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Halloween is the Best-Damn Holiday EVER!!!

ranson said:
I just love the decorating and fun.
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Decorating can be fun too... Last year I had a my friend Tim and his wife over to decorate the place for next evening's Halloween party, and as we tidied-up and put up decorations, we got to watch a marathon of H.P. Lovecraft-inspired films on TCM (e.g. The Dunwich Horror, Die Monster Die, The Shunned House).
 
NoZed Avenger said:
The latter were all eaten by the poisonous, fanged kangaroos.
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Mark A. Siefert said:
That surprises me. Since Halloween got it start with the Celts, and Australia is a member of the Commonwealth, I figured that would have been brought over when the Britons/Irish/Scots colonized the continent.
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Presumably the early colonial gentlemen weren't fans, and since to begin with most of the rest of the population were either Koori or convicts, it never had a chance to get going.

But our Christmas is better than yours, so there.:p
 
Halloween! Just the best holiday America ever capitolized on. I love the lights and the props in our yard, I love getting dressed up to compete in costume contests at local bars, handing out candy to the kids with no imagination, decorating our yard, listening to Midnight Syndicate and Manhiem Steamroller, scaring the crap out of other peoples' children; I love practically anything that flouresces under "black light", going to over-priced haunted houses with a good buzz, and suspending my disbelief for the 45 minutes it takes to be reduced to a 5-year-old with no discernable knowledge of the difference between reality and fantasy. I love it all.
So, this year, I've really let my facial hair grow, and the wife and I are going to augment that with some crepe-hair and a canine nose-piece to transform me into a were-wolf. Depending on how it goes, I'll post some photos.
Hooray, HALLOWE'EN!!!!
 
And, next year, I promised the girls a sleep-over for their little friends where-in I wanted to stage a "real" seance. So, I want to do a Houdini-style, no light seance to confound these jaded teen-agers and pre-teen girls that'll make them question everything they've been force-fed by the local churches. I want to so completely shock them, shake them up and then reveal to them that it was all a gag perpatrated by me, that they all go away questioning their very beliefs. And maybe they'll think twice before swallowing any B.S. dogma promulgated by any church or any other institution, for that matter.
So, I need an outline. I want authentic Houdini techniques, and, if anyone else here has tried this, I want their reviews and methods.
 
What I've been told by Aussies:

1. ''It's an American holiday.'' It was first was celebrated in the U.S. in the 1840s, when Irish Catholics brought Halloween customs with them to the States. The tradition of carving jack-o-lanterns originated with Irish children who carved out the centers of rutabagas and turnips and put candles inside. Halloween is celebrated in several countries around the world. It IS a big holiday in the States, but then all the holidays are big there.

2. "It's too commercial" And Christmas isn't?

3. "It's an evil holiday." Most Americans don't dress up as monsters. You can be whatever you want to be.

4. "I don't like the idea of children begging for candy." In the States, it's more like "I'm giving you a treat for dressing up in a cute costume." Most adults enjoy giving the kids treats. Every year, lots of kids at my daughters' school ask if I can take them trick or treating. I hate doing it because hardly anyone has candy. I call trick or treating in Oz an exercise in futility.

I find people under the age of 30 tend to like Halloween. The kids love it, but many aren't allowed to celebrate it. The woman at the costume hire store said it's becoming more popular here-lots of Halloween parties and the local tavern has one as well. I've talked to Aussies who have lived in the States for a few years and they loved celebrating Halloween when they were over there. Said Aussies don't know what they're missing.

Most outrageous Halloween costume I've ever seen: A couple dressed as a vagina and a maxi pad. Of course, they hugged quite frequently. One year my ex went as Jesus. He grew a beard, made a huge wooden crucifix, wore a sponge around his neck and stuck his driver's license in it. He didn't win the $1000 prize, but he came close. Several people stopped him on the street to get their picture taken with him. But there were others who said "That's not funny."
 
I'd just like to say here that it's your solemn duty to convince me that Halloween is the Best-Damn Holiday EVER!!! by posting pictures of you in your costumes.

I will rate them and give a prize for the one I think is the best.
 
Last of the Fraggles said:
Halloween is not a real holiday - you don't get the day off work!
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As I stated earlier, October 31st doesn't need to be a day off work (unless you work past sun down), it's November 1st that needs to be a holiday. Because all the fun happens in the evening/night of the 31st.
 
Starthinker said:
Women never dress sluttier than they do at Halloween. Or is it sexier?

It's just the nightmare before christmas...
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OK, this is a good transition into my topic. One thing that interests me is, what makes certain holidays popular? Why are the big ones things like Valentine's Day, Easter, The 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year, and to a lesser extent, St Patrick's Day, bigger events, whereas President's Day, Flag Day and Columbus Day, and, to a lesser extent, even Labor Day aren't? (obviously I am talking about the US here)

My hypothesis: I classify these holidays in two categories. The first is what we will call the "family" holidays. These are days that are good for family get togethers. Any occasion for good family gatherings is going to turn into an event. So the Family Holidays are things like

Easter
4th of July (family picnics and outings to see fireworks)
Thanksgiving
Christmas

It also includes things like Mother's Day and Father's Day, I should mention, and, while not holidays, birthdays. Labor Day kind of fits in here, if it is treated as a family activity.

The second category is what I call the Sex Holidays. These are holidays that are popular among adults because they tend to lead to sex. While Valentine's Day is obvious, as is New Year's, I also put things like St Patrick's Day into that group. Adults celebrate St Patrick's Day with drunken debauchery, and that often results in sex.

The reason I think Halloween is so very popular is that it actually covers both categories. For those with kids, Halloween is a delight, and can be very fun. That is a family aspect. However, aside from the family, there is also the idea of Halloween parties, and dressing up and going to bars, and things like that. So very much like St Patrick's Day, including the drunken debauchery. So from a holiday standpoint, Halloween has a lot more depth than most of the other ones. That's why so many people think it is great. It appeals to everyone!

(I should note that the 4th of July actually has some of this aspect, too - nothing like having a lot to drink, blowing off one's hand with firecrackers, and then having sex after getting home from the emergency room)
 
dingogirl said:
What I've been told by Aussies:

1. ''It's an American holiday.'' It was first was celebrated in the U.S. in the 1840s, when Irish Catholics brought Halloween customs with them to the States. The tradition of carving jack-o-lanterns originated with Irish children who carved out the centers of rutabagas and turnips and put candles inside. Halloween is celebrated in several countries around the world. It IS a big holiday in the States, but then all the holidays are big there.
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I've bever thought of it as an American holiday. It was always All Hallowes Eve to me, and very British in origin. I only learned a bit later on in life that Hallowe'en was actually stolen from the original Samhain.

I love the way Americans overdo stuff. Please never stop.

:USA:


dingogirl said:
2. "It's too commercial" And Christmas isn't?
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I'm in favour of anything that serves to wrest all the stolen holidays from the hands of the religious and return them whence they came. Pagan Power! Yay!


dingogirl said:
3. "It's an evil holiday." Most Americans don't dress up as monsters. You can be whatever you want to be.
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I am also in favour of doing anything that religious peeps describe as teh Evil.

Being whatever I want to be has a certain appeal. Do you have a newsletter?


dingogirl said:
4. "I don't like the idea of children begging for candy." In the States, it's more like "I'm giving you a treat for dressing up in a cute costume." Most adults enjoy giving the kids treats. Every year, lots of kids at my daughters' school ask if I can take them trick or treating. I hate doing it because hardly anyone has candy. I call trick or treating in Oz an exercise in futility.
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The children in my neighbourhood don't beg for candy, they demand it, with menaces and much giggling.

This is the inalienable right of children, and I support them fully. I have most of the supplies laid in, but a few more kilos might be a good idea. Thank you for this timely reminder. :)


dingogirl said:
I find people under the age of 30 tend to like Halloween. The kids love it, but many aren't allowed to celebrate it. The woman at the costume hire store said it's becoming more popular here-lots of Halloween parties and the local tavern has one as well. I've talked to Aussies who have lived in the States for a few years and they loved celebrating Halloween when they were over there. Said Aussies don't know what they're missing.
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Only curmudgeons, and probably fruitcakes, would complain about having some extra fun in their lives.


dingogirl said:
Most outrageous Halloween costume I've ever seen: A couple dressed as a vagina and a maxi pad. Of course, they hugged quite frequently. One year my ex went as Jesus. He grew a beard, made a huge wooden crucifix, wore a sponge around his neck and stuck his driver's license in it. He didn't win the $1000 prize, but he came close. Several people stopped him on the street to get their picture taken with him. But there were others who said "That's not funny."
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It's the ones who say "That's not funny." at whom my performance of Halloweenery is directed. I find their irresistable urge to be offended by everything they disagree with to be nothing short of hilarious.


Please visit Pi-Broadford one Halloween. It's the home of the Allen's Confectionery factory and ½ the people in town work there. Some of the poor kids need wheelbarrows to get their loot home.


'Blessed be the lolly makers, for they shall live to see the fructose of their labours come unto fulfillment.'

- Akhenaten​


Akhenaten
 
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