Christ was born, and here's your $300 Playstation 2 to mark that occasion." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCrawler Posted November 1, 2000 Share Posted November 1, 2000 I don't mind Halloween. I work the night shift and it is one of the busiest nights of the year in my line of work... ------------------ Jon Johnson Audio/Video Productions Matrix Games Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pham911 Posted November 1, 2000 Share Posted November 1, 2000 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by NCrawler: I don't mind Halloween. I work the night shift and it is one of the busiest nights of the year in my line of work... <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Candy factory? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Der Unbekannte Jäger Posted November 1, 2000 Share Posted November 1, 2000 One nice thing about living where I do is that we have snow here right now. Not many kids out but still enough. Plus the fact that I strung one of the little buggers up by his knickers when he knocked on the door seems to have scared the rest off. ------------------ "I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend, to the death, your right to say it." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beekeeper Posted November 1, 2000 Share Posted November 1, 2000 It's funny, I'm getting up there in age but driving around my small town tonight, I was saddened by all the houses (probably 75%) that were dark, saying "Stay away trick or treaters." I guess I just have fond memories from all those years ago. ------------------ "Well, I will show you that before I was a marshal I was a grenadier, and I am still one." Marshal Jean Lannes, Ratisbon, 1809. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seanachai Posted November 1, 2000 Share Posted November 1, 2000 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Pham911: And, there was a pretty interesting thing on the History Channel tonight about Halloween (it's over 3000 years old, in its pagan origins). I find Halloween much less confusing than Christmas... "Ok, so this guy Christ was born, and here's your $300 Playstation 2 to mark that occasion." <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Well, on that note, this is one of the major religious holidays of my year. The rest of it is just rather quaint. ------------------ After witnessing exceptional bravery from his Celtic mercenaries, Alexander the Great called them to him and asked if there was anything they feared. They told him nothing, except that the sky might fall on their heads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mg Posted November 1, 2000 Share Posted November 1, 2000 Im sad to say we dont really celebrate Halloween here in sweden, it would be pretty fun with something special to light up the darkness of this time of year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gorilla Posted November 1, 2000 Share Posted November 1, 2000 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by mg: Im sad to say we dont really celebrate Halloween here in sweden, it would be pretty fun with something special to light up the darkness of this time of year<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I have an idea.... cut the top off of a bunch of big orange pumpkins.... fill them with gasoline and soap, light them on fire, and throw them around at the local paint factory.... that should light up the darkness of ANY time of year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IntelWeenie Posted November 1, 2000 Share Posted November 1, 2000 All I know is this Halloween is a LOT better than last year for me. **Halloween horror story follows** Last year we were in a different house in a *not so nice* neighborhood and made the mistake of PO'ing the neighbors by complaining about the garbage in their yard that always somehow made it into ours. Well, these *lovely* people decided the best way to show their displeasure was to egg our house off and on for 5 hours using around 3-4 dozen eggs. They would even toss them from the shadows when there was a police car in front of the house (they came out about 5 times)! We immediately put the house up for sale and now are much happier with our current neighbors. I was never so happy to have a bunch of candy-grubbing munchins dressed up like axe murderers come to my front door this year! So think about it, it could be worse.... ------------------ Cats aren't clean, they're covered with cat spit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Splinty Posted November 1, 2000 Share Posted November 1, 2000 The only thing I didn't like about Halloween this year is that every time some kids came to the door I had to get up from my CM game to give them their candy. Oh well,next year I'll just move the computer closer to the door... ------------------ Nicht Schiessen!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Big Time Software Posted November 1, 2000 Share Posted November 1, 2000 OK, I think this is a tad bit too off topic As for me, I don't mind it. But if any kid came and knocked on my door for candy, I am sure it would scare the crap out of me! I live in a place where they don't measure how many houses there are per mile, but how many miles there are between houses The poor folks who live in town have to shoulder the burden for all of us that live too far away for the kiddies to trick or treat. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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