[Illysium]

The Problem With Dressing Up as a Witch for Halloween

There is a rebellious power in the idea of being a witch, but it is not a cosmetic rebellion.

www.thenation.com

Amont many. many. many. many more. It should be about having fun. Instead, it's all about "the message".

No one cares, aside from people looking for something to be angry about, on both sides. It's easy to ignore and not engage in the drama and stupidity.

 

[Mapleton Manor]

I agree that there is Sooo much room these days for someone to be too easily offended by the pettiest of costumes. That being said, in my neck of the woods, Iowa, we are a pretty laid back people who are mostly about live and let live. Has Halloween changed? From where I am looking, I would say no. Honestly, the only changes I've noticed have already been around since I turned 21 like 16 years ago and thats the skimpy, sexy costumes the ladies wear to the bars or college parties. Me personally, I like to keep my Halloween spirit and decor as close to old school as I can. Im a bit of an 18th century goth style dude. Id rather have 3 porcelain dolls staring at you than a severed head in a stake, does that make sense?

I am with IowaGuy on this as I am also from Iowa and have never had anyone offended by anything that we had done with out display. And if they are then they just don't need to come and see it. I have always said to my wife that if the city were to complain about it and threaten me to take it down they would be in for a fight. If i cant have my Halloween then we will see what happens at Christmas. But actually the city I live in is great. For displays like mine they promote it and put out a flyer every year on where people can see displays in town. (kind of like your city wide garage sales). All in all, to use any type of decorating regardless of creepy spooky or pastels and glitter, if they are decorating for Halloween then they are great in my book.

 

[SLCGirl]

But seriously kids, I wanna know which one of you keeps buying these gnomes. You will put on a list & be punished accordingly!!!

It's the woman in Accounting at my work. They are everywhere in her cubicle and she changes them out every month.

 

[The Corner of Carnage]

The big thing I noticed that I miss from back in the day is leaf bags. Cheesy jack o lantern or skull leaf bags used to be a Halloween staple, at least for me and now they are hard to find and never seen on display in peoples yards.

 

[The Corner of Carnage]

Also every store bought prop made the same "spooky" music.

 

[RCIAG]

The big thing I noticed that I miss from back in the day is leaf bags. Cheesy jack o lantern or skull leaf bags used to be a Halloween staple, at least for me and now they are hard to find and never seen on display in peoples yards.

I've seen these in the dollar stores & I wanna say the big box stores too, Walmart, Target, etc.

 

[crashbig]

Halloween has changed, and I say for the better, look at what Home Depot has been putting out for the last few years and now Lowes seems to upping its offerings this year. If there wasn't a large market for these types of props, Spirit would still be the only game in town. Not everyone has the ability, room or skills to build some of the stuff we do, but if selling some cute stuff, also means we get six packs of skeletons or 12ft ones to modify I'm all for it.

 

[Cephus404]

Also every store bought prop made the same "spooky" music.

Pretty much every prop looks like it was painted by a 6-year old, which probably isn't that far off.

 

[willowsbough]

I recall a couple of years ago there were pastel Day of the Dead decorations. I don't celebrate DotD, but even I know the bright colors on any DotD decor represent various aspects of the holiday so if you trade the bright colors for pastels you're not truly representing the holiday properly.

Yeah, someone probably bought it because pink & light blue are their favourite colors, but I haven't seen any pastel DotD stuff since then so someone probably set those companies straight.

I am a traditionalist, orange, black, yellow, some purple & of course red for Halloween but I know that every year there's some new trend that's everywhere, like sequined pumpkins, pink & blue velvet pumpkins, lately gnomes for every holiday & then some, & I just don't put them in my cart but I know someone keeps buying them even though it's not me.

I don't mind cute stuff, you gotta have something for kids plus some vintage/vintage repro stuff is supposed to be cute, & I have some cute stuff, but I look at a lot of it this way, at least that Halloween stuff exists at all since that means someone is decorating & celebrating "our" holiday.

But seriously kids, I wanna know which one of you keeps buying these gnomes. You will put on a list & be punished accordingly!!!

OMG!!! The freaking gnomes! I hate them. Add Rae Dunn to the list too. LOL

 

[Reynard]

While I'm not a fan of the inflatables, etc, I am glad that there is a way for folks without the strong DIY gene to take part in the season. Every house that decorates is part of the club

 

[MrF_]

I have to chime in. I occasionally view this forum out of, "Season", see if there are any good deals and whatnot, see what people purchase off-season, what ideas people have for the upcoming Halloween, etc. How have things changed...

I think props and goodies have become better. Year back when I was young, at my home, it was a spooky sounds cassette tape, some of those paper-board decorations taped on windows, jack-o-lanterns, scare crows, perhaps someone answering the door with a mask on, a fake skull, scarecrows, and so on. Nowadays, whew, there is a lot more cool stuff out there. I did notice the pastel and cutesy stuff last year, but, I just didn't buy it. Also, I only have so much room for Halloween stuff.

And someone in this thread talks about people getting offended... Oh man, there is a particular year that 3 scarecrows that had been used for years were falling apart. They were kept in a shed and I think rodents had got into one to pull straw out for a nest. It was the end of the line for those scarecrows. So, one was strung up in a tree by a single leg, another strung up by the neck in the tree, and the other was impaled in the yard. Nobody said ****. The past few years, some family and I bring it up because almost every year there is someone getting offended by a hanging prop and it's all over the news, and it reminds us of those scarecrows. About the only thing concerning those scarecrows, is since those 2 were hanging near the walk to the front door a few kids were spooked by them in the dark.

Oh, and I did go out as a hobo one year, fake beard and all. It was an easy costume. A neighbor did the same another year, probably borrowed my fake beard.

 

[Sblanck]

Yes, every year there is a person in the news for hanging a dummy. I had one decades ago on a gallows. Wouldnt set that prop up now.

 

[RCIAG]

OMG!!! The freaking gnomes! I hate them. Add Rae Dunn to the list too. LOL

I think Rae Dunn has diversified themselves too much. When they were sticking to kitchen ware like mugs, dishes, they were doing well & now they're doing towels, shower curtains, pajamas, so they're not what they used to be.

I now see more Bethany Lowe stuff being snapped up & resold at a ridiculous amount of money.

 

[IowaGuy]

Pretty much every prop looks like it was painted by a 6-year old, which probably isn't that far off.

I am 38 with the painting skills of a 6 year old 😂

 

[Yodlei]

But seriously kids, I wanna know which one of you keeps buying these gnomes. You will put on a list & be punished accordingly!!!

I agree 1000%.!!!!!!

I'm with most....as long as someone decorates, it's a good thing. If someone doesn't like mine, don't look. Got more people last year than in the past few. Live out in the country & really don't have complaints. Family not too far away made the news with the floating Stranger Things gal (I don't follow that show).

As far as decor, it has changed a lot but also way more advanced & expensive. Still have some of my old cardboard characters with the accordian legs & also a blowmold lamp that keeps on ticking. Wish more people decorated for the Holidays like during my childhood. Everyone decorated for Christmas & although still more than Halloween, it's a sprinkling. Also, the safety issue has changed....used to trust eating apples & homemade popcorn balls. Not these days.

While my decor is pretty old school....vampires, skeletons, pumpkins, witches, ghosts, black cats, etc. I got myself into Light-O-Rama (newbie) so I'm not sure if I want to keep the modern tech stuff one 1 side of the yard from my normal graveyard, etc. or incorporate them together. There's a lot of time yet....

 

[Yodlei]

I am 38 with the painting skills of a 6 year old 😂

Just saw this.....FUNNY!

I also saw those lawn bags many places last year. Got many from Menards after the fact & were cheap. Dollar Tree & Dollar General both had them as well. TIP...got a plant in the ground that is borderline hardy? Plop a bag of leaves over it after Halloween & remove after frost in spring & you just might have saved it for another year.

 

[PNW Dragon Master]

Halloween has definitely changed through the years, Decorating has is trends and in some aspects changes every year but, what I miss was all the home made treats we used to get as youngsters. Carmel apples, home baked cookies and rice crispy treats, etc. But in the late 70's a few ill minded people ruined it for EVERYONE by putting needled and razor blades into home made treats to intentionally hurt kids. Very sad on that fact. What I have also noticed is the number of haunted attractions that have shut down. Even though I have built and have one of those attractions build all around my home. There is nothing more fun than walking through a home built haunted house and even one or two professional haunted houses during Halloween
Djjerme, I dont have a great photo of my family to share of my family when I was young like you do but, I sure was blessed and had a blast going out just to see if I could get better and more candy and treats than my siblings or friends at school. We even now have to worry about food allergies. Thanks to some thoughtful parents with the teal pumpkin idea. I be sure to get small "treats" gifts for those that cant have a candy bar.

 

[Cephus404]

Halloween has definitely changed through the years, Decorating has is trends and in some aspects changes every year but, what I miss was all the home made treats we used to get as youngsters. Carmel apples, home baked cookies and rice crispy treats, etc. But in the late 70's a few ill minded people ruined it for EVERYONE by putting needled and razor blades into home made treats to intentionally hurt kids. Very sad on that fact. What I have also noticed is the number of haunted attractions that have shut down. Even though I have built and have one of those attractions build all around my home. There is nothing more fun than walking through a home built haunted house and even one or two professional haunted houses during Halloween
Djjerme, I dont have a great photo of my family to share of my family when I was young like you do but, I sure was blessed and had a blast going out just to see if I could get better and more candy and treats than my siblings or friends at school. We even now have to worry about food allergies. Thanks to some thoughtful parents with the teal pumpkin idea. I be sure to get small "treats" gifts for those that cant have a candy bar.

Except it never happened. Not once. The closest you can get is a case in 1959 where a dentist gave out candy-coated laxatives. It wasn't dangerous, it was just unpleasant. The whole thing is an urban myth.

 

[RichL61]

This is just my humble opinion but, Halloween is what you want it to be. If you want it to be about Goblins and ghouls, witches and ghost, black cats and Jack O'lantern's and such, then do your best and have all the fun the holiday allows! If you want it to be dress up and make believe, Princes and Princesses, Heroes and Villains, dressing as your mom or a pirate or a damsel in distress, or that dress, go for it! Halloween is what you make of it. Its the night to be what you aren't. The night when you can put on a costume and say, I don't care what you think, i dig it. Me personally, I've been a monster, a pirate, a ghost, a ghoul, a zombie, a scarecrow, the boogieman, a voodoo priest, a punk rocker, and a various assortment of things that my warped imagination could dream up. I go in for the scary, most of all. but i do get a kick out of the little ones when they come in costume to my door and I will not turn away anyone as long as they utter those three words, "Trick or Treat!" No one gets turned away from my door without candy, as long as you mention the proper words...Its all about following the proper protocol. Somethings may change but some stay the same. I've only turned away one kid, and that was because he rudely said, "Give me some candy!" I told him, you can't say it better than that? he said no, so I told him, when he learns how , he can come back...and I closed the door. I heard him talking smack, but his friend said, If you said it right, you would have gotten candy...Point is, Halloween is yours, its ours, and if we want it Scary, then make it scary, if not, oh well...but don't complain when you come to my door...Cause I'm going to scare the bejesus out of you!
Happy Halloween ;-)

 

[remman61]

I remember when Halloween was all about spooky and scary things. Now we have cute Halloween and pastel Halloween. I don't want to see pink pumpkins and light blue ghosts. There's nothing cute about Halloween lol it's supposed to be spooky. Am I overreacting? Should I just accept this new crap? Lol

How do you feel about this new Halloween?

Spooky Scary Halloween.