‘We ain’t afraid of no ghosts’
IT’S THE MONEY SPENT ON HALLOWEEN THAT’S REALLY SCARY!
ALTHOUGH you’re an upright citizen who is probably sitting down right now rather than standing upright, can you imagine yourself going around your neighbourhood in disguise, knocking on people’s doors, demanding food, otherwise you’ll vandalise their property?
I’m sure you’d regard that as completely unacceptable behaviour.
Why then do so many parents in this country think it’s perfectly okay to allow their children out after dark every October 31 dressed as ghosts and witches to knock on people’s doors and demand sweets, otherwise they’ll play a trick on them?
Some older ‘Trick or Treaters’ get their hands on eggs and flour – which as we know they don’t use to make cakes.
Yes, folks, it’s that time again when I rant about Halloween, which not so long ago meant very little to the British public.
Thanks to the influence of Youtube and spooky American films and TV shows aimed at children like The Addams Family, Hotel Transylvania and Goosebumps, it’s now a multimillion-pound enterprise here for retailers and manufacturers of Halloween-related products, most of which get thrown out on November 1.
Not a very eco-friendly ‘festival’ is it?
As a lad, the big occasion this time of year was Guy Fawkes Night.
Today, lighting a couple of sparklers and sending a rocket screeching into the night sky seems to have lost its appeal to many youngsters.
Though some big kids around here have been letting off ‘bangers’ for weeks.
Perhaps the simple souls are confused and thought the old rhyme goes… “Remember, remember the fifth of September”.
Coincidentally, it was early September when I first noticed all the cheap ’n’ cheerless Halloween tat appearing in my local supermarket, vying for shelf space alongside Christmas decorations, gifts, imitation trees and, had I looked more closely, probably a selection of Easter eggs, too.
Although I (obviously!) detest the naked commercialism of Halloween, I do wish you all a peaceful, incidentfree one.
And if a little vampire knocks on your front door and asks for sweets, remind him they’re very bad for his fangs and if he eats too many he’ll have to visit the dentist. That’ll scare him off! @philevanswales or visit www.philevans.co.uk