http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051027/COL0204/5102703\ 56/1023/FEAT05
October 27, 2005 Oct. 31 has been reduced to Hallo-wean By Gary Pettus [EMAIL PROTECTED] Every year, when trick-or-treaters venture out on Oct. 31, my house turns into a kind of reverse Charlie Brown. In It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, at each and every house Charlie Brown petitions for a treat, he gets a rock. Linus, Lucy, even Pigpen, receive fruit, candy, cars, free golf lessons, a trip to Vegas, Super Bowl tickets, Chatelain dinnerware by Noritake, etc. Then Charlie Brown peers into his sack and says, "I got a rock." It doesn't help that his costume is a white sheet shot full of holes. Gary Pettus That's my house. Every Halloween, in the eyes of children, my house resembles a big, scary chunk of Swiss cheese dissolving in a fondue pot. There's never a knock on the door. Or a little tot's voice squeaking from the doorstep: "Trick or treat!" Not even a rock. Frankenjoan To try and get into the holiday mood, I may pop in a video of Frankenstein or Dracula or, if I'm really brave, a Joan Rivers special. But it's not the same. If the law doesn't recognize the right of a grown man to dress up like a giant bunny rabbit and extort candy from his neighbors and I'm guessing it doesn't at least he should be able to stay home and give candy to their children. If for no other reason than to feel young; to savor, first, the sight of those shiny happy faces lighting up when you plop a big, red apple into their trick-or-treat bag, then, the sound of their grateful reply: "You broke my *&%$# cookie!" I miss that. What happened to Halloween? Here in the Bible Belt, many children, along with their parents, have been shamed off the streets by claims that Halloween honors demons. It's an interesting concept: The late cartoonist Charles Schulz, the creator of the Great Pumpkin and Charlie Brown, worshiped Satan. People who carve pumpkins are serving the cause of eternal damnation. In 1960 when I went door to door as Mickey Mouse, I was really a 5-year-old Beelzebub stoking the Everlasting Fire. Now that's scary One alternative to trick-or-treating now is these spectacles and dramas that condemn Halloween's emphasis on grotesque images and gore. They get across their message with grotesque images and gore. These anti-Halloween concepts are marketed. Surely, this is not just one more way to make a killing by exploiting fear. Americans spend an estimated $6.9 billion annually on Halloween, so, maybe, someone figured out a new way to grab a piece of Satan's very rich pie. But that's too cynical. True, the American tradition of Halloween probably can be traced to England's All Souls' Day; that's when families gave pastries to the poor in exchange for their vow to pray for the family's deceased kin. But let's ignore the pious undertones. Let's focus on the infidel origins of animal sacrifice and diabolical fires. While we're at it, let's consider the origins of Christmas. Does the pagan significance of the date Dec. 25 detract from the true meaning of Christmas for you? What about Thanksgiving? As much as I enjoy it, the holiday originally an expression of gratitude for divine deliverance is now mostly a worship service for gluttony and the Great Heathen God of the Spiral Pass. But go ahead: Try and pull that turkey leg out of Billy Bob's mouth. Knock on his door and tell him he doesn't love Jesus if he watches the Lions. You'll get your Hell House. Nephilim's Paranormal Investigations - http://paranorm.cjb.net __________________________________ Start your day with Yahoo! - Make it your home page! http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/98XolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Visit our Psychic/Paranormal message boards at http://www.skatemd.com/forums/index.php Arcade, Journals, Chats, Boards, Fun! Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/paranormal_stuff/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
