Halloween is already The Thing. We don’t need ‘Boo baskets,’ trunk or treat, other dumb stuff

[Anonymous]

One of the greatest things you can do for your mental health is to realize that no matter how much you want to, you can't change or control others' behavior, especially strangers on the internet.

[Anonymous]

Meh, it makes me happy. My kid is over the moon excited to boo friends. It’s an opportunity to think about what friends might like. (I take him to the book store or Michael’s and we pick out a Halloween book or craft for them).

If you don’t like it, pass it on. Someone will. You cannot control my actions and I cannot control your reaction and that’s okay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Meh, it makes me happy. My kid is over the moon excited to boo friends. It’s an opportunity to think about what friends might like. (I take him to the book store or Michael’s and we pick out a Halloween book or craft for them).

If you don’t like it, pass it on. Someone will. You cannot control my actions and I cannot control your reaction and that’s okay.

Serious question: do you ever think about environmental waste?

[Anonymous]

Wasn’t there a thread on this last year? Feels like deja vu.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meh, it makes me happy. My kid is over the moon excited to boo friends. It’s an opportunity to think about what friends might like. (I take him to the book store or Michael’s and we pick out a Halloween book or craft for them).

If you don’t like it, pass it on. Someone will. You cannot control my actions and I cannot control your reaction and that’s okay.

Serious question: do you ever think about environmental waste?

DP

Are books considered environmental waste? Crafts?

You sound like someone I know who made a big deal about why she doesn’t do holiday cards “because of the environment.”

After she pontificated about it at a party she hosted, some guests huddled and ran down a laundry list of her family’s carbon footprint starting with her home renovation and multiple big trips each year. Not to mention her own crafting habits.

See how the tables can turn?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meh, it makes me happy. My kid is over the moon excited to boo friends. It’s an opportunity to think about what friends might like. (I take him to the book store or Michael’s and we pick out a Halloween book or craft for them).

If you don’t like it, pass it on. Someone will. You cannot control my actions and I cannot control your reaction and that’s okay.

Serious question: do you ever think about environmental waste?

DP

Are books considered environmental waste? Crafts?

You sound like someone I know who made a big deal about why she doesn’t do holiday cards “because of the environment.”

After she pontificated about it at a party she hosted, some guests huddled and ran down a laundry list of her family’s carbon footprint starting with her home renovation and multiple big trips each year. Not to mention her own crafting habits.

See how the tables can turn?

Wow, defensive much? It’s a simple question, and it wasn’t directed at you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wasn’t there a thread on this last year? Feels like deja vu.

At this point, there is a thread every year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meh, it makes me happy. My kid is over the moon excited to boo friends. It’s an opportunity to think about what friends might like. (I take him to the book store or Michael’s and we pick out a Halloween book or craft for them).

If you don’t like it, pass it on. Someone will. You cannot control my actions and I cannot control your reaction and that’s okay.

Serious question: do you ever think about environmental waste?

Yes, all the time. My own clothes are nearly all second hand, my child wears hand me downs, we rarely travel to see family or go on big vacations because plane emissions are so awful and fast fashion is gross.

A book though? Are you really claiming that giving the family next door “10 little pumpkins” or the 4th grader up the street a goosebumps book is why our planet is in trouble?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids love to go out booing.

In our area, kids go with friends and enjoy the ding dong ditch aspect sometimes followed by a chase.

We only give a small bag of candy. No plastic.

And we only hand out candy on Halloween. (Kids choose from a huge bowl.)

Trunk or treat sometime during October is mostly a social event for families. It’s not a big thing in our neighborhood.

Candidly, I think the haters are overthinking this. It’s not your thing. Okay. If you get a boo basket, then just drop it off at another person’s house. NBD.

Hater is a pretty strong word.

It's more rolling my eyes and an impatient sigh. Sorry if it triggers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not a fan of Halloween in general, but I don't understand this logic.

Would you apply the same to Christmas? Christmas morning and presents is already THE THING. No need for caroling or holiday parties or gift exchanges or pictures with santa or anything else. The morning of 12/25 is already THE THING.

Just participate in what makes you happy OP and skip the rest.

This. I don't care one way or another about Halloween, but some people LOVE it! I just say, find your tribe. The others will just look at you quizzically. At best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meh, it makes me happy. My kid is over the moon excited to boo friends. It’s an opportunity to think about what friends might like. (I take him to the book store or Michael’s and we pick out a Halloween book or craft for them).

If you don’t like it, pass it on. Someone will. You cannot control my actions and I cannot control your reaction and that’s okay.

Serious question: do you ever think about environmental waste?

Yes, all the time. My own clothes are nearly all second hand, my child wears hand me downs, we rarely travel to see family or go on big vacations because plane emissions are so awful and fast fashion is gross.

A book though? Are you really claiming that giving the family next door “10 little pumpkins” or the 4th grader up the street a goosebumps book is why our planet is in trouble?

…and all the plastic wrappers from the candy you’re also giving out on Halloween? Why isn’t Halloween enough?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids love to go out booing.

In our area, kids go with friends and enjoy the ding dong ditch aspect sometimes followed by a chase.

We only give a small bag of candy. No plastic.

And we only hand out candy on Halloween. (Kids choose from a huge bowl.)

Trunk or treat sometime during October is mostly a social event for families. It’s not a big thing in our neighborhood.

Candidly, I think the haters are overthinking this. It’s not your thing. Okay. If you get a boo basket, then just drop it off at another person’s house. NBD.

Hater is a pretty strong word.

It's more rolling my eyes and an impatient sigh. Sorry if it triggers.

This would be true if people were starting threads like "why don't you like my Boo Basket!?" But they aren't. It's clear which people are triggered.

[Anonymous]

I loved boo'ing and being boo'd when my kids were little. It was so much fun to go out at night, hang the bag on the door, ring the bell and hide, then watch the person to open the door from from the bushes. My kids thought it was a thrill. Also fun to watch the "I've Been BOO'd" signs spring up all around the neighborhood. I think this is one new Halloween event that's worth making a tradition. It's simple, and the kids love it. What's the problem, scrooge? Oh, sorry, wrong holiday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Halloween night is already The Thing: an evening of dressing up, getting candy, seeing friends and neighbors, having fun. That’s it, that’s the thing. Maybe also a school party or school parade—great, fine.

If someone lives in a neighborhood where there is literally no Trick or Treating, fine, some kind of trunk or treat or whatever.

But we don’t need “Boo Baskets”—no one needs more cheap plastic crap from China.
We don’t need five trunk or treat events—HALLOWEEN IS ALREADY THE THING

And FFS pass out some candy and maybe a few non-candy treats for kids with allergies or who can’t have sugar or something. Not some huge ass bag filled with spider rings (trash), cheap and literally useless erasers (trash), those stupid fake teeth that get put in one time and then go in the…wait for it…trash.

Stop. Halloween is already special, you don’t need to make the entirety of October a landfill-exploding wasteland of cheap, cheap, tacky garbage.

THANK YOU and AMEN.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not a fan of Halloween in general, but I don't understand this logic.

Would you apply the same to Christmas? Christmas morning and presents is already THE THING. No need for caroling or holiday parties or gift exchanges or pictures with santa or anything else. The morning of 12/25 is already THE THING.

Just participate in what makes you happy OP and skip the rest.

This. I don't care one way or another about Halloween, but some people LOVE it! I just say, find your tribe. The others will just look at you quizzically. At best.

The problem is, the “more-is-more-yay-plastic” people aren’t only affecting “their tribe.” They are affecting the planet. And no, that’s not the biggest environmental threat, but you can’t pretend like cheap plastic crap from China aficionados aren’t also the ones driving huge SUVs, taking multiple flights a year, eating meat most days, using plastic water bottles, cranking the thermostat up, etc.