Thread: The Good and the Bad, our decorations.

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Well, we got all our decorations up for Halloween and things were going great, then we had a few days of wind that knocked a few ghost and goulies down. Then our fog machine died after the third use. We were getting a bit depressed by all this, until I contacted the company where I purchased the fog machine. They sent me an email stating they were checking into it and would contact me the next day. Well, they did, they said it was passed their 30 day return policy, but they had contacted the distributor and they were sending us a new one free and that we did not have to send the first one back. We got the new one today and it was a better model than the first (First: Chauvet FX-800, New one: Chauvet F-800). So pats on the back and atta boys to: Fog Machine | Neon Clocks | Lava lamps | CoolStuffCheap.com. Now the bad, we had a conversation with our neighbor about our decorations. She started the conversation by saying she was just telling her husband "Look they are putting up some more sh*t, in their yard." We let that pass and then she went on to say "Well, if you would take the time and research the true satanic meanings behind Halloween you would not celebrate it." To say the least my wife was putting off more steam than any fog machine. We have had a lot of people stop by our house this year and we have received a lot of compliments. So I told my wife that the needs of the many out weigh the needs of the few or the moronic. Happy Halloween everyone!!!!!!

I'd tell them "But the kids sure love it!" I've had adult neighbors tell me how much they enjoy my yard and how they even bring the kids by during the week to see whats new and so they wont be TOO scared on the big night. I do it for me and the kids!!

I would have told her that if she thought it had anything to do with religion,then she totally don't get why your decorating your yard...I'd tell her I couldn't care less why they celebrated the holiday....I celebrate it because it's FUN that's it...Fun...no other reason....I don't worship satan,I don't kill goats...If you have to throw religion at what we are doing then you truely don't get it....I would also have to point out that there are LOT's of devout christians that celebrate the holiday in the same way as you because they aren't so closed minded to think that it contradicts with their belief in God....ZR

Zombie, we've told her that several times before, when she mentioned anything against decorating for Halloween. Until today, we didn't realize how fanatical she was about it. She was railing about "if you celebrate halloween, you're worshiping evil spirits - it's a pagan holiday" She most certainly does NOT get it.

I half-jokingly made a comment like, "Well, it doesn't mean anything like that to us, we're just having fun with it. Whatever did or didn't happen thousands of years ago has little bearing on what we do with it today. Even the Christmas tree has it's origin in paganism" I thought maybe that might get her to think & maybe see where we were coming from. But no, she jumped on that one and she said - "Oh I know! I refused to use christmas trees for a long time because they're pagan - but (my husband) wanted one, so I have to put up with it now".

Sheesh...... some people just go overboard & are so obsessed with finding "the evil" in *anything*, that they can't hardly enjoy life anymore...... I can't wait to ask her why she has got a nice little scarecrow hanging on her door right now. And point out to her some of the pagan origins behind the scarecrow. Hey, if that's what she believes - that she has to avoid anything that has any remote connection with paganism - fine for her - but then apply it all around, not just to some things, & not to others. Don't call our halloween stuff "evil pagan ****" while you've got a different symbol with pagan origins hanging right there on your door.
And don't insinuate that we're stupid & don't know "the real meaning" behind the holidays - I'm no expert, but I have always been interested in symbolism, and in reading up on different religious & spiritual belief systems, where different holidays started, etc etc . I probably know 100 times more than she does about the *real* meanings behind Samhain, All-Hallows Eve, etc --- it's the Christian church itself that primarily put all the "evil" into Halloween - not any pagan faith system that predated Christianity....

Shoot, probaby 80% (or more) of the symbols we use at any of our popular holidays these days have some obscure root in paganism at some distant point in history, with some culture somewhere - so I guess we shouldn't put up any holiday decorations at all, other than maybe a nativity scene and a cross..... yep, just what I want as a holiday decoration, a particularly gruesome torture/execution device

And to make it all more laughable --- I didn't notice til today -- but she has all the blinds on the front side of their house pulled shut, so that she can't see our decorations! Now, THAT is being a bit on the ridiculous side. Our yard is just fun stuff --- WE don't like any of the gory gruesome stuff ourselves, so we won't have it. We've got a good handful of foam tombstones, several inflatables, some ghosties & stuff --- it's all kept on a very light fun level, especially since we have lots of very young children that come around, so we DON'T want to actually scare anyone. But just because it's decorating for halloween in ANY manner, that makes it "evil" in her mind, I guess.....

Geesh, what an incredibly sad stifled way to live, IMO. I'd hate to go through my life, constantly looking for the "bad/evil/wrong" in everything around me..... there's enough bad stuff in this world that we do have to put up with - I don't want to go hunting for more bad in everything else around me, I'd rather try to focus on the positive & try to find whatever *good* there is to find in things....

Sorry for the rant, I'm hushing up now!!!

In that case I'd just tell her I'm sorry you feel that way but I don't feel the same way so I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree....You've learned to tolerate your husband's Christmas tree, hopefully you can learn to do the same thing with our display...Happy Haunting!....ZR

im really glad that you ranted here instead of in her face!

All you can do is feel sorry for her for missing out on a good time.

i have one neighbor that made a comment about me bot having much for christmas but boy did i seem to like halloween. and you know, she is right.

the other neighbors dont seem to really mind either way. but they think im weird anyway.

Where we live my apartment shows to the parking lot. there is no way to miss my little yard and set up.

Originally Posted by LadyAlthea

im really glad that you ranted here instead of in her face!

All you can do is feel sorry for her for missing out on a good time.

(grin) No, I would never rant at her (or anyone else) like that - I'm about as non-confrontational as they come. It wasn't until after we'd come back home, that some of the things she said started getting to me - so I just let out some steam here - sorry about that!

Her beliefs are her business - I could care less if she believes Bugs Bunny and Tweety Bird are wicked -- it was the disrespect & rudeness that got me upset actually - if she doesn't like our decor, I'm sorry - but don't sit there & call it s-h-e-e-t right to our faces - that is uncalled for & very rude, IMO. If she was just talking privately to her hubby & referred to it as crap to him, that's one thing - but to tell *us* that it is **** - that's rude from someone who is supposed to be a friend.

Right from the get-go, we've asked both of them if anything in particular in the yard was bothersome to them, that we didn't want to cause them any trouble since they ARE right across the street -- and other than a few vague comments that she "didn't believe in decorating for Halloween, I don't really like that holiday", there was never much said about it, other than her hubby assuring us that everything was OK.

And it just surprised me, as we've known these folks for a while now & I never would have thought she'd get nasty like she did today. She & her husband are totally opposite - he's open-minded, fair-spirited & enjoys having fun. He seems to have really gotten a kick out of our decorations, has come over numerous times to look at stuff & seems to really enjoy it.

I do feel terribly sorry for her - I honestly do. But after today, I am probably not going to have quite as much contact with her - at least, I won't go out of my way to be around her.

Maybe you could carve her a nice jack-O-Lantern as a peace offering gift!

Sounds like you know your history, but with true religious loons, they aren't going to let hard facts get in the way of their delusions.

How about you tell her the part about Yule, celebrated near the end of December was one of the high pagan holy days, and that the christian church decided the best way to "take over" that holiday was to say that Jesus was born then... when historians have determined that Jesus was most likely born in the summer months.

That's pretty much what they did with every christian holiday - and it's a well documented fact if anyone cares to do the research.

I just can't stand the religious nuts. They give the normal devout people a bad name. There is nothing saying that you can't be religious and still have fun with the holidays... ALL of them.

Glad to know you did not blow up at her. It would do no good. Someone once told me. "Never argue with a fool" They will only bring you down to their level. Take the high road and just keep making the haunt bigger and better. Maybe you will get lucky and have a few folks who stop by and talk about your haunt with you. Hopefully she will be looking out the window and just burn her up some more.