"Do we need Halloween?"

one of the local parents sighed as she picked up sugar laden "treats" in the supermarket yesterday. 

I had just been to the dentist. While Middle Cat was at the dentist I was doing some essential shopping - and listening to the mother in question. 

My view is that we definitely do not need Halloween. The sort "celebrated" here is something that has come in like a hurricane from the United States. It is another one of those commercial nightmares - like Christmas and Easter and now some other religious festivals as well.  

The supermarket has had chocolate and other Halloween "treats" on special for weeks. There have been masks and hats and costumes and printed cardboard cups and plates and more in the local untidy "cheap" shop. There have been fences decorated with skulls, "cobwebs" and more. Most of it will come down in a few days. It will be replaced with "Christmas" decorations almost immediately.

I suppose it is fun but it is expensive. It is messy.

The parents in this street don't really approve of the Halloween bit. We have discussed it. We all agree that their children should not miss out entirely because that will simply make them want to participate even more. 

I offered to be the "local witch" but a good witch. We came up with a plan which included the breeding of "frogs which are good for the garden". We all agreed that this was the only sort of Halloween the children really needed and that it would still be fun. 

The original plan was that each child could "catch" a frog in the front garden and take it home but last night the weather was appalling. There were some phone calls backwards and forwards. We agreed that the frogs had "gone for the night but they will be back tomorrow."

So this afternoon there will be a "frog hunt" in the garden and everyone will get one small chocolate frog to care for....and the best way of doing that is to eat it of course! 

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