Every year around this time I love to decorate my front steps for fall. It is one of my favorite things to do! I put some flowers, pumpkins, and hay bales out but that does NOT mean I am decorating for Halloween.
The majority of Americans will celebrate Halloween this year, but my family and I will not. It appears that most people are willing to overlook the fact that celebrating this holiday is a choice and not something everyone HAS to do. To clarify, I’m not judging those who do celebrate, I’m just happy to share the reasons why we don’t.
Have I ever dressed up for halloween? The answer is yes. Growing up my family didn’t celebrate halloween and we had an alternate family night that I totally looked forward to every year. But there was a time in my single days where I attended a few halloween parties.
I certainly didn’t enjoy dressing up but at least a friend lent me a costume so I didn’t have to shell out a ridiculous amount of money for one night. I was attempting to get out of my comfort zone but in truth, I’ve never liked the holiday.
Before I dive into the reasons why I don’t celebrate Halloween I want to clarify that I don’t mind this time of the year. It makes me think about the reason I choose not to do certain things. Every family decides what origins of customs matter or don’t matter for them.
For me, Halloween is one where the origins absolutely do matter to me. And I like thinking about the choices I’m making, my reasons for making them, and that my choice isn’t based on popularity but on principle. I’m proud to be different and stand up for what I believe in.
So here we are. Below are my reasons why I don’t celebrate Halloween.
- We do not need more sugar. I try and feed my family with healthy, nutrient-rich foods. But let’s face it, there are always those times when we consume more sugar than necessary. The American Heart Association recommends less than 10 tsp a day of sugar. The average adult consumers double that at 22, and even worse our children consume 32 tsp on average a day!! Sugar has been linked to high blood pressure, mood instabilities, acne, headaches, fatigue, hyperactivity, achy joints, and tooth decay. Why would I want my kids to have even more?
- Protecting my daughter. Unfortunately, little girls are often being dressed up in sexually provocative costumes. What kind of message is this sending to them?
- It’s just for fun! It’s important to me to teach my kids the difference between right and wrong. If I tell them something is ok “just because it’s fun” how do I reverse that in the teenage years when there are inundated with things that are considered “fun” but are not a good decision for them?
- It’s expensive. The average costume costs $75. Since the trend is to come up with a new costume every year I would personally rather put my money towards something else.
- It’s downright scary! Ok. I personally don’t think horror movies, haunted houses are fun for every child. In fact, it scares me! I can’t imagine it not scaring children.
- It’s cold. Totally depends where you live but where I live winter is definitely rolling in around the end of October, and this year even earlier. I can think of better things to do than spend $50 on a kid’s costume only to have to put a coat, ski pants, mittens, hat, and gloves overtop so they don’t freeze. Yup. BTW, toddlers totally love that too!
- Historically, there is a lot of talk about bad things happening on Halloween. I think it’s up to everyone to do their own research and form their own conclusions but for me personally, the thought alone is enough to not participate.
- Family Fun! In the years growing up my extended family always got together for dinner and participated in a fun activity such as bowling or swimming after. We always had an absolute blast with my cousins and continue to do so! That compared with taking my kids out in the freezing cold for hours to sounds like a no brainer to me! haha.
So there you have it! My opinion isn’t coming from a place of judgment, but I have spent a lot of time carefully considering the options and what is best for my family and I. And the conclusion for us, saving money and spending time with family is more important!
Love your idea for alternative family night.
I am so over Halloween for many of the same reasons. I really don’t like all the sugar. It’s expensive. I also just feel disturbed by so many of the costumes and the media.
I think I will skip it all next year.
Hey Tranda, how do you deal with halloween and halloween dress ups in schools without having your kids feeling left out etc while other kids do dress ups at school? Coming from a country where we don’t celebrate halloween at all and it’s something I don’t believe in doing or wanting my kids to participate in, but its everywhere. How do you balance that?
Great question Christal. So I purposely chose to send my kids to a private school where they actually don’t celebrate Halloween. There are always some kids who dress up but the school outlines what is acceptable and what isn’t so we have never run into an issue with inappropriate costumes. I always remind my kids that many people do dress up but we don’t. Also a big part of it for me is the unnecessary sugar as well which I find so silly in the middle of cold and flu season!
It really isn’t a big deal. Throughout of children’s lives there will be differences. This could be an opportunity to reinforce confidence in following what you believe, or the beliefs of the family unit. It is a good character building opportunity.