Halloween

While we are prepared to pass out candy tonight, our family’s Halloween celebration season has long since passed. In fact, I’d go so far to say we never really celebrated Halloween to the level many Americans do. When the kids were little, we’d take them trick or treating. They started going with friends as middle schoolers and teens. Now Halloween for the kids is just the occasional visit to a haunted house.

Our family doesn’t decorate for Halloween, participate in any of the neighborhood events, we certainly don’t visit haunted house attractions and I don’t think we have ever been to a Halloween party. We definitely are not one of those families that turns off the lights and locks the doors on Halloween; we always ensure there are plenty of good treats ready for the kids. But even handing out candy has lost some of its charm. I guess kids are just a little different these days.

Why the apathy towards Halloween? Although my upbringing included the customary Halloween celebrations, my wife’s childhood in South Korea did not. When we married in 2001, American style Halloween was completely foreign to her! I don’t think she has ever been to a haunted house or watched a scary movie. Only recently in Korea have some of the younger generations started observing “American style” Halloween and it’s still not that widespread. Horror movies as a genre, are a little more prevalent in Korean cinema nowadays but definitely not on the same scale as in the USA! Another reminder that the United States is not the center of the universe!

Additionally, as we grew older my wife and I made a conscious decision to avoid some of the symbology often associated with Halloween that is contradictory to our faith and values. Thankfully, in our current neck of the woods, most folks celebrate Halloween very family oriented rather than unintentionally glorifying something sinister!

I really think the main reason we chose to minimize our Halloween observance over the years is just simply time. It’s hard enough celebrating the major holidays properly! Halloween is just not something we chose to dedicate the time required to “do it up right”.  

Regardless, I’ll always have fond memories of taking our boys trick or treating when they were little. This week’s featured pic is from 14 years ago! Definitely a cuteness overload. Also, I won’t deny that I love eating Halloween candy.  Halloween is just another day in our family. Unless our sons ramp up their Halloween game in the future, I think that’s the way it will stay. I hear all the time that Halloween is a multi-billion-dollar business in America. Not for our family. I wonder how many families are like us?

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