Stuff your pumpkins (appendix)

I seem to have stirred a small hornet’s nest by suggesting that “trick or treat” is a recent import, and people have sought to prove me wrong by saying that they did it in the 80s. Clearly I must revise my understanding of the word ‘recent’: twenty years is now time immemorial, ten years is ancient, five years is old and yesterday is history. Today is now and current events start in five minutes time.

I blame technology.

Of course people celebrated Halloween in the past. It’s just that most establishments didn’t do much to push it until recently and while the kids might have a party with their friends, or spend time at school painting witches and ghosts, it didn’t seem to go much beyond that. Trick or treat is not a synonym for Halloween.

Or it shouldn’t be.

Edited to add: Clearly it's not only the Beeb and me that thought it all picked up pace in the 80s: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween#England

Stuff your pumpkins (appendix)

I seem to have stirred a small hornet’s nest by suggesting that “trick or treat” is a recent import, and people have sought to prove me wrong by saying that they did it in the 80s. Clearly I must revise my understanding of the word ‘recent’: twenty years is now time immemorial, ten years is ancient, five years is old and yesterday is history. Today is now and current events start in five minutes time.

I blame technology.

Of course people celebrated Halloween in the past. It’s just that most establishments didn’t do much to push it until recently and while the kids might have a party with their friends, or spend time at school painting witches and ghosts, it didn’t seem to go much beyond that. Trick or treat is not a synonym for Halloween.

Or it shouldn’t be.

Edited to add: Clearly it's not only the Beeb and me that thought it all picked up pace in the 80s: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween#England