Saturday, October 30, 2010

Halloween

So, we celebrate Halloween.

But it's not in the super freaky way that the majority of this state does it.

When Troy and I candidated at our church three years ago it was the beginning of October. The Utah Halloween craze was just starting to gear up and Troy and I had never seen in anything like it before. Southern California, Oregon, Minnesota and Texas (all place that The Husband has lived) do not do Halloween like this.

Still.

We didn't have a clue what we were getting ourselves into.

A few weeks ago I nearly crashed my car as I drove past a house. The door was made to look as though it was covered in blood. "Keep Out" it warned in dripping letters and went on with more wording that even my double take couldn't decipher. The disgusting and irreverent similarity to Passover wasn't lost on me.

Our kids dress up. They go trick-or-treating. For me, it's like they get to pretend to be in a play where all the world is their stage and the audience throws candy at them. In my opinion, that would be, maybe, the best kind of play albeit a little distracting. This is The Rock Star's 5th Halloween and he's never really been subjected to anything horrible. We've focused more on the bounty of harvest and the joys of wearing a costume--a clean costume--and acquiring candy.

Today I stopped by a costume shop, in search of a belly that could serve as the baby Jesus in our Christmas play. With kids in tow I entered. I had in mind to get in and get out since, upon stepping foot inside I saw witches and giant lab rats in cages and these are not things I particularly want my children experiencing. The hired help was rather vague on where I would find the desired item so I went searching. In the middle of the shop we stumbled upon the sickest sight. All over was a congregation of what can only be described as demon babies. Life sized tiny humans with red eyes and blood dripping from their mouths. One of them was angrily gnawing on an adult sized hand. One was proudly displaying blood soaked fangs. Another had two heads, a blue eyed sweet looking head and an evil demonic head.

The Little Buddy freaked out and started burying his head in my shoulder and clinging to me like a baby ape. The Rock Star started whimpering and then threw his arms around my leg and shoved his head into the side of my jeans. "Pick me up!" He begged. "Those babies are really scary. I don't like them. Why is that one eating a hand? And...why does that one have two heads?"

"Because this place is disgusting," I answered. "Don't look at them. Come on." He turned his head away from the terrifying babies and into the face of an evil clown. "AHHH!" He screamed and then buried his head again.

I've been in my fair share of Halloween costume shops. It's the best time to get costumes for Christmas plays. I've never seen anything like this. I'm an adult and it turned my stomach inside out. Just thinking about the fact that I subjected my tiny little humans to such twisted Halloween garbage makes me sick.

So if you want to know if we do the Halloween thing, well, yeah. We dress up. We eat candy. We go to a Harvest Party. We do not cover our yard with grave stones, our door with blood and our house with demonic babies. We celebrate a time of harvest. We do not share in the disgusting.

12 comments:

  1. that is disturbingly disgusting. Yuk! What a great way to put how you celebrate Halloween! I was just telling someone how crazy so many people in Utah get with celebrating Halloween.

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  2. That's terrible. Surprising since the state of Utah has a quite religious background. I don't like the scary/sick/twisted part of halloween. Why can't we all just dress up like bunnies, puppies and popeye and eat candy? Sad what the world makes of the day.

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  3. We don't do anything "evil" in or around our home.... that's how I explain it to J...... Pumpkins and candy are fine..... But. Nothing evil Nope. NADA. :)
    The Lord and Angels only thankyouverymuch! :)

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  4. Seriously this state is the craziest ever isn't it. I have been told by more then one person in the nine years I have lived here that Halloween is more important to them than Christmas. Turns my stomache. I used to put up cute decor in the windows for Halloween, you know of charlie brown and the gang that sorta stuff. I wont even do that now. I rebel. I only decorate for Christmas now.

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  5. I've been following your blog for a year now from NY and I just wanted to say how much I enjoy your writing and take on life! Keep up the good work! Kristen

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  6. As much as I'm not into the gore of Halloween, I'm actually more confused and disturbed by the sluttiness that has taken hold of girls on Halloween. I guess there has always been a connection in film between horror and sex, and classical vampires have always had a sexuality to them. But I just think its weird that whenever a 16-40 year old woman (sometimes 40+ with the cougar types) talks about their Halloween costume nowadays it's always "I'm going to be a SEXY "fill in the blank."

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  7. Hi there. This is an utterly random comment from a former Utahn who followed a few links here and there and sort of stumbled across your blog somehow. In defense of Utah people (or maybe just Mormons), I saw those freaky demon babies (which totally disgust me, too) for sale in a costume shop here in Oregon. So they're not just a Utah thing. And, in response to an earlier comment, Halloween is definitely NOT more important than Christmas to us. However, it is quite possible that there are a lot of people who get a little more (okay, a LOT more) caught up than they should in the whole decorating business of Halloween. Also, I think Halloween in general has become a bigger thing for a lot of people in just the last few years. Which could explain the craziness you're seeing now, compared to all the other states you mentioned.

    (Or not. I really could just be Utah. We're Mormon, but there's still a reason we left the state.)

    Having said all that, I will now say that I like the way you've chosen to celebrate Halloween. You can still have fun without making it a freak-fest.

    And I have enjoyed looking over your blog this evening. You have a fun writing style. Thanks for entertaining me! :) (and sorry for the long and rambling comment!)

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  8. "Disgusting? Super freaky? Sick?"

    Why is it ok for you to have your enjoyments but you criticize others for theirs? We used those very items you describe and had a blast this year. If your kids can't handle things like that in a simple retail store, you seriously need to get out more often as they're going to be exposed to far worse in this world that's not in a store. Grow up, get real and come in to 2010 and maybe you'll have a little fun! But don't rain on other's parades just because you don't agree. Isn't that against the various vows your family took?

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  9. Wow, you must have hit a nerve with anonymous. Can't understand why people feel the need to spew their venom on what is obviously your personal opinions and views. A simple "actually I think they're funny," would have been an appropriate counter point. I don't recall that you laid into the check out person, picketed the store or called the local priest to douse the place with holy water. SHEESH. TALK ABOUT THIN SKINNED.

    You're allowed to think things are gross and disturbing without being labeled judgmental--especially in your personal space. Hey anonymous: pot, kettle? At least the writer here attaches her own name.

    Troy
    Isa 5:20/Prov 2:14/Phil 4:8

    Obviously there are different takes on Halloween

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  10. wow, anonymous really freaked out over your feelings on the demon babies. it was kind of like when someone has their children criticized . . . there's a thought. . .just maybe . . .?

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  11. Vows? I don't think she took any vows. She's not a nun.

    I'm pretty sure that pastor's wives don't have to be accepting of demonic baby statues.

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  12. Those Halloween decorations sound yucky to me, and I wouldn't want my baby seeing them, either. You're a good mama to shield them from the yucky parts of the world, especially since they're still so young and innocent. There is enough gore, violence, and grossness in the world without us having to glorify it!

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