I used to love Halloween, but honestly, I hate living in a Mormon community, especially during Halloween. First, there's trunk-or-treat. In the past, I've had very few trick or treaters because they all go to the church. Or, they only trick or treat at ward member's homes. Second, there's those cliqueish "ghost" papers that all the Mormons put on the front of those houses. I love driving through my neighborhood seeing all the expressions of friendship and belonging that don't include my family. Honestly, it hurts. Does that make me sensitive? I don't think so. I hate Halloween now.

I belong to a facebook group where people complain that Halloween for kids has been killed in Bountiful. It's hard for them to say why but it does seem to be Trunk or Treat and limiting what kids and do and wear for Halloween. Church control of non-church activities. We used to have have halloween festivals at our school at night and trick or treating was huge.

Mormons are trying fix something that isn't broken and they're making a big mess of it.

Dear Mormons, Halloween was was a fun rollicking holiday for children and adults who love them. You've ruined it and you need to fix it. No trunk or treat. No silly ghostly cult messages for mormon insiders, no silly rules about changing it if it falls on a day of the week that offends you. Make it right! Do it this year, then leave it for everyone to enjoy!

Cheryl, you don't know how glad I was that the Leap Year caused Halloween to skip Sunday this year! It was so awkward growing up (in UT) and trick or treating on Saturday when Halloween fell on Sunday. It was a relief to not need to deal with that situation for a few more years now.

I've decided I'm going to go around this weekend and "Ghost" everyone in my neighborhood who has been left out. That way, no one has to feel like the neighborhood is just another version of junior high. I'm sure I'm not the only one that gets ignored every year. You can tell who is active in church and who is not by the ghosts displayed. So lame. They already don't allow their kids to play with mine. Never mind my kids get excellent grades, participate in extra curricular activities, are kind, and all around great people.

My mom used to keep her Ghost piece of paper on our decoration box. Then she'd tape it up so others would think we have already been "ghosted".

I'm sorry you feel left out. When I moved to my current neighborhood, a couple neighbors did that. It was fun, but I didn't like the expectation to quickly whip something up when I wasn't prepared. Now our neighborhood has been completed (construction) and I hardly know anyone. I have now found a social group, a Moms Club, and I socialize with them more than with my own neighbors. People get busy and with the more children my neighbors had, the less time they had to socialize. I feel for you, I do... It's hard to find a social network outside an organized religion.

In 1964 Halloween fell on Sunday, and Dad made us go out on the wrong night. This was in California, and people yelled at us for being greedy and trying to double up our trick or treating. People didn't know we were Mormon.

Being a Mormon kid sucked.

That's funny. But more sad than funny.

What's the "ghost" thing you guys are talking about?
Not being in Utah, I'm clueless...

edit: oh, nevermind -- I see it was explained below :(



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/2016 03:14PM by ificouldhietokolob.

"They already don't allow their kids to play with mine. Never mind my kids get excellent grades, participate in extra curricular activities, are kind, and all around great people."

Same here. However, my kid, as a Sophomore already has scholarship offers in academics & athletics. Very popular, pretty & fun kid. She achieved this by having friends outside of our block & neighborhood. The question should be- why would you want your kids playing with the kids of closed minded, bigoted assholes?

I don't. I wish we were surrounded by kinder, better people. It just hurts to hear my 11 year-old cry that nobody likes him when there are several boys his age in a one-block radius, all mormons, who all play together all the time and they never let him join. There's a neighborhood Facebook page that requires consent to join. I tried to be involved when I was new to the neighborhood, but they never let me in, even after a couple months. I'm sure I sound like a crybaby victim, but man, it's just crazy! I'm learning that we have to make our own happiness, others can't do it for us.

"I'm sure I sound like a crybaby victim, but man, it's just crazy! I'm learning that we have to make our own happiness, others can't do it for us."

No. You don't sound like a crybaby victim. People, that have never lived in Utah, as a non-mormon, can't understand. I've lived in Texas, Colorado, LA & a few other states. ALWAYS enjoyed good neighbors & neighborhood functions. Moved to Sandy, UT and after the "mormon crush" to go to church, visit with the missionaries, wife to RS crafts shit, & our polite declines, but ask them to BBQ's or to have them to a July 4th party with 'Gentiles", we understood. "Join us-or be outcast". Such loving neighbors. We learned to make our own fun, with our own friends, even though it entailed driving 5 miles instead of walking next door or across the street. Your neighbors suck-and they'll always suck. Unless you join the cult-then, they'll pretend to like you & your kids. Don't waste anymore time trying to be a good neighbor with crappy neighbors.

"Join us or be outcast". That is EXACTLY what it is.

Yes, but please understand that it's not YOU personally (or your kids). It's their attitude to any gentile that doesn't play their game. I know it's difficult, but the sooner that you adapt a "fuck 'em" attitude, the quicker you'll find happiness in other friends. Proximity is just proximity. You just have to explore a little further to find really good friends.

thank you for saying this. yes!!

I left utah county and now live in slc and absolutely love it. I see the local school having very well-attended halloween parties and most people in the neighborhood are pretty welcoming (very very different than the utah county experience!).

Move here!

What's this ghost paper thing? I'm in North Carolina, so this part of Mormon culture is foreign. Thanks,

http://ghostingitforward.org/instructions.html

It sounds cute, doesn't it? It's actually just another way to make sure people know they're not included or accepted. It's very wide-spread throughout Utah. I wish it would go away.

I thought it had to be a Utah thing, since I've never heard of that being done by Mormons outside of that state. One of the nice things about not living in the Morridor is that Halloween hasn't been ruined by Mormonism as trick or treating happens even when it's on a Sunday night. Then, it's like any other school night, shorter trick or treating hours.

It sounds like your neighbors are just asses. I live in a community that's about 50% Mormon that does the ghost thing. I don't know who starts it, but every house in the neighborhood has that ghost up at this point...including all the non-members and some very vocal exmos.

I live in UT, and have never heard of it.

Someone did that to us when we lived on Fort Belvoir. They left us two Beanie Babies.

thanks for explaining. I'm exhausted. I'f I were still mormon, It would add to the feeling of anxiety caused by being overwhelmed by fruitless, meaningless obligations. Just busy for the sake of being busy, or so others can see me being busy thus equating me with being super righteous. What a great way to institute another outward form of displaying worthiness. Very stealthy.

Halloween is dying all over. Even in my very non-Mormon hood it's not like it used to be when I was a kid. Plenty of churches, and other orgs, are doing trunk or treat things. I see fewer and fewer kids every year for Halloween.

I had well over 100 kids last year.
And I live off a dirt road, 1/2 mile from the "main" road, in a small town of about 10,000.

It's not dying here.

There is one local super-fundie church that does a "trunk or treat" event -- it's sparsely attended, and looked at by the generally conservative, mostly evangelical-christian majority as "kooky."

I've had trick or treaters for 6 solid years in my neighborhood in NW NM, which has a heavy Mormon and religious influence.

Halloween ain't going anywhere as long as spooky people are around.

I live in a Mormon neighborhood in a Mormon town with an 11 year old kid. I'm excluded from everything, and boy am I grateful! I've never heard of "ghosting" and, after reading the link, I'm sure if I were ever ghosted I'd be the first one to break the chain. To me, there's not a thing fun about this--as ikandee said, one more pointless obligation, a thing to demonstrate my popularity and in-crowdness. I don't have anyone ding-dong-ditching me, no trash left on my porch, and not even the slightest guilt knowing that I will not fill a paper bag full of crap, drop it on a neighbor's porch, and ring the doorbell and run. What am I, in seventh grade?

As you can tell, I'm a right Halloween grinch!

I'd sure love to have someone like you as a neighbor.

I might be your neighbor. I'm the house that doesn't set out and pack up an entire lawn and porch tableaux for every holiday.

Whose idea was that anyway. We used to put out a couple of jack-o-lanterns every Halloween when we were kids. Some houses went all-out and that was fun. Now, though, there's a keep up with the Jones' going on with Halloween crap that is over the top. Then it all has to come down and up with the turkey-day BS. Then its cover every inch of your lawn with Xmas. Don't people have enough to do without burdening themselves with this? Are they renting storage units just for holiday lawn decorations? Why?

I just clicked on the link and I agree.. it's like an in-person chain letter. I've always hated those things.

do mormons do holy ghosting ?

I live in the country and haven't had a trick or treater show up in 13 years. If you live in the city and don't want to deal with trick or treaters, I have a sure fire method to discourage them from coming to your house. Just put lawn sprinkler by the front door and turn it on full blast. It is just a nice way to say, "Stay Out!"

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/2016 03:25AM by madalice.

No mormons in my neighborhood of 10 houses. It's dark and spooky out here in the woods.

We only have a few kids that live here. I make bags of candy that I give to them on Halloween. That night it's lights off, and peace and quiet. Just the way I like it.

Where I live, Catholic schools are closed on the day after Halloween for "All Saint's Day." Mormons have three errors with regard to Halloween. First, they celebrate it. Second, they won't celebrate it on a Sunday. Note that eve means after sunset and following the biblical form is no longer Sunday. However, even worse, they celebrate it with "Trunk or treat" because of and perpetuating the idea of being afraid of neighbors poisoning the candy! My conclusions was to REFUSE trunk or treat and take the kids around the neighborhood as it was a good time to see neighbors including some one only saw on that date!

Halloween came from a pagan background and I find the celebration of witches, goblins, ghosts, and the overeating of sugar to be stupid and especially stupid in a church.

So, so overboard...

http://www.ldsliving.com/50-Trunk-or-Treat-Decorating-Ideas-You-Wish-You-Had-Time-For/s/77013

Oh my good lord. EVERYTHING is a production. How do people live like this?

OP your not being a crybaby,living in Utah,specially Utah County can be and is a hurtfull experience (more so if you have children involved.).
It is not you or you family,t is broken people who only know how to treat others in unkind ways.

Sorry about all the typos my phone and I have love hate relationship.

Don't worry about it, I have typos and errors in my topic and everywhere else. Was worried about the grammar nazis, but so far, so good.

I honestly don't understand the point of trunk or treats inside of neighborhoods. When my family lived in the country and the nearest neighbors were a half mile away at the closest, sure, trunk or treat was a great community thing.

In suburbia? What's the actual point?

In my community now, local businesses have upped the trunk or treat thing a notch and have "community" trunk or treats where businesses park their company vehicles and pass out candy so they can advertise to the parents.

Huh?
Teach your kids to take candy from strangers, at the trunk of their car?

Invite the neighbor kids to trust weird cult-members who will give them candy, and try to recruit them. In our ward, most of the cars are not from our immediate area, but have driven in from a different neighborhood.

To me, this is seriously creepy! Attention, pedophiles: Dress your car up like the cookie monster, and open up the trunk, to attract children.

I just can't wrap my mind around this concept.

Halloween is supposed to be creepy--I get that--but this is over-the-top.

It's safer to tick or treat in a well know neighborhood. Stay away from houses with the lights out or those with residents known to be questionable.

A parent needs to accompany young children.

Most kids who are hurt on Halloween are in the way of moving cars which are the biggest danger. Excited kiddies need to hold a hand and look both ways when crossing streets or drive-ways. Kids should NEVER hang around in parking lots which are unsafe because of cars and untrustworthy adults and older kids in gangs or dealing drugs. Taking kiddies to a parking lot for a social event is a bad idea.

The LDS folks have nothing to take over where I live. We don't have a lot of kids coming to our door though. Seems to be less and less each year. I live in a "park" of a lot of homes, so it is easy to get to many doors. Usually, it's primary grade kids with one or more parents out having a fun time.

At first I thought the post was about people dressing up as zombie missionaries or zombie lds official!

No?

Nevermind!