Good Halloween Songs Besides

Halloween was never a tradition here in Australia. But, with the influx of American families plus constant references to it on commercial TV, many Australian children like to go from house to house begging for lollies or some trick. We don’t go to the same extent as Americans do, yet, but I suspect that it won’t be too long.In the beginning we had gangs of youths running around damaging properties because they figured Halloween gave them an excuse and that the law would overlook their antics as being celebratory. After they were arrested, charged and convicted, they changed their tunes rapidly. But innocent children, who wanted no more than a few choccies started dressing up and going from house to house. When I was in the USA, Florida, I learned that not many children wander around the streets anymore. There are parties where kids could go and celebrate together.Here in Australia, parents escort groups of children around their local streets, plus law enforcement officers also patrol the suburbs. All candy or other treats is placed into a common bag or basket, taken to a house and checked by knowledgable adults, who check for “stuff” that may not be what it is labelled as. Stuff like ICE, Pot and other undesirable products.Then it is shared evenly between all participants.If you were to ask anyone in Australia why they are celebrating Halloween, they will have no idea. If you mention the connection with the Salem witch trials and executions, they will open their mouths in shock.As far as householders are concerned, the system is, that if they wish to be visited, they simply leave their porch lights turned on. Common tricks include turning on the sprinklers as kids cross the lawns, people dressed in Gillie suits, laying in the bushes (my favourite) to jump out at unsuspecting victims and big lights switching on accompanied by very loud scream machines. We all make sure that our cars are parked inside, away from egg throwers. If they can’t be enclosed, then large, ugly looking men with tattoos all over them, stand near the cars, their arms folded and conveying a visible threat to anyone who ventures too close with eggs or liquids.In closing, I would love it if our stores didn’t encourage children by marketing costumes and masks. The harder they make it for children to get this sort of crap, the sooner the kids grow disinterested, and maybe in another 100 years this unwanted tradition will be quashed once and for all.

My daughter is visually impaired (blind) and she is four years old. She’s a very bright child, and loves music. She goes to an early childhood program with other children 3–5 years old.I got a call from the school on halloween. Cecelia had a fever and needed to be picked up from school. I rushed there and we spent the afternoon at home. We made cookies and listened to halloween music. She laughs and requests songs like “Who took the candy from the trick or treat bag?” she really cracks me up :)Her fever wasn’t the worst thing. After handing out candy to the other little boys and girls lucky enough to go trick or treating, and after she was in bed asleep I was on facebook and happened to notice my “friends” had dressed up as the three blind mice for halloween.I get it. It’s just a stupid nursery rhyme. But that wasn’t the worst thing.The worst part of halloween was after spending the day with my little girl, and trying to make it as enjoyable as possible for her even though she can’t participate in everything due to her disability, I watched THE video.The video was of these girls, all three of them are around 25 years of age, and they were pretending to be blind with their canes. Bumping into walls and laughing.They captioned it, “don’t like, don’t look”Just to keep things in perspective, I have spent the last four years encouraging my daughter as much as possible and helping her learn the world through other ways besides visually. at four years old and blind, she is now learning to use her cane. She does bump into walls and other things sometimes. It breaks my heart.Just seeing adults dress up and pretend to stumble around blind and make fun of the whole thing is really fucking something. It’s not like they even were dressed up as mice at all. they dressed up in barely anything trying to be “sexy” and thought it was so funny pretending to use a cane.I honestly felt heated and still do. It’s an assistive device for mobility. That’s everyday life for some people. I’d like to see them actually lose their vision and try to navigate. It’s not funny, it is scary.I told them that they looked like total idiots and I’m glad my daughter doesn’t know how hurtful people can be (yet).