All Hallow's Eve

Everyone's gearing up for the big night this week on October 31st, and my neighborhood is no exception.  I don't remember this many Halloween decorations when I was growing up, do you?

This blog post documents the variety of decorations in my neighborhood, but I have a deeper question.  Some are cute and some are scary.  I live in a highly Jewish neighborhood, though we have mixed in all types of diversity.  Statement for the record:  I am Jewish and grew up trick or treating.  I loved it.  We never viewed it as a non Jewish thing to do; it's a holiday for all American kids!  How kosher is it to hang Halloween decorations?

I am not the kosher police. I have disdain for authority (save firefighters whom I respect and adore.  Ya gotta love a guy who cooks, saves lives and looks totally gorgeous in those uniforms)  as you may all well know.   But I am grateful that I have learned that Halloween actually isn't a Jewish holiday.  Historically it was a time when pogroms happened and people went out to hunt down the Jews, but I think most American Jews think it is fine to celebrate Halloween.

We're not getting hunted down today here in the suburbs, people argue!  And we love candy!

There are so many holidays on our Jewish calendar that we celebrate.  We aren't lacking for festivities and fun.  And you know Stango and I love partying.  To be in the spirit of our neighborhood we give candy so we can help them celebrate "their" holiday, but we dress up on Purim as "our" dress up holiday.  A lot of our friends do it this way in America, at least our real chevre (group of friends) whom we miss dearly.

Folks love decorating their yards for holidays, and my guess is that the Jewish families have finally found a way to outwardly decorate for a holiday that doesn't seem overtly non Jewish.  No one would put up xmas lights if they affiliate Jewishly in any way, but Halloween?  Seems like an easy pass.

I'm not so sure, but I did have fun this morning while finally out with the jogging stroller and capturing the variety of ways people decorate.

This one is cute and fun

Not scary.  Also fun for kids.

I like the Raggedy Ann & Andy influence.  These are cute and friendly.

Love these pumpkin theme leaf bags which my mom always said were the way Mr. Ben Zinbarg's made a fortune in the 1980s.  He was a successful business man in our town.  His daughter Joyce babysat me when I was very young.

This house goes all out and I've seen their hired help/gardeners putting up their decorations.  When did purple fall into the mix of Halloween colors?

Starting to get scarier with the whole death idea (RIP) and skeletons.  Halloween isn't a cozy holiday!

At least this house isn't pretending:  let's use xmas tinsel balls/ornaments that are marketed in Halloween colors.

Totally scary.  What children really like this?  I don't like the message of scaring kids.  I went into a haunted house at our local Congregational church when I was little and I was really scared.  No thank you.

Can we say totally into it?  At least in our 'hood it still has a tasteful home in the background.  In some neighborhoods where stucco and aluminum siding are standard, this would be the piece de resistance  of tacky.   

Now, here's a nice way to show your autumnal spirit.  Sure, the mums don't last from season to season, but it's friendly and welcoming and all about LIFE not death.  But I guess kids aren't as into it...

Like my mom, I decorate for Thanksgiving. As a native New Englander I get all warm and fuzzy over the changing leaves and the crisp fall air.  It's also my birthday in the fall, so I have even more reason to love the season.  I found this cute Pilgrim boy and Native American child in my local card shop.  We had decorations like this when I was growing up.  

You could get into the whole Native American argument and stealing the land away from them, but that's for another blog post.  There's no argument that this is not a holiday for all people (wait...do native Americans eat turkey?)  Its very roots lie in democracy and freedom for all (wait, the Indians were forced onto reservations!).  "Over the River and Through the Woods" is a Thanksgiving song that I loved learning in 1st grade.  In Jewish Day School, thank you very much.  

There are many observant Jews who make no big deal of Thanksgiving.  I understand where they're coming from:  with Shabbes every week and just recovering from yomtov burnout earlier in the fall, who needs another festive meal?  I know of people who will volunteer their time on Thanksgiving day in a food pantry to infuse meaning into the day (sans festive meal). 

You'd think we were Halloween people with our assortment of pumpkins outside, too.  What can I say?  I took my children over the weekend to our local park's Fall event with pumpkin decorating.  I plan to cut up these sugar pumpkins and cook with them next week.  

All Hallow's Eve is all about the boo and scare and the rotten eggs and the smashed mailboxes.  It's cute to have kids all dressed up, but at its root is darkness and evil.  They even bastardize wicca and take witch imagery and mess it all up.

Valentine's Day, on the other hand...now that's all good candy and roses.  Somehow, Tu B'Av, the Jewish love day, doesn't match up.

And for all of these reasons I look forward to spending a couple of years in Israel with my crew.  Apple cider donuts, hayrides, and fun-sized twix bars will be sorely missed.