WOODCARVING & ACCESSORIES

Is Halloween Becoming Too Commercialised?

Halloween harmless fun or a little bit of a con?

With the holiday season fast approaching Halloween is just about on us (it'll be Christmas 2011 before you know it), and with the stores being crammed with more and more goodies, decorations, outfits and gifts I am starting to ponder whether it is starting to become too commercialized and just a way to make us spend more cash!

I do love Halloween, as it's only holiday that permits kids to stroll the streets requesting for candy from complete strangers. Halloween came from Eire. The offspring of the ancient Celtic holiday of Samhain combined with Christian holy days honouring the saints gives us origins of our existing Halloween celebrations. We also have Ireland to thank for the jack o'lantern. In Ireland, gifts of food were left for fairies who rambled the planet on All Hallow's Eve.

Carving pumpkins is superb fun for all the family - though I just stick to cleaning them out and let someone else do the creative side (trust me it's for the best).
But Halloween just isn't the same as it used to be! We used to have homemade outfits, with make up and the works, but now it is nearly a contest to see who can buy the best costumes for their children! A little bit of a cop out really showing an absence of imagination and again lining the pockets of others.

My kids even get Halloween presents off family members, which again I find weird and just appears like an alternative way for companies to earn income from us. What's next Halloween cards?

Don't misunderstand me I DO love Halloween as much as everybody else, I'm certainly not one of the people who turn off all the lights and pretend they aren't home, I decorate my home a bit, I get the get ups, we do Halloween crafts and make toffee apples and watch horror films when the children go to bed, but do we need shops filled with Halloween goodies from the middle Aug?

So what do you think is Halloween a Trick or a Treat?

Julie Ross loves all holidays & special occasions. She writes about Halloween, Christmas Gifts and more at BestChristmasGiftFor.com.