Posted At : October 30, 2008 1:02 PM
| Posted By : Jim
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I just wanted to take this time to wish everyone a safe and happy Halloween! Halloween is a very special time for me. It has been one of my favorite holidays since I was very small. I have a very wild imagination, so it always gave me the chance to really get creative with my |
| costume ideas. Once I got older, I began setting up outlandish displays to entertain the neighborhood kids on Halloween night. I became the most popular house on the street, during the month of October at least. I became one heck of a pumpkin carver too. I never caved to the "Hollywood evil" definition of Halloween. I know there are weirdos out there that think Halloween is a night for sacrifice and worship of evil, but they are wrong. The roots of Halloween are a celebration of the harvest, leaving gifts for the spirits of the Earth and giving back to Mother Earth for the bounty she provides. Yes, there were sacrifices involved with giving back to the Earth, but in the dark ages this was considered acceptable. When Christianity swept the world and overtook Paganism, people were led to believe that Pagan traditions and rituals were those of Satan, thus the belief that Halloween was a time for evil and mischief began. As time went on and the world became more and more civilized, Hollywood realized it could make a few bucks off of the idea that Halloween was an evil time. The whole Halloween horror series is proof enough of that. This just isn't an idea that I subscribe to. Halloween is a time for fun, jack-o-lanterns, great costumes and good friends. It's about letting the children believe they can be something else for just one night, just by wearing that costume. It's about imagination and make-believe. My next door neighbor tells me that Halloween just turns children into beggers....wow. I can't see how anyone could cast out this great day. I will continue with my decorations, parties and entertainment as long as I'm physically able. Once again to everyone out there, Happy Halloween! |
I'm a 28 year old ColdFusion, Flex, and Air programmer from Princess Anne, MD and the co-manager of the Eastern Shore of Maryland User Group (
Jim, I'll probably see you in the driveway before you read this, but I want this on the record and on your website. This is my first time to blog. Sure hope it goes through.
Yes, this is Jim and Leslie's neighbor, the one he accurately quoted in the "Happy Halloween Everyone" message when he said, " My next door neighbor tells me that Halloween just turns children in beggars." I am a retired English teacher, and I've gotta say that the information you presented on the true origins of Halloween were not overshadowed by the three tiny errors that always jump out at the English teacher. (It's a curse. I'm sorry.)
Jim, I had no idea you are such a talented writer. You have changed my perceptions of Halloween. I have done a 180. I will forever after think of Halloween as a celebration of the harvest, and trick-or-treating as gifts of appreciation to children for the bounty of that harvest. This pleases me very much because October 31st is a special day for me. It is the birthday of my beloved Aunt Eve (who crossed the Rainbow Bridge to join her pets in 1997), and my sweet foster daughter Krissy, who will graduate from UMBC in May 2009. From now on, October 31st will be a day of celebration and compete joy for me. Thank you for that, Jim.
Jet
And to anyone considering what I call "The Geek Cruise" in February, I say, "Go for it!" My college roommate and I are going. She's a computer geek--a retired rocket scientist who worked for Lockheed-Martin. The prices listed on the RIAdventure website include taxes and fees, and they are better than any I could find for the cruise anywhere online or on the phone with the cruise line.