Too Much Halloween

Too Much Halloween, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

Everything about our lives has become commercial. And it seems, in this case, more is better. It's hard to teach taste. I remember when my daughter was young, she loved abundance - if one china figurine was good, then eight was terrific. But she grew out of it.

I used to love Halloween - the notion of disguise and ringing the bell of the neighbours we knew. My kids and I would carve the pumpkin after first deciding on a design. We had a few store bought decorations, but would also make our own - cat silhouettes, ghosts and jack-o'lanterns cut out of black bristol board and taped to the window. We roasted the pumpkin seeds. Costumes were made from things we had, making the missing pieces with fabric, cardboard and whatever else worked.

Now Halloween seems to be about candy. I admit - I no longer answer my door. There are no young children on my block, so all who ring are strangers and they seem to get older and older - barely in costume, but with giant pillow cases ready to catch as many treats as possible. I do enjoy some of the less decorated homes - but creativity counts, not just quantity!

By the way - here is the same house last Christmas.

Catching the Sun

Catching the Sun, originally uploaded by susanvg.

I passed this "gentleman" catching a few rays of sun on his lounge chair. His "wife is doing the same on the other side of the walk. It just seemed such a delightful scene. I felt like pulling up a chair, grabbing a book and a cool drink and joining them.

As a child the only decorating we did for Halloween was to carve a jack-o'-lantern. Over the years people have started to decorate earlier and to create more elaborate decorations. Some lean toward the more ghoulish themes. I like the once that celebrate autumn as this scene does.

Day 311: pumpkins

Day 311: pumpkins, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Some people buy commercial decorations, others use the beauty of our autumn bounty. I loved this idea of displaying all these little pumpkins. Nowadays you walk around and are confronted with a clash of holidays. Some people still have autumn displays: pumpkins, scarecrows, wreaths with coloured leaves. Then across the street, or hanging over the street are Christmas decorations.

I get quite fed up with the commercialization of every holiday. But Christmas is the worst. It now takes over two months of the year with decorations, television ads, fliers all talking about buying, not about caring. Then, as the holiday approaches, everyone pays lip service by donating to shelters, bringing food to food banks and then they forget about other people's problems for the rest of the year.

I, too, get sucked in by the frenzy. This year I hope to keep it simple.

Day 303: Ghouls

Day 303: Ghouls, originally uploaded by susanvg.

A number of homes in my neighbourhood have decorated for Halloween. No longer is a jack'o'lantern enough. Now people create elaborate displays. I like the ones that are creative, with scarecrow people and home-made decorations. The latest craze - large inflated decorations leaves me cold.

Halloween was simpler and fun when I was a child. My mother made us costumes or we improvised with what was in the house. We canvassed our neighbourhood, always carrying boxes to collect money for UNICEF - children collecting for children. There was a pharmacy at our corner and we always stopped there. The pharmacist requested a poem or song in return for which he gave us a 5¢ chocolate bar. I know I am dating myself.

When it was my children's turn, I made costumes; we carved the pumpkin together and sometimes created simple decorations we hung in the window. Then Hollywood seemed to take over as people put out more and more elaborate decorations and even rented costumes. Young adults put on, and sometimes pay for makeup with special effects. Fantasy turned wild. We all need some escapism from time to time, but I balk when consumerism takes over what should be a time for simple fun.