4Real Forums: What does your family do for Halloween?

Oh, Dearest Mother, Sweetest Virgin of Altagracia, our Patroness. You are our Advocate and to you we recommend our needs. You are our Teacher and like disciples we come to learn from the example of your holy life. You are our Mother, and like children, we come to offer you all of the love of our hearts. Receive, dearest Mother, our offerings and listen attentively to our supplications. Amen.

Active Topics || Favorites || Member List || Search || About Us || Help || Register || Login

Tea and Conversation
4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation

Topic: What does your family do for Halloween?

Author

Message

<< Prev Topic | Next Topic >>

MarilynW
Forum All-Star

Joined: June 28 2006
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4275

Posted: Oct 10 2006 at 8:13pm \| IP Logged

Hi everyone

What do you do for Halloween? We have stopped the whole trick or treat thing for several years now - and this year we are not organizing or going to an All Saints Party. We are thinking of staying in with the lights off and having a candlelight family evening - maybe camp out in the basement and read Saint stories - maybe do Catholic Mosaic and "Father Phillip..."

Blessings

Marilyn

Maddie
Forum All-Star

Joined: Dec 27 2005
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1804

Posted: Oct 10 2006 at 8:43pm \| IP Logged

All Saints Day is celebrated with Mass and a free day from school with some sort of Fall theme and Saint stories/craft, but for Halloween I usually watch "Arsenic and Old Lace" with the older children, 11-and up, and "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" with the little ones. We'll make popcorn and special treats and enjoy the evening home together. Not very liturgical, but we save that for All Saints.

Arcenic and Old Lace

__________________
~Maddie~
Wife to my dh and Momma of 9 dear ones

folklaur
Forum All-Star

Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2816

Posted: Oct 10 2006 at 9:18pm \| IP Logged

We do the All Saints Day Party with our homeschool group. We will also usually go up & down our street for the trick or treating thing....

My dh loves halloween.

stefoodie
Forum Moderator

Joined: Feb 17 2005
Location: Ohio
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 8457

Posted: Oct 10 2006 at 9:33pm \| IP Logged

We've usually just let them dress up in whatever costume they want (store-bought cheap or homemade, or improvised) and give out candy at the door. we'd give out homemade stuff (cookies, homemade chocolate and candies) except no one wants those anymore -- sad really.

__________________
stef

mom to five

ladybugs
Forum All-Star

Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: California
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3732

Posted: Oct 10 2006 at 11:34pm \| IP Logged

We're like Stef...

I'd give out homemade stuff, too, but no one would trust it!

Or maybe that's because they've heard rumors about my cooking!

__________________
Love and God Bless,
Maria P

My etsy store - all proceeds go to help my fencing daughters!

saintanneshs
Forum All-Star

Joined: April 15 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 591

Posted: Oct 11 2006 at 10:40am \| IP Logged

At our house the kids dress up as storybook characters. Last year I had a Clifford the Big Red Dog, a Goodnight Gorilla, a Cookie Tree and a Very Grouchy Ladybug. Since we live on a farm, we have sort of down-played the whole trick-or-treat thing. We drive the kids around to trick-or-treat at about 7 or 8 houses with mostly older couples who live rurally and have no visitors on this night (and don't see many kids on most other days either). That's how dh grew up and I love his family's tradition. For us it's more about visiting the older neighbors than the goodies they get. They get plenty of candy at the All Saints party.

Almost all of the treats they get ARE homemade!!

(I guess because I call ahead of time to ask if it's okay to visit that night...) Anyway, since most of the houses we visit don't have any other visitors on that night, my kids get ALL the attention and we don't just take the treats and run, but stay and visit for a while at each house. We usually start around 5 and finish up with my parents' house sometime around 9.

While we're there we ask the family we're visitng if there is anyone they would like us to pray for (in exchange for the treats), thus embracing the Catholic tradition of trick-or-treating. We pray for the beloved dead of each house, as well as any other prayer intentions they might have.

Last year, one of the very elderly gentlemen we visited each year for Halloween (he also came to our house a few times a year for dinner) was hit by a drunk driver and killed. It has been so difficult to think of NOT going for our trick-or-treat visit. The kids really loved him and so did we. He will have a special place in our prayers that night.

When we come home the kids get to eat a few goodies and after their bath we begin our prayer time.

On All Saints Day we dress up as saints, do some fun saint activities, re-read through our favorite saint books in the basket that's been out all of October, and we go to an All Saints Party. Mass is in the evening and Father likes for the kids to come dressed as their favorite saints. Last year he even pointed out our Luke (St. Luke) to the congregation during his homily... made a HUGE impression on our son.

My kids have watched the Charlie Brown cartoon but I wish they didn't say "stupid" in it or call each other names. I like The Biggest Pumpkin Ever (Scholastic video) better. And Arsenic and Old Lace is a Halloween favorite! (for dh and I, that is

)

__________________
Kristine

If you wish to post a reply to this topic you must first login
If you are not already registered you must first register

[Add this topic to My Favorites]

Printable version

Forum Jump

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot create polls in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum

Hosting and Support provided by theNetSmith.com