Fun police slam Halloween and I’ve had enough of it

An explosion of anti-Halloween sentiment has forced me to question why society can't let children simply enjoy collecting lollies. Why does it mean we worship the devil because we dress up in costume? Columnist Emma Cam explains.

An explosion of anti-Halloween sentiment has forced me to question why society can't let children simply enjoy collecting lollies. Picture: Emma Cam.

Okay girl, HOLD MY WINE — I have something to say, and it’s not pretty. I’m starting to lose faith in humanity.

Starting, Emma you might say? Yes, readers. Because I like to try and see the good in people. I really do.

I believe most of the time, people are doing the best they can with the knowledge they’ve got. But some recent comments on our story about where to trick-or-treat in Far North Queensland have pushed me straight into full “why am I even here?” mode.

People were spouting off about the devil, how evil Halloween is, and why we should all be ashamed. Seriously??

How about you stay in your lane.

If someone’s dressing up and going door to door collecting lollies, they are not hurting you. Not. One. Bit.

Another commenter called it “pathetic” that people dare to celebrate Halloween. I beg to differ.

I think it’s pathetic — posting negativity on a story that’s literally just helping parents find safe streets for their kids to have some fun. And the hate? Absolutely shameful. Go home, take a breath, maybe carve a pumpkin instead.

"Our spooky skeleton divers have come back from the dead and they are out to play. Looks like they are having a skele-ton of fun!!" - This is such a fun idea. I love it. Picture: Facebook.

Emma Cam News Corp reporter. Picture: Supplied.

If you’re still struggling, let me explain.

Here’s the rule of thumb: if you’re participating, put decorations up and make it clear you’re welcoming trick-or-treaters.

Local council even send out emails about it!

And if you don’t want random kids knocking at your door? Don’t leave your porch light on. Simple.

To the person who threatened to give kids a “very sharp” stranger-danger reminder — honey, chill. That is not okay. Those are little humans who just want a sugar-fuelled moment of joy and I don’t think threatening a kid is okay.

And this whole idea that Halloween is devil worship? That's not a given. Maybe that's your opinion but that doesn’t automatically make it so.

Halloween dates back over 2,000 years to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain.

This is such a beautiful photo and clearly shows people just having a bit of fun at Halloween. Picture: Facebook | Love Megan Amour.

An explosion of anti-Halloween sentiment has forced me to question why society can't let children simply enjoy collecting lollies. Picture: Emma Cam.

It marked the end of the harvest and the start of winter. Yes, it has associations with death, but why is death automatically bad? I mean, look at Day of the Dead — people dress up, celebrate, and honour ancestors. It’s a deep, meaningful tradition.

If we stick with the Celtic vibe, dressing up actually wards off evil spirits. The Celts believed that on October 31, the boundary between the living and the dead was blurred, so spirits could wander the earth.

So if a kid is dressed as Buzz Lightyear or a dozen Elsas are running around, relax — back in Celtic times, people wore animal skins, lit bonfires, and tried to scare off wandering spirits. Complaining about kids in costumes? You wouldn’t have survived a week back then.

Now, I’m not talking Ed Gein-level creepy. Just… normal costume fun. So why do we argue about every. single. thing?

I’ve started to lose faith in humanity because even a simple makeup store opening in Cairns Central last week sparked hundreds of angry, nasty comments online. WHY?

It’s a makeup store. Don’t go in if you don’t want to. Don’t shame the people who do.

Fun police slam Halloween and I’ve had enough of it. Picture: Facebook.

If you don’t believe in Halloween, don’t celebrate it.

If you don’t believe in God, don’t go to church.

But let people live their lives and celebrate their way. It’s not about you.

I honestly have to question what’s wrong with society when we can’t mind our own business. Taylor Swift had it right: this is why we can’t have nice things.

I love Halloween, and you’re not going to change that. Does it mean I worship the devil? No. And the fact that you think anyone who dresses up is some sort of Satanist says more about you than it does about us.

So go ahead, light your pumpkins, dress your kids as superheroes, and leave the judgment at the door. Halloween is for fun, not fear.

I’ll be over here in my witch hat, laughing at your rage — and eating all the lollies.

Write to me at [e-mail].

Originally published as Fun police slam Halloween and I’ve had enough of it