The great man is he who does not lose his child's heart. (Mencius, Chinese philosopher 372-289 BC)

Wednesday 31 October 2012

Why I Hate Halloween


It's Halloween this week and all over the country little kids will be donning plastic masks, cheap costumes and fearful laughs in an effort to celebrate this horrible festival.

I hate Halloween. And these are my 3 reasons why:

1. I Hate What It Celebrates

Halloween celebrates darkness and evil spirits. It remembers horror and death. It lauds the apocolyptic image from Edward Munch's "Scream" painting and raises witchcraft and divination as role models.

It takes it's roots from pagan festivals of the dead which were adapted by Medieval Christians to remember the day when the souls of the departed has their last chance to take revenge on the world of the living before moving onto the after life.

Why are we celebrating that?

Even worse, Halloween has become an event for children. Why on earth are we encouraging our kids to dress in the costumes of those who practice black magic?

2. I Hate What It Has Become

When I was little my parents celebrated Halloween in an "Oh, look it's 31st October - let's have a little Halloween party with some neighbours" unprepared but spontaneous kind of a way. We did a bit of Apple bobbing, cut our fingers carving "Jack O Lanterns", turned the lights off  to play scary hide and seek and talked about what a big deal Halloween was in the USA - where my Dad grew up.

But, we spent no money, terrorised nobody for sweets and were not lulled into visiting a shopping centre because of it's Halloween decorations.

Halloween is  no longer like that. It is big business. A quick Google tells me that my local steam railway is having a Halloween special tonight (and yesterday and tomorrow), Thorpe Park is charging £45 entrance for their Halloween themed "Fright Night" evenings this week (£45!!!!!!) and your local supermarket has been selling jumbo buckets of Trick or Treat sweets since the start of October.

It has become another excuse for big business to make money out of us and when you consider the roots of Halloween (see above) it doesn't sit right with me.

3. I Really Hate Trick or Treat 

Above all, I hate Trick or Treat. Trick or Treat is a charter for bullies to intimidate their frailer neighbours into giving them sweets.

Perfectly respectable parents will encourage their children to don hideous disguises before accompanying them to a neighbours door and demanding sweets with menaces.

Would they encourage them to do the same on any other day of the year?

Are they hoping that the children will take this on as a life message?
 
Of course they aren't!

So this year, why not stand out from the crowd and reject Halloween as the superstitious nonsense it really is. Visit a Light Party instead, put up a poster telling trick or treaters that you are sorry but you are not being part of it this year, like the one above from Satffordshire Police, and save your money for Bonfire Night which is only 5 sleeps away after all.

What do you think?

Speak soon
JH

Sunday 28 October 2012

The Weekend Picture No. 24

In training for 24 peaks in 24 hours
As you know from my last post, my lovely wife and I are now in training for a major charity challenge. In June of next year we will be climbing 24 Lake District peaks in 24 hours in an effort to raise a lot of money (at least £1500 to be precise) for Caring Matters Now - the amazing charity that seeks to support families of children with CMN.

We leave in a beautiful county and have used our training sessions as an excuse to explore even more of it.

This weekend we visited Hascombe Hill (it has a peak!) and explored the iron age fort at it's summit.

We brought the kids along as well.

In this weekend's picture E is showing her brother and sister just how far Mum and Dad will have to walk next summer.

You can sponsor us by visiting this page.

Speak soon
JH

JustGiving - Sponsor me now!

Sunday 14 October 2012

The Weekend Picture No. 23

2 miles to go!
My lovely wife and I are raising money for a charity called Caring Matters Now.

Caring Matters Now is an organisation that works with people with a rare skin condition called Congenital Melanocytic Naevus or CMN. CMNs are large birthmarks which can cover up to 80% of a child's body. In addition to the obvious cosmetic impacts CMNs can also cause developmental delays and present a slightly raised risk of skin cancer.

Caring Matters Now works to support those with CMN, raise funds for research and raise awareness of the condition. It is a small charity that makes good use of every penny that it receives.

Our youngest was born with CMN and has gained so much from the input of this fantastic charity - such as the family weekend we attended last month.

As a result we have decided to take part in a challenge called "24 peaks in 24 hours" next June. This will involve scaling 24 Lake District peaks over the midsummer weekend - including Scarfell Peak.

We signed up a couple of months ago and have since reluctantly started training by scaling Surrey's mountains. We went for it yesterday - catching the train to Dorking and then walking the North Downs Way to Chilworth through the rain.

How did we feel afterwards?

Knackered and with legs like jelly.

We need a lot more training.

If you'd like to sponsor us please find out more by visiting my Just Giving page on the right hand side of the page or at the bottom of this post. More walking updates to come.

Speak soon
JH


JustGiving - Sponsor me now!

Sunday 7 October 2012

The Weekend Picture No. 22

Remembering April Jones. From the BBC.
I haven't been able to take my eyes off one news story this week.

The abduction of April Jones has broken my heart.

It is every parent's worst nightmare that your child should be taken from outside your home. I cannot imagine what Paul and Coral Jones must be going through now.

So, I won't try to.

Instead, if like me you would like to help but don't know how to, a fund has been set up to enable us to support April and her family. You can contribute by sending a cheque to MTC-April's Fund, Y Plas, Aberystwyth Road, Machynlleth, Powys, SY20 8ER.

A website will be set up shortly to collect contributions - I'll post that address once I know it.

Speak soon
JH
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