All Hallows Eve is bigger than Christmas

[Edward]

As for commercial Halloween decorations, they've been around here in the US for a LONG time. Old halloween decorations are a growing area in the antique & collectable market. The oldest I've seen are from the 1920s and halloween decorations from this time are absolutely beautiful. I tend to come across more from the 1950s though.

Do it with the turnip!

That's interesting, I didn't know that those sorts of decorations go that far back. We used to have decor in school, makes things in craft and whatever, but it was never common in my day to decorate the house as such. I might do some next year - too late to get organised this year, really.

 

[Story]

It's that time of the year again, folks!

http://www.extremepumpkins.com/

Pumpkins and Parties!

 

[Kassia]

I would agree that Halloween's popularity is probably due to it's lack of any religious affiliation; at least in this country. It has Celtic origins, and the Scots brought the concept over to America.

It does allow us to throw off the bonds of adulthood, and allows us to walk down memory lane as children.

I've also seen though, that retailers must think that Christmas happens quite soon after Labor Day. Lowe's and Depot already have ornaments and various Christmas village components ready to go...

I'm only starting to see pumpkins arrive at the market!

I'm gonna be a pirate...with a waxed tricorn hat! lol

And for everyone....practice safe hex!

Just starting to see? The halloween stuff has been in the stores here since early September... Christmas stuff just started showing up last week..

I think all holidays are turning into a money making scheme.. I even saw Happy Halloween cards yesterday at the grocery store.. Anything to make a buck!!
As for the origins of Halloween some of them may be Celtic but many are from other lands.. Day of the Dead has been celebrated in Latin America since before Europeans arrived..

This is my favorite holiday.. What better than a day to dress up and act silly.. Eat candy and not have to go visit your family... Hahaha...
I hate Christmas with a passion as there is family involved.. Yeck...

Since Halloween is on a Friday this year i am going to dress up and go to the party at the dance studio we attend... Lots of fun to be had!!!
And then on Nov 1, Day of the Dead in Mexico i am going to keep eating candy and watching Halloween movies... It's almost time again to watch the Rocky Horror Picture show and The Mummy, among others... Teehheee... I can hardly wait... But here in Canada we have Thanksgiving this weekend so there is more eating to be done!!!

 

[Kassia]

I agree... I think when you live in a place that gets cold and/or snow, Halloween is the start of the (Christmas) holiday season.

Halloween and Day of the Dead (Nov1) are mid way between fall and Winter.. It is the fall equivalent of Ground Hog Day (Feb 2), May Day and Midsummers eve.. I think...

 

[Kassia]

Actually, What does it matter which is bigger? Regionally & socially in the US the amount of time and effort, true involvement in these days varies based on the make up of the population and the weather and the history.

I'd figure Halloween would be a whole different thing in Salem, Mass than here in So cAl.

Halloween is a release day for everyone, where in a way dreams come true under the what do you want to be for Halloween question. It allows you to induldge your inner person for once as such the statement that it is the Crossdresser's National Holiday holds true. It's a time for a little self indulgence and that can be nice.

Thanksgiving really gets the short shrift in this exchange barely past Halloween, you get some Turkeys , a Horn of Plenty and some Pilgrims for a little while!

Christmas for a lot of people tends to be an extension of how your parents celibrated it for most families. It brings a whole set of what we call C&E Christians to church. C&E is a reference to Christmas & Easter, as it is the only time you'll see these folks in church. For my family, Mom went to church most weeks and took my brother and me, while my dad, who worked looong hours tended to worship at "St. Sealy's of the Posture-Pedic" most of the time. At Christmas dad always went with the family, and the candlelight Christmas Eve services were truly both beautiful and wonderful. We made a fuss, the tree the dinner the presents church time Advent & Advent calendars, going to visit relatives, decorating, etc. It was a cylcle of building to the big Day and the wind down afterwards. (Who is old enough to remember real LEAD tinsel and those cool bubblelights?)

Heck, I am old enough to remember when we used to make Christmas decorartion and hung them up in a PUBLIC school. It was a big deal then and it is a big deal today. although not quite as big since we don't always seem to have the time to invest into getting things ready as much today.

In the end though, I always feel that I am a winner after the festivities, because I have friends and family that love me and I love them and we show it in abundence at these times.

Someone asked why do we care for others and give charity at Christmas when we should do so all year 'round. Actually that is the precise answer in a way, if you forget to do so during the year, it is nice to give when others are needy and Christmas highlights those needs. You can even call it a personal redemption of sorts and can get it in before the end of the year. If someone only gives at Christmas, well at least we can say they give, even if it takes a big reminder.

I hope that we all get to enjoy these times!

Hmmm my mother went to Catholic school and remembers getting days of observance off.. One of them was November 1..

As for charity year round, our local food bank has a huge drive, for food and money, in July.. That is the time of year when they get very little donated to them... And as with others, they can always use money to buy the things that are not usually donated... Like toilet paper and diapers...
Once a year they have a toothbrush drive and will take all the toothpaste they can get.. I am sure the'd take floss too...

 

[Kassia]

Just like Valentines Day! Hallmark has to sell those cards and Ziggy dolls, folks!

Ok no dissing Valentines day please.. It's my birthday and my wedding anniversary... As far as i know it is the biggest wedding day of the year..

 

[Kassia]

Actually, on the suggestion that Christmas is Jesus birthday, and that Christmas is the Winter Solstice, I believe theres a bit of confusion. It's my understanding that it became a common practice to display the nativity scene at some point a long time ago, and nobody could really decide when it should be done, and were doing it through various times between fall and spring. And finally, the Pope (I think) decided that celebrating Christs birth with the nativity scene would be done on December 25th, as sort of a middle time to make it easier on everyone. (That's the short version)

And way back when the mass conversions to Christianity were starting, when the concept of numbers was bigger than dedicated souls to Christ, The Christian societies that were encouraging conversion understood that telling people "they can't" is not a good way to get them on your side, and so they let them have it they're way when it came to celebrating Christmas. Basically, if you were to be Christian, you had to celebrate Christs birth, but you could do it anyway you liked, even if it meant doing something you had always done (like celebrating winter solstice) and just calling it Christmas. And thus, all the crazy Christmas Traditions we have today are mostly just a compilation of several completely Non Christian (though not anti-Christian) traditions done in the name of Christ because it would make you look Christian (again, short version)

And Viola, this kinda goes to show that Christmas is neither really Jesus' Birthday, nor a Holiday whose traditions are Christian related, so when dhermann1 said to take the holiday back, and to celebrate Winter anyway, there's really no reason to do otherwise lol

Amen and thank you for that post!!!

Every Christian holiday that i can think of has pagan roots.. Plain and Simple.

And there are some cultures that took the "Christian" holidays and merged them with their own practices.. Day of the Dead is a Mayan holiday too, always was, always will be...