We don’t do Halloween.
And not in a jerky “it’s not a South African holiday so why are they even doing it” kind of way, but more of a “I’ve got enough stuff to worry about and this is not important in my life” kind of way.
I’m sorry if that offends you, but that’s just the way it is round here. Plus also, picturing my kids dressed up in black with skulls just freaks me out a little – call me conservative, I don’t mind. (And guys, I know that’s not all you can dress up as. Just humour me)
Anyway.
I think one of the main reasons that we don’t do Halloween is because besides not having the time or inclination for it, I am all spent out. I don’t know about you but I feel like we’re being asked for money at every turn – the school is the worst of it. Just in the last two weeks we’ve had to:
- Dish out a deposit for my hire car (yes I know I get it back, but it also means that I can’t use it for anything else)
- Pay my excess (cheers to that money but hello to a beautifully fixed car)
- Pay for the bird man to make an appearance at the kids school (R20 per ticket)
- Buy tickets to the school fundraiser – R80 per ticket (which we were forced to take 2 of). We were supposed to spend a night out with the rest of the parents at a barn dance. As much as I love our kids school, this is not what I want to so with a “free” Saturday evening.
- Replenish all the kids stationary. Again
- Buy a new sink plug thing so that we can actually fill the thing without all the water leaking out mid dish washing
Are these all #firstworldproblems – absolutely.
But as grateful as I am for all of those opportunities and to have those things so available to us, it still takes money out of our budget that I wasn’t planning on spending. And that sucks.
Do you do Halloween?
10 comments
I had the Halloween discussion just yesterday. My son’s birthday is on the 5th and we’re throwing a minion party with all the trimmings. Thus, I have absolutely no desire to spend a cent on Halloween. And I grew up in America!
I am so not into it, the idea of witches and skulls and black cats is creepy and I don’t want my child associating with that. Yes, princesses and fairies and mermaids I can do. But the rest of Halloween is about “black” so she wouldn’t really fit in. Our neighbours have got together and planned a trick or treat trip up and down the road, and although I am happy to dish out sweets, I don’t know yet whether we will allow Zoe to dress up and take part. It just doesn’t sit well with me as a Christian. Plus, expensive.
Haha cute picture of the little one! When we lived in the UK we looooved celebrating Halloween. But here I don’t even notice it. Anywhere…
We don’t do Halloween either. Or rather, Ava has never been trick or treating. We usually do have a big bowl of sweets on hand and she helps dish them out to trick or treaters, but we’ve never actually celebrated it in any other way. This year, is the first year that she got invited to go with her bestie trick or treating and she’s very excited about it. She’s going as “bat girl” because I’m too stingy to buy her a costume so I made her chose something out of her dress up box! Aside from a pumpkin bucket that cost 30 bucks I’ve spent nothing on it.
It’s really such a non event in our home!
We have not done Halloween before (Kade was too small) and I don’t think we will either – for now. Our suburb does a Halloween thing for all the kids and I feel like I should make an effort to let Kade attend but honestly I just don’t have the time or the inclination. I also don’t really believe in the whole “old hallows night” thing and the skulls and witches and stuff does not prescribe to my beliefs in life. Kade’s not really into it either (he doesn’t know any better) so until he starts asking about it I will just be an ostrich and put my head in the sand 😉
Darn fine reasons not to do Halloween, glad I’m not the only one skint. We will however just carve a pumpkin at home, because it’s fun and maybe if I have time I will make some cupcakes. Cliff sometimes gets some spider sweets or the like to hide in the garden.
I love your reason and its half of why we do not do it. Of course the other half is that I feel, despite the fact that seemingly Christian America is doing it it is just way too dark and non Christian for my taste.
Good reasons, but my main reason is that its a pagan festival and as a Christian it doesn’t sit right with me. Reformation Day however, I’m down with that. I have friends in Montana who do a whole Reformation Day celebration and dress up as some of the reformers, like Martin Luther and John Calvin. It conveniently is the 31st of October too 🙂
We don’t. I used to when I was a single mom purely because we had more time. This time of year is madness now! Dance concerts, galas etc.
Dont even get me started on the school!!! Cam has a wacky water day on Saturday – the tickets are R90 for big kids and R30 for Jack. So just to get in it would be R210 PLUS food PLUS all the stuff that they sell there so it would be like a R500/R600 thing for 3 hours!!! We managed to convince him we can put that money to better use. Then he needed R80 because the Gr 6s sponsor the food for the Gr 7 graduation! And thats just one kid!
Oh and my clutch needs to be fixed! *sob*
We kinda do it …friends came over we played 30seconds and kids dressed up and ate candy… so not the most Halloweeny Halloween but costume and candy for aidy and on the cheap cause that’s how I roll, hehehe