Scary times

I over-think things, I know, but Halloween does worry me. When I was young, it wasn’t really a thing at all – Bonfire Night was the big deal, with kids collecting a ‘penny for the guy’ on every street corner, with various degrees of cheek. Some of the guys, destined to be burned on the bonfire, were proper effigies of Guy Fawkes, with hats and beards and limbs and all, stuffed with combustibles like newspaper and straw. Some were just younger siblings told to keep quiet, and some were balloons balanced on piles of jumble sale clothes.

Putting a brave face on it ....

There was a bit of effort involved, though, and it all celebrated a real, historical event. With Halloween, at best we seem to be celebrating consumerism, at worst it looks as though we are suddenly coming over all pagan. Isn’t it a bit odd to be going all out for the devil, ghosts and ghouls, when scarcely any of us would dream of going to church?

Pizza Express gets in on the act with pumpkin-shaped dough balls ....
Build-a-Bear workshop's scarily orange Hello Kitty Halloween special, she'll give you a cuddle when things get too frightening ....
My favourite kind of Halloween product .... it's funny, it's useful, and it makes great toffee apples
Deliciously naughty treats from Haribo

 

Child Four said the other day, ‘it’s always the baddies who have the best super powers’. At the age of five, he’s put his finger right on it. This time of year is dank and dreary. A bit of dayglo orange, accessoried by fake witches’ hair and plastic spiders, cheers it all up no end. And Halloween involves tons of sweets. From a child’s point of view, what’s not to love? Until Harvest Festival involves coming out with more than you left, it’s not going to cut it with this generation.

So we’re going for it this Halloween. But we’ll remember, remember the 5th of November as well. And we sent our usual motley collection of tins to harvest festival as well. Can I eat my weight in Haribo Tangfastics now, please?

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