Tat

Oh dear, this might annoy some people.

I've never been much into Halloween, and when I was a kid it wasn't such a huge deal. We'd hack lanterns out of turnips (well, Mum did most of it) and put them on the doorstep. There'd be a lantern parade at school and maybe a party at Brownies/Guides. We did not dress up and knock on the doors of strangers. (The old Scots custom of 'guysing' is where this came from, but that was in the days when you lived in small communities and knew your neighbours, and which ones would have made toffee for the occasion.) All Saints Day, 1 November, was always the smell of burnt turnip, and mashed turnip for dinner. I hated mashed turnip.

I don't mind well-behaved kids coming to the door for a sweet, but what I do object to is the volume of tat, and it's not just Halloween. Let's look at it this way.

There are more and more people and the planet isn't getting any bigger. We have to think carefully before using resources to make stuff. We all know this. And yet, when I went shopping today, there was rubbish everywhere. Rubbish for sale! Hats, claws, masks, cloaks, horns, more and more of it, whole shelves and stands of it. Lorries have driven for miles pumping toxic fumes about and using petrol to get it to the shops. It will be worn for a few hours and binned next week. Landfill, here we come. Clear the space, ready for Santa Claus costumes. And if you want to be a princess/dragon/wild animal, you can buy a costume off the peg. It'll fall apart in six months but by then you'll be sick of it.

I'm not saying 'don't dress up'. I'm saying, have a great time dressing up. Buy stuff from charity shops and cut it up. Raid the cupboards for old curtains. Honestly, I'm not good at sewing but we always had costumes for Alnwick Fair when the kids were small. Worn out pillowcases make tunics. Masks are easy. Use your imagination. And take courage! Soon it will be over for another year, and we'll be celebrating All Saints.