Halloween - Bored with it already ?

[Blush Bravin]

I much prefer Deborah, not thinking it sounds stuffy at all but classy.

 

[Donna Underall]

 

[Pamela Galli]

12 minutes ago, Blush Bravin said:

My RL name is Deborah. Most of my friends and colleagues from my teaching days call me Deborah. My close family members still call me Debi. I'm in Texas. It can happen even in the US.

 

Pamela is an order of magnitude stuffier than Deborah. (And I was a Texas teacher, too.)

 

[Scylla Rhiadra]

15 minutes ago, LittleMe Jewell said:

The longer versions - or more formal versions - of many names just seem so stuffy, thus many of us abbreviate to try making the conversation more casual.  

 

Yep, I vote for Pammy  

IRL I know a few "Pam"s, but no "Pamela"s. And I don't know that I've ever heard "Pammy" before. But it works for me!

[ChinRey]

On 10/19/2018 at 5:36 PM, LittleMe Jewell said:

A quick google shows that a lot of those "over 7 billion people outside of America" apparently celebrate Halloween in one form or another

"In one form or another".

I see Sweden is on that list. The churches there do have a special mass for the event and it's traditional to visit the graves of relatives to commemorate them at that time but that's it.

Until recently that is. Kids do watch 'merican TV so they know how its doen over there and any excuse to dress up and get lots of candy is a good excuse.

[Pamela Galli]

3 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

IRL I know a few "Pam"s, but no "Pamela"s. And I don't know that I've ever heard "Pammy" before. But it works for me!

What i said.

Being Pamela in SL was an experiment. 

[Selene Gregoire]

1 hour ago, Alyona Su said:

As for holiday greeting, what baffles me is that anyone can be "offended" at them, for example," Merry Christmas" - if someone who celebrates Hannukah wishes me a happy Hannukah, I am thankful for that, even though I consider myself Christain, because they are wishing for me what they deem to be there own highest best wish. If a Hannukah believer wishes me a "Merry Christmas" it feels fake; they are just saying what they think I want to hear, which to me is disingenuous.

For  many years I was baffled by those who were offended by my saying "Merry Christmas". They would insist it was offensive and I should say  "Happy Holidays" instead. To this day I have never said Happy Holidays and still say Merry Christmas. There is nothing offensive about it. They just chose to be offended.

I don't think that those who are saying Merry Christmas to you are just saying what they think you want to hear. More likely they are saying it to show they respect your beliefs and would not presume to "offend" you by saying Happy Hannukah which is their beliefs. It's simply common courtesy.

If someone I know is Jewish and they say to me Merry Christmas, I do them the same courtesy and wish them a Happy Hannukah. I do that with people I don't know as well. Depending on the situation, of course.  

[Selene Gregoire]

2 hours ago, Alyona Su said:

Yes, I know that part. I'm not aware of any other holiday like that (and I don't claim to be aware of all holidays) Though how will other react if we create a holiday that recognizes Hispanic heritage or Caucasian heritage and so on? This is my general point; it's synthetic for the reason of feeling special where it is basically self-love (generally and simply speaking, of course) - And to be clear: I have no problem with that at all. I participate in this only because I'm curious about it, that's all.

Oh hello. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American_Heritage_Day

[LittleMe Jewell]

19 minutes ago, Blush Bravin said:

I much prefer Deborah, not thinking it sounds stuffy at all but classy.

 

When I meet someone, I will typically go with whatever version of their name is used during the introduction - by them or another - unless they tell me differently  (or if they are a good friend and I'm just messing with them).  Many Americans tend to try and get too casual with people a bit too soon (some would say it is one of our failings), but I think that is also why many folks immediately shorten names to something that doesn't seem as formal.

[Selene Gregoire]

1 hour ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

As for "self-love" . . . well, most holidays are at least implicitly designed to support, cement, and entrench a particular culture/religion/ideology. Columbus Day, which is (so far as I know) recognized only in the US, "celebrates" the so-called "discovery" of the Americas by one particular ethnic/geographical group: it is very explicitly an imposition of a Eurocentric view of the relationship between cultures and ethnicities. And, to many First Nations people, it's not merely "synthetic": it's an outright unethical lie, and pure propaganda.

You hit the proverbial nail on the head.

[Cindy Evanier]

When I was a kid to us Brits,  Halloween was about the washing up bowl filled with water, apples added and if we were really lucky my dad dropped 50p in the bottom for the bravest. There was no dressing up, knocking on neighbours doors for sweets or anything like that.  

These days it gets to 8 pm and I stick a note on the door  "No trick or treat after 8 pm please.  Baby in Bed."   (Baby is now 12 but its worked for years   

[ChinRey]

3 minutes ago, Cindy Evanier said:

When I was a kid to us Brits,  Halloween was about the washing up bowl filled with water, apples added and if we were really lucky my dad dropped 50p in the bottom for the bravest. There was no dressing up, knocking on neighbours doors for sweets or anything like that.

We do have a similar old tradition in Scandinavia.

The only realy difference is that it takes place during the days of christmas. So it's spread across several days and at a time when people are likely to have lots of spare candy to give away to poor starving children anyway.

Maybe we should try to sell that as an alternative?

[Selene Gregoire]

14 minutes ago, LittleMe Jewell said:

When I meet someone, I will typically go with whatever version of their name is used during the introduction - by them or another - unless they tell me differently  (or if they are a good friend and I'm just messing with them).  Many Americans tend to try and get too casual with people a bit too soon (some would say it is one of our failings), but I think that is also why many folks immediately shorten names to something that doesn't seem as formal.

This reminds me of a letter I had notecarded and ran across last night while cleaning out inventory. It appeared in the Times Picayune after Katrina. It's not just South Louisiana. 

 

Quote

An open letter to America from the New Orleans 
> Times/Picayune's Chris Rose. 
> 
> 
> 
> Dear America, 
> 
> I suppose we should introduce ourselves: We're South 
> Louisiana. 
> 
> We have arrived on your doorstep on short notice and 
> we apologize for that, but we never were much for 
> waiting around for invitations. We're not much on 
> formalities like that. 
> 
> And we might be staying around your town for a 
> while, enrolling in your schools and looking for 
> jobs, so we wanted to tell you a few things about 
> us. We know you didn't ask for this and neither did 
> we, so we're just going to have to make the best of 
> it. 
> 
> First of all, we thank you. For your money, your 
> water, your food, your prayers, your boats and 
> buses and the men and women of your National 
> Guards, fire departments, hospitals and everyone 
> else who has come to our rescue. 
> 
> We're a fiercely proud and independent people, and 
> we don't cotton much to outside interference, but 
> we're not ashamed to accept help when we need it. 
> And right now, we need it. 
> 
> Just don't get carried away. For instance, once we 
> get around to fishing again, don't try to tell us 
> what kind of lures work best in your waters. 
> 
> We're not going to listen. We're stubborn that way. 
> 
> You probably already know that we talk funny and 
> listen to strange music and eat things you'd 
> probably hire an exterminator to get out of your 
> yard. 
> 
> We dance even if there's no radio. We drink at 
> funerals. We talk too much and laugh too loud and 
> live too large and, frankly, we're suspicious of 
> others who don't. 
> 
> But we'll try not to judge you while we're in your 
> town. 
> 
> Everybody loves their home, we know that. But we 
> love South Louisiana with a ferocity that borders 
> on the pathological. Sometimes we bury our dead in 
> LSU sweatshirts. 
> 
> Often we don't make sense. You may wonder why, for 
> instance - if we could only carry one small bag of 
> belongings with us on our journey to your state - 
> why in God's name did we bring a pair of shrimp 
> boots? 
> 
> We can't really explain that. It is what it is. 
> 
> You've probably heard that many of us stayed behind. 
> As bad as it is, many of us cannot fathom a life 
> outside of our border, out in that place we call 
> Elsewhere. 
> 
> The only way you could understand that is if you 
> have been there, and so many of you have. So you 
> realize that when you strip away all the craziness 
> and bars and parades and music and architecture and 
> all that hooey, really, the best thing about where 
> we come from is us. 
> 
> We are what made this place a national treasure. 
> We're good people. And don't be afraid to ask us 
> how to pronounce our names. It happens all the 
> time. 
> 
> When you meet us now and you look into our eyes, you 
> will see the saddest story ever told. Our hearts 
> are broken into a thousand pieces. 
> 
> But don't pity us. We're gonna make it. We're 
> resilient. After all, we've been rooting for the 
> Saints for 35 years. That's got to count for 
> something. 
> 
> OK, maybe something else you should know is that we 
> make jokes at inappropriate times. 
> 
> But what the hell. 
> 
> And one more thing: In our part of the country, 
> we're used to having visitors. It's our way of 
> life. 
> 
> So when all this is over and we move back home, we 
> will repay to you the hospitality and generosity of 
> spirit you offer to us in this season of our 
> despair. 
> 
> That is our promise. That is our faith. 
> 
> Chris Rose for The Times-Picayune

 

Edited October 20, 2018 by Selene Gregoire

[Cindy Evanier]

1 minute ago, ChinRey said:

Maybe we should try to sell that as an alternative?

I ran out of sweets a couple of years ago and kids were still knocking so I ran to the kitchen and grabbed the only thing I could find .. mini boxes of raisins that I put in my own kid's packed lunches.   Suddenly the kids don't knock as much   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Fionalein]

Oh ... if they want sweet, give them sweet, Turkish honey treats or Indish milk balls might do wonders... they are so sweet no one can eat them - not even kids =^.^=

Edited October 20, 2018 by Fionalein

[Skell Dagger]

2 hours ago, Cindy Evanier said:

When I was a kid to us Brits,  Halloween was about the washing up bowl filled with water, apples added and if we were really lucky my dad dropped 50p in the bottom for the bravest. There was no dressing up, knocking on neighbours doors for sweets or anything like that.  

Ah, but the week after that involved nicking Dad's (second) best suit, stuffing it with whatever you could find, sticking an old hat on the top, and dragging it around the neighbours' houses to ask for a Penny for the Guy.

(Or am I just old? Okay, I'm old. But I rather like that we celebrate the only man to enter Parliament with honest intentions )

[Cindy Evanier]

4 minutes ago, Skell Dagger said:

Ah, but the week after

ah yes, that week after was fun  

[Robin Kiyori]

39 minutes ago, Skell Dagger said:

Ah, but the week after that involved nicking Dad's (second) best suit, stuffing it with whatever you could find, sticking an old hat on the top, and dragging it around the neighbours' houses to ask for a Penny for the Guy.

(Or am I just old? Okay, I'm old. But I rather like that we celebrate the only man to enter Parliament with honest intentions )

Remember, Remember the fifth of November.

 

Aah, I loved that day. 

[Selene Gregoire]

3 hours ago, Cindy Evanier said:

I ran out of sweets a couple of years ago and kids were still knocking so I ran to the kitchen and grabbed the only thing I could find .. mini boxes of raisins that I put in my own kid's packed lunches.   Suddenly the kids don't knock as much   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

At least you got trick or treaters. We haven't had any in almost 20 years. But since we moved this last time, I'm hoping that will change.

[Alyona Su]

5 hours ago, Selene Gregoire said:

They would insist it was offensive and I should say  "Happy Holidays" instead.

Which, by *proper grammar* is pronounced happy "holy days". "Hah-li-day" is spelled with two Ls: Holliday" as in Henry John Holliday, a.k.a. "Doc". 

[Alyona Su]

5 hours ago, Selene Gregoire said:

Oh hello. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American_Heritage_Day

Thank you. I did not know about that. Likely because no one cares enough to flaunt it? LOL

[steeljane42]

12 hours ago, AyelaNewLife said:

Halloween is fine. I loved Halloween week/weekend as a kid and through my teens. It's the sim owners/creators/flickrites that turn Halloween into a two-month long tediumfest that need to just stop. I've never actually been bored of Halloween until I started Second Life, although I'm not sure if that's a uniquely SL thing or just American over-commercialisation infecting everything it touches.

Yep, I can't agree more with it. I like halloween theme in general, even pumpkins sometimes (more fun and unique ones). But halloween related stuff starts to show up at events around 1st week of september, peaks around early-mid october and slowly disappears as the events/fairs that started in the 2nd half of october end. That's an overkill in my opinion.

Sure, there's still some non halloween related releases to check, but in many other cases something that I would definitely buy and use for a long time if it had more classic design, is spoiled with those webs/bones/claws/etc. And sadly from my past experience, IMing creators a suggestion to release a normal version of such products gets either a definitive "no" or "maybe if I'll have time for it", which in 99% cases just means a polite version of "no". And it's not about freebies/gifts, in which case it would be totally understandable if they didn't really wanted to spend even more time on something they already giving out for free. In many cases those items worth thousands of L$ and I'd be more than happy to pay as much if they just did the slight rework, like removing spider webs and skulls and maybe putting a less worn out texture. But nope.. oh well, their loss.

Edited October 21, 2018 by steeljane42

[Callum Meriman]

On 10/19/2018 at 11:58 PM, Candice LittleBoots said:

Besides the 4th of July, Halloween must rank as one of the most tedious times of the Second Life calendar year for people who are not from america.

Not just halooween, Christmas in the snow is pretty bad too!

Nothing jars more then it being 40° outside (over 100 in American degrees) and the SL ground covered in snow.

Bah Humbug. Snow belongs in July, Christmas is for days at the beach wearing speedos and knocking back ice cold drinks!  

[Arduenn Schwartzman]

5 hours ago, steeljane42 said:

But halloween related stuff starts to show up at events around 1st week of september

Same here in the Netherlands. Gingerbread cookies and marzipan and chocolate letters for Dutch Racist Santa Claus on December 5 already start to show up in August in the grocery stores.

P.S. I think these words refer to Racist Santa, who has sold himself to the candy industrial complex.

Edited October 21, 2018 by Arduenn Schwartzman

[Klytyna]

5 hours ago, Arduenn Schwartzman said:

for Dutch Racist Santa Claus

Back about 12 years ago, I knocked up a silly 3D freebie for people who were unhappy with their local roof raiding overweight housebreaker...

The Sleigh-Slayer Mk VI 15mm Home Defence Cannon...

 

Just for laughs... Sing along when you know the words...

"He better watch out...

He better take care...

He better wear a 'chute...

When he's up in the air...

Santa Klaws is being shot down!

Santa Klaws is being shot down!

Santa Klaws is being...

Shot Down!"

 

Edited October 21, 2018 by Klytyna