Is Halloween just the best 'holiday' ever?

[Primalthirst]

Literally the only reason I give a shit about Halloween is because it means there's a party.

[Tradewind]

I'm partial to Columbus Day because it combines my favourite things.

[Bluesftw]

yee, if you're like 10yo...

[Forgottenone]

I live in Canada and this is how I see some holidays

Halloween - As a kid it is for candy and to dress up as whatever monster/hero you want. As an adult I find it is amazing for doing parties with friends and you can dress up how you want.

Christmas - From a kid to an adult, best time of the year usually for most families to see each other and hang out. Gift exchanging and catching up with usually an amazing dinner.

Thanksgiving - A lesser version of Christmas. No gift exchanging and families don't always get together, if they do get together it usually isn't as big of a gathering.

Easter - Lul chocolate rabbits and eggs

[Lemons]

The ladies like to put on sexy costumes

If you want to see women dressed in skimpy costumes you can see them year-round at any game or comic-related convention.

I hate Halloween cause I just hate horror, basically. skeletons, witches, and zombies and all that...feel just gross to me. Not really enjoyable. I'm more about Christmas...basically everything the OP said about family and presents...well I happen to actually like getting together with my family and getting and giving presents, and I don't take the cynical view that it's materialistic and perfunctory.

[hulkgor]

Not really. Another 'event' created for consumerism.

Hell, we didn't even acknowledge it it in Portugal, and just in a few years, it turned 'massive', for no reason.

We already had the whole 'costume' thing on Carnaval, but the youngsters sure like to copy what they see on american movies.

Christmas, Halloween, Valentine's... all made up by consumerism just to make you spend your hard earned money, or be considered a social outcast for not 'partaking' on them.

[Aori]

Halloween is just some American shit, that ups the sales in stores by putting some "scary Halloween" theme on stuff. Fuck that shit.

Halloween originates from European Christians.. just saying.

America simply heavily commercialized as we've done with every holiday.

[gutnbrg]

We got a much more amazing event in Norway called "Julebukk", which translates into Yule Goat (Wiki link), where we as kids dressed as small elves and stuff and got candy. No pressure on kids to buy expensive Halloween costumes, as we just took what we had and dressed up. Then we sang Christmas songs all over town, and got candy, nuts and what not in return.
Then Halloween came, and it was so much "cooler" to dress like Spiderman, a Witch or what ever.. Sad.

Halloween is just some American shit, that ups the sales in stores by putting some "scary Halloween" theme on stuff. Fuck that shit.

Edit

Also the origin of Julebukk is much coler, something about sacrificing a goat for some pegan stuff. And something about walking about with a goat mask and a fury coat, doing stuff. I suck at wording my self in English when I am tired..

Also more grown ups do the Julebukk, they do however get one drink at each house, not sure if people do that anymore? I'm from a small town, so it was more common there, never heard of people doing it in bigger towns though.

lol pressure on kids to buy expensive costumes? Id like u to show me 1 kid that cares how expensive their costume is...Halloween for me as a kid was one of the most fun days of the year. I never once thought about buying the most expensive costume. We would wear a dark sweatshirt and pants and whatever mask u would buy/find in ur house and go out with silly string/shaving cream and just be on a big adventure through town all night looking for candy!

[OneSent]

Halloween, for me, is more about the time of year (depending on where you live). It signifies the change of season, and the beginning of the end of the year. The leaves change color, the weather gets crisp and colder, and there's a beautifully 'haunting' atmosphere whenever you're outside.

Throw in some carved pumpkins, hay rides, costume parties and classic horror-movie marathons, and it's just a really cozy, relaxing time of year that often brings people closer together. Oh yeah, and pumpkin spice flavored everything!

[Addict]

Turning a tradition of honouring your anscestors into a face-stuffing-candy-orgy, yes I'd say it's the best one.

I dont celebrate it thou.

[Rudkobing]

Yes, yes it is. You get candy, and get to pretend to be someone you are not ;-). The best part is that women dress up as whores and sluts!!!!!


Oh, and it is a holiday, and NOT a 'holiday'.

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[Deleted]

I love it! I'm not really into the history of All Saints' Eve, mostly because I never cared. As a kid, it was a time of year to stuff yourself with all the candy you could eat and build a supply to last you for weeks! As an adult, it's all about having fun with friends. It's just an awesome holiday with very few obligations - I agree OP.

[breadisfunny]

only because i get to see succubus cosplay.

[dwightyo39]

I'd say it would be perfect if it was mixed with Independence Day fireworks. Dees crazy and blow shit up. F Yeah!

[Aeluron Lightsong]

I like the idea behind it. Dressing up as favorite icons in culture, fictional characters and cratures and such. I find that idea cool.

[Calzaeth]

I really liked the one we had before U.S. Halloween got adopted.

Go to church, for a recital of those in the parish who had passed away since last Hallows Eve, then a big family dinner and remembrance of loved ones who are no longer with us. It was nice, and served a purpose.

Now we basically try to emulate the U.S. one, with giant plastic pumpkins and all that crap. Plastic, because as far as I know, pumpkins don't grow big enough carve anything bigger than a mosquito into here :P

[Noxina]

Halloween originates from European Christians.. just saying.

America simply heavily commercialized as we've done with every holiday.

Well, everything America got is pretty much from Europe, even the people. America took it, then 'americanized' it. At least in Norway Halloween isn't a big thing, and can't remember it being a big thing in other countries I've been to.

[XangXu]

I thought I liked Halloween for the longest time, but then I realized that I just love Autumn as a whole.

[Noxina]

lol pressure on kids to buy expensive costumes? Id like u to show me 1 kid that cares how expensive their costume is...Halloween for me as a kid was one of the most fun days of the year. I never once thought about buying the most expensive costume. We would wear a dark sweatshirt and pants and whatever mask u would buy/find in ur house and go out with silly string/shaving cream and just be on a big adventure through town all night looking for candy!

"Mommy, I want that Batman suit!". It is a difference between now and 10-15 years ago. Kids gets what they point at, and the store owners know that, so there is so much shit popping up in stores all over the place now. Halloween candy, Halloween costumes, Halloween anything really. And it sells.
Even though it isn't a big thing in Norway, the stores are filled with this crap. Well, perhaps it is a thing in the bigger cities, I'l notice that for the first time this year as I moved to Bergen, but anyways.

[Deleted]

When we were younger we tried to celebrate it a couple of times.
Halloween parties etc, pretty fun!
I'm a big fan of the spooky eerie things myself, unfortunately here in Belgium, halloween isn't really celebrated that much...