One of my best loved childhood traditions is probably the most misunderstood and underestimated newly adopted cultural appropriation here. It just isn't the same, Trick or Treating means something completely different here. I was aghast when someone said they hated the idea of their child begging. Begging!!?? This was a completely new perspective for me which I tried to understand and now do (a tiny bit) on some level. However, this did not stop me from instilling this tradition in my own children because for me Halloween as a child wasn't just about Trick-or-Treating. It was about the costumes, the haunted houses, the school Halloween parties and family parties. None of that exists here (although it seems Halloween parties are slowly becoming more popular - hurray!). Halloween is, however, one of my greatest acheivements as an American mom to English children. They love it and they love it for the same reasons I did as a child. The excitement of creating the scariest costume from scraps of fabric and old socks and a bit of tin foil. The thrill of going out after dark feverishly clutching their halloween bag which is steadily filling up with all sorts of goodies. The satisfied, albeit slightly sickly feeling of eating not just one, not just two, but at least 5 or 6 candies before bed and on a school night no less. I know, I know, you brits reading this may scoff, but scoff all you like. I'm proud I've passed down this small nugget of classic Americana to my offspring, it is something they share unequivically with their American cousins whom they hardly know and never see. Halloween is the one 'holiday' import I actually manage to pull off. The kids LOVE it, it is now a part of our family culture and a few friends here have adpoted it under our influence.
Sadly, it marks the end of my acheivements as Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I have never been able to instill the same amount of excitement or appreciation. Perhaps it's the strange foods made from pumpkin? Or maybe it's the fact that it's on a Thursday - a working day - and no one has the time or inclination to bear it in mind. I miss it and must settle for experiencing it vicariously through my parents who consistently lavish Thanksgiving food and drink and holiday spirit on my siblings who annually flock home for this home-cooked mega feast. Ah, envy does not look good on me!
Anyway, moving on....
Business as usual. Get your requests in for the pre-Christmas surge! And have a great Thanksgiving, for those few I know here who actually recognise and celebrate it.
Meg
Holidays are comin' Holidays are coming! And business is booming. Lots going on here at White Ochre Design so get your requests in now for any pre-Christmas launches/updates.
One of my best loved childhood traditions is probably the most misunderstood and underestimated newly adopted cultural appropriation here. It just isn't the same, Trick or Treating means something completely different here. I was aghast when someone said they hated the idea of their child begging. Begging!!?? This was a completely new perspective for me which I tried to understand and now do (a tiny bit) on some level. However, this did not stop me from instilling this tradition in my own children because for me Halloween as a child wasn't just about Trick-or-Treating. It was about the costumes, the haunted houses, the school Halloween parties and family parties. None of that exists here (although it seems Halloween parties are slowly becoming more popular - hurray!). Halloween is, however, one of my greatest acheivements as an American mom to English children. They love it and they love it for the same reasons I did as a child. The excitement of creating the scariest costume from scraps of fabric and old socks and a bit of tin foil. The thrill of going out after dark feverishly clutching their halloween bag which is steadily filling up with all sorts of goodies. The satisfied, albeit slightly sickly feeling of eating not just one, not just two, but at least 5 or 6 candies before bed and on a school night no less. I know, I know, you brits reading this may scoff, but scoff all you like. I'm proud I've passed down this small nugget of classic Americana to my offspring, it is something they share unequivically with their American cousins whom they hardly know and never see. Halloween is the one 'holiday' import I actually manage to pull off. The kids LOVE it, it is now a part of our family culture and a few friends here have adpoted it under our influence.
