Halloween Heresy
I love hair dye (in a box or can).
I love face painting.
I love pumpkins.
I love candy.
I love costumes.
I love Halloween.
So it ought to be no surprise that I went trick or treating until I was eighteen. Or that even before I got married, I dreamt of all the possible costume themes we could choose from as a family every year. And then, 3 weeks into our engagement my dreams were ruined, NAY, stomped on and crushed by the very man I had said I would marry.
The disturbance in the force was caused by a plate of Halloween cookies I made for my beloved. Cute little orange frosted pumpkin sugar cookies with candy corn eyes and black Cakemate gel mouths (doesn’t everyone make Halloween cookies?) graced a paper plate intended for my fiance. It was tradition to make these particular cookies every Halloween and I proudly brought them over to his house. He accepted my offering and ate one as he did some homework. But when I asked him if he wanted another, he said he didn’t really care for sugar cookies.
UHH!!
Couldn’t he see the meticulous detail, the effort I had put into perfecting every little vampire tooth and expression, for my offering of love? (Don’t worry ya’ll, I’ve taught him a bit more tact).
The discussion turned to me having to work on Halloween and that I had permission to dress up, so I was going as a pirate.
“What are you going to dress up as?” I casually asked
I mean, what normal person doesn’t dress up on Halloween? That’s when it came out.
He had NEVER dressed up for Halloween. He had NEVER, EVER gone trick or treating.
I caught the words “Dad” and “Pagan” as I thought to myself, “Can I marry someone who doesn’t do Halloween?!?”
Obviously love prevailed. Besides, I felt sure I could convince him to dress up someday and enjoy Halloween. Now just to clarify, Hubby doesn’t think it’s an evil holiday although his dad did. It simply holds no meaning for him whatsoever. But that has been a sentiment strong enough, to make all my powers of persuasion to dress up, futile.
Two years ago our family went to a Halloween party as Hubby, Jessie, Woody and Buzz. Last year we went as Hubby, Batman, Robin and Batgirl. I’m still trying to convince him to don a costume. Maybe your powers of persuasion will be more effective than mine. *hint hint*
EDWARD YOUR A HAMSOME GUY ALL IM ASKING IS FOR BELLA TO HAVE THE BABY AND PUT...
Never dressed up ?? that is just sad !!
Oh I love Halloween too! And we are trying to convince my daughter that she wants to be either Dorothy or Glenda for Halloween, so that my son can be the Lion, and my husband the scarecrow, and I can be whichever girl she doesn’t pick. Thankfully hubby dresses up too–one year pre-kids we were Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. SO FUN!
Wow, never?! The poor guy. I love Halloween too, but don’t get into it quite as much as you do, it sounds like. :) I don’t dress up, mostly because it’s stressful (and costly) enough to deal with the kids’ costumes, but I love taking them trick-or-treating and handing out candy.
Ah! My husband is exactly the same! In fact, he hates Halloween and always has! How sad. Try making pumpkin cookies with frosting and decorating instead of sugar cookies (thats what we did). Fun post.
At the risk of alienating everyone, I am more like your husband. I dressed up as a kid and young adult. In fact, I have a terrific Snow White costume that I will one day wear again. (Of course, I need to lost about 50 lbs first.)
The kids dress up and we hand out candy and go trick or treating, but I could take it or leave it. I don’t think it’s evil or wrong. It’s fun, and I’ll make cookies and put out our fall decorations, but I just don’t get excited about it. Before we had kids, we turned off our lights and didn’t even answer the door. Sounds kind of Scrooge-ish doesn’t it!
i don’t know if i love halloween so much as i LOVE dressing up. so we’ve done the same thing…the all of us dress in theme with each other. theh first year paul and i were trees and ava was a monkey. then i was princess leia and paul was han solo and ava was an ewok…you get the picture. i am sorry for you, loving halloween as you do.
I actually married someone who likes to dress up more than I do. It’s more fun the skinnier you are!
Best costume I ever saw was the last guy I expected to dress up, he came as Cronk in the Emperor’s New Groove. Maybe you just need to drunk him up a bit so he lose some inhibitions ;)
That’s odd. What man wouldn’t want to be Batman?
My husband did Spiderman for years until the costume fell apart. It takes guts for a man to wear spandex, and he looked good. Alas, the costume is dead. Now he pulls the mad Dr. Schtick to perfection.
We talked when we were first married about not celebrating Halloween. We had it all planned out. Then we had kids and all our plans went out the window. Now we decorate and everything.
My church teaches that it is a pagan holiday. The local store puts up those horrific life size horror movie things, complete with moans and blood drips.
But dressing up and getting candy? Bright little smiling orange faces? Cute black kitties? I ask you , what is wrong with that!
My husband is also the scrooge of all Hallows Eve
I was never allowed to dress up as a kid either, except one year when we went to a “Harvest Festival” at church and we got to be Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. What that has to do with harvesting I couldn’t tell you, but Satan’s holiday is Satan’s holiday.
As a result, I got MARRIED on Halloween. I have Halloween decorations all over my house. My son has been wearing his Optimus Prime costume for two days and it isn’t even October yet. However, I think it is silly to dress up as an adult, unless I’m going to a party or something. When I worked in hotels we were required to “dress up,” so I would wear a Halloween t-shirt under my blazer. :P
I dressed up a little bit as a kid, but my mom never went out and bought me costumes. As best I can remember, she made us some things or we used stuff we had. We didn’t do much and I only went full out trick or treating one time when I spent the night with someone. I was so excited about all the candy I got that night.
Now that I’m older and have kids, I enjoy dressing them up. A few years ago, I actually dressed up for a costume party.
Yes, there is some history with Halloween, but to be honest, there is history with a lot of stuff with do and celebrate. I wish I could remember what it was, but I was reading about something last week that had a pagan history and thought people would be shocked to know about it. Maybe my brain will work right soon and I’ll remember. lol
I will say that I can’t stand the gory decorations for Halloween. They’re quite creepy.
I agree, I don’t like the gore aspect of Halloween, but candy and costumes are fun!
It’s been a month since you wrote this blog but I found it today (you referenced it in your new blog). I don’t dress up and I never found an excuse. Even this evening the 5 year old neighbor asked what I would be dressing up as and I said “I don’t dress up.” She was quite surprised. Reading of
Tom’s attitude and comments hit home with me.. Yeah that would be it. I never have. I dressed up my children while they were young and handed out candy but I was also grateful for Ward activities that changes some aspects of the celebration.