Halloween Discussion Forums, Costumes, Horror!

Oh, I went to one of those Hell Houses once. They were popular for a while in the late 90s- early 2000s. Once was enough for me, honestly. I'm a Christian, but I don't need to be preached at about Halloween, or to have the holiday used like that.

You are right that Christmas incorporates pagan elements. Even its date is intended to replace pagan solstice festivals. Nobody believes Jesus was born in December. Most likely He was born in early June. Certainly it was a warm time of year, since the shepherds were abiding in the fields at night.

I really enjoy a DVD I bought a number of years ago called Bethlehem Star, by a guy named Rick (?) Larson. It deals with the dating of both Christmas and Easter. You can find the info at Bethlehemstar.com, if you're interested.

Cool! I dressed like a vampire

Vampires are classic, and I love vampire stories, but I don't think I've ever dressed as one.

You know, I mentioned up thread that the first costume I remember wearing was a witch. I recall parading around in it at school. But I don't recall Halloweens earlier than that, which is odd, because I can recall stuff that happened when I was three. I'm wondering if my mother didn't take me ToTing before I was school aged? My parents were born long before WW2. They were married during that war, and my father fought in it. My mother told me many times that nobody celebrated Halloween when she was growing up in Arkansas (my father grew up in Mississippi, as I did), and that the first time she ever even heard about ToTing was when she was a young woman living in California in the 1930s. I'm thinking the custom might have been so foreign to her that she didn't take me before I started grade school, where we did learn about it. I know I almost never even saw a jack-o-lantern growing up, except in pictures. Pumpkins weren't sold at grocery stores like they are now. Halloween has definitely grown as a holiday throughout my lifetime.