I love holidays and at the same time hate what commercialized bullshit our celebration of holidays has become. I hate the seasonal disposable plastic crap that has replaced creativity, effort and the fun of creating your own costumes, decorations and props.

The holiday season, beginning with Halloween, is such a great opportunity for learning new skills and encouraging creative thinking. Halloween is a perfect time to teach kids non-academic skills that are useful throughout life.

Costumes: sewing, electronics, painting and make-up skills can all be utilized -- not to mention the brainstorming of ideas and problem-solving to make an idea become reality.

Props: paper-mache, construction, electronics, soldering are valuable tools to make tombstones, monsters, masks and other eerie effects. Even 'simple' activities like pumpkin carving are a chance to develop knife/carving skills and think creatively.

Sound & lighting: electronics and audio-visual know-how are again very important to make these effects.

Food & Drink: whether you go for seasonal delights utilizing the bounty of the garden/orchard like carmel apples, roasted squash, spiced cider and pumpkin cookies, or opt for gross-out food and anatomical replicas, halloween provides a lot of reasons to get creative in the kitchen and teach basic and complicated cooking skills.

Most importantly, halloween can help teach about planning ahead and disappointment. An awesome costume, yard or party usually won't work if it is only started the night before. Plus some overly-ambitious aspirations will often need to be toned down do to time/budget constraints. As is life.

Too many parents are way too lazy when it comes to teaching their children interesting skills. Holiday crafts are a wonderful to introduce children to basic skills -- and power tools. A lot of 'craft' skills are very transferable to home-ownership and occupations. Plus learning how to create from little, improvise, and work within a budget are valuable, particularly in young adulthood.

Unfortunately, many people opt out of these experiences and instead choose to either ignore the holidays, or just throw money at costumes and props.

Also, teenagers are often in a rough spot. They are no longer cute kids who get constant attention. Their parents rarely organize age-appropriate events for them to socialize together. Parents who were eager to throw a party for cute, costumed five year olds will rarely put forth the same effort ten years later. Teenagers and pre-teens are often alone and in limbo, no longer cute kids and not old enough to engage in adult activities.

Many communities have no places or activities for teens/pre-teens to socialize outside of school and club events. Groups of teenagers together are viewed as loitering and possibly threatening. If they are young teens they have little mobility, because they cannot drive to meet their friends. Few parents will allow their home to be the site of a large party of teens/pre-teens, especially during the cold/dark parts of the year when indoor hosting is necessary.

Anyway, I don't begrudge costumed teenagers who trick-or-treat, because they often don't have a lot of options. BUT -- I do mean costumed teens, not just greedy kids with bags for the loot. (Also, my perspective comes from growing up in a small town/rural community, and I realize that cities offer many more options for teenagers.) However, I still believe, that regardless of the setting, teenagers don't have many facilities geared towards their age group. The 'kiddie' places are lame for them and the 'adult' places don't want them, or deny them access because alcohol is served. Despite all of the lip-service to a 'youth culture' it is more accurately a 'drinking-age, young-adult culture.'

When teenagers have few sanctioned outlets for socializing and fun, and feel that the worst is always assumed of them, it doesn't surprise me that some of them live up to these poor expectations.

However, would teenagers who grew up working on craft projects, gardening and carving jack-o-lanterns be as likely to destroy/smash/vandalize other peoples' projects -- if they had first-hand experience of how much time, effort and pride went into these projects?

While I appreciate and agree with (some) of your opinions, I happen to be half of a two income family that will use the conviences offered ("seasonal disposable plastic crap") to enjoy the time I have with my family instead of cutting, sewing and crafting. It would be lovely if I could stay home and spend four hours paper macheing to my heart's content but please after you are done ranting, realize that quality time with your kids is quality time no matter if you make or buy the insignificant details.

Thank you danam! I don't even have children but I still don't want to spend hours 'crafting' just for the enjoyment of others. I'd much rather carve one pumpkin and snuggle on the couch with hubby than spend hours setting up homemade decorations. Especially since I know the brats in my neighborhood will have destroyed them by the end of the night anyway!

Sounds liek JoJoDancer needs to realize not everyone places as much value on how to draw a scarecrow or sew a ghost outfit as they do. Some of us live in the real world, not in permanent kindergarten. . .

You keep teaching your kids how to make a scary witch pin-up, I'll buy one and spend the extra time helping my kid build a website or build a go-kart, or go hiking up in the mountans with him.

I'm not saying that everybody has to 'go all-out' for every holiday by being crafty. However, I think that a lot of people are denying their families the fun, sharing & learning that comes from working on projects together.

My problem is more from the people who go to great expense and effort to decorate/celebrate the various holidays, but only really flex their credit card. I think it is much better to have simple decorations that were worked on together than a whole yard full of made in China plastic crap.

Halloween: carved pumpkins lit up with candles are delightful and tasteful.

Thanksgiving: acorns, autumnal leaves and pine cones collected during a hike in the woods are lovely. Add gourds and pumpkins (even better if grown in the garden and tended by the kids) for a great touch.

X-mas (if celebrated): stringing popcorn for the tree and baking x-mas cookies are wonderful, but low-key, ways for kids to help and learn something during the process. My mom used to teach us to make ornaments for the tree, that albeit rough-looking, are the ornaments that as adults we enjoy seeing on her tree much more than her 'fancy' collectibles.

Most kids enjoy projects and unfortunately are spending more time in a digital world. I would love to see a movement where more families spent less time & emphasis on shopping during the holidays, and more time working on projects together. Craft projects are undeniably a great way for kids to learn more skills than they would normally develop in their modern day-to-day life.

I agree. It's the little things that matter. Christmas gifts for the extended family this year will be ornaments made by the kids and home made spiced nuts. That only works though if there is enough time to get it all made. We'll see how it goes!

Why is it the people think the only quality time is time when the kids are LEARNING? Jees you must be out of touch with your kids. .

Quite honestly, walking around the malls and generally goofing off is one of the way we have fun, , , and as far as saving money, , store-bought ornaments aren't that expensive, I bet I can decorate our tree for less than $20.00, , have fun finding all the supplies to make your own for less than that.

My kid and two of his friends said your ideas are boring, said they did that in the 2nd grade, and hated it then. . . the FIRST thing my kid said was "Hello 1885", , guess he thinks your ideas are a bit out-dated. . .I have to say i agree. .

If I would say that my kids are 2nd grade and younger does that make you any less of a pr**k?

I guess what they say is true . . . the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. If your idea of babysitting is sending them to the mall then it makes sense that your child is showing all the signs of growing up to be just like you! Congratulations! I'm sure your child is one of those who egg the house when they don't get the good candy.

ghouck,

Obviously the projects should be age-appropriate. Something that is fun for a five year-old definitely won't challenge a fifteen year old. However, depending on the child's interests, there are probably projects that will keep them interested as he or she grows older.

If you are spending time with your son and his friends by building websites, going for hikes and working on go-carts, then you and I probably share many values. Your son and his friend probably would be embarrassed at the idea of stringing popcorn, but might really like wiring anamatronics or figuring out how to incorporate a fog machine into a costume by changing the AC/DC power source, or syncronizing lighting and sound effects.

The reason I stressed learning as a component of these projects is because when I went to law school I met some of the most stunted people who had no skills and planned to buy their way through life. Their parents gave them every advantage in the world, but they couldn't manage some of the most basic skills. They ate food from restaurants for every meal of the day and have no idea how to cook; they had to hire people to hang shelves in their dorm rooms and needed me to show them how to jumpstart their cars. While brilliant and privileged, these people couldn't sew a button on their suits, and it saddens me. If they ever are in a situation where they don't have money to spend, they would be helpless. It is also really sad that so many brilliant young people appeared completely devoid of creativity (in many aspects of life, not just in DIY skills).

Word. I'm eternally amused at how people seem to think learning does not equal fun. Then again, the realm of hobbies lies with creative people who have a mind that expands further than a nine-to-five and whatever's on television.

I also think many parents sincerely underestimate their kids. I'm barely out of that age demographic and let me tell you - these kids, bored teens, et cetera? They take on projects you don't know jack shit about, because you'd rather take in a movie or shop at the mall.

Many teens belong to writing groups online. Many develop their own websites. On cosplay.com, most of them are teens and they make fantastic props either from fiberglass and resin or intricate cardboard cut-outs. Many hobby-draw in their notebooks and let their talent wither between math homework. Many have an interest in things OTHER than TV, movies, and shopping. Even videogames can lead to some fantastic works of creativity in an interest in coding, design, and even formatting impromptu and unofficial guides. Same goes for younger kids - many of them are amazingly creative and have fun being creative.

Unfortunately, so many parents think 'fun' is their version of mind-numbing repetition trussed up as entertainment. Your job and life may leave you monochrome and bitter, but that doesn't mean you have to drag your kids into it.

Who am I to talk? My single mom worked and home-schooled me. We still found time to pursue hobbies, put together Christmas candle arrangements, throw together costumes, et cetera, et cetera. We built rat mazes, wrote and illustrated books, scrapbooked every field trip and vacation, cared for a menagerie of pets throughout my childhood, painted (on easels we made ourselves). That's just the tip of the iceburg

Also - realize that not everything has to be perfect. No one is Martha Stuart. Martha Stuart gets paid to be a perfectionist domestic. Nothing wrong with that, but she devotes her life to it. We don't. It can take a damn long time to piece together the perfect flower arrangement or Halloween costume. But if you just do it for fun, it's really not that difficult, complicated or time-consuming at all, and can open doors to your kid's creativity in ways the mall, TV and movies can't even begin to imagine.

At twenty I've done illustrations for Bass Pro, various cities, 3rd St. Santa Monica and other 'big name' companies. I couldn't have gotten anywhere near a shred of artistic talent if my mom wasn't aware of opportunities in which the both of us can exercise our creativity.

Plus, when you work on something WITH someone, instead of just being AROUND that person, interaction is a given. People, don't be so freakin' closed to that opportunity. Last I checked, bonding over hobbies and creativity was ideal and nurturing, and certainly not a 'waste of time'.

Of course learning can be, and should be, fun. But can't a kid (or adult) just have fun for its own sake now and then? Playing "tag", while good exercise, teaches nothing, except maybe not to trip on the other kids' feet. Watching "The Little Mermaid" without a running commentary by a parent makes a kid happy. While watching it 12 times running with food brought to them and only taking breaks to go to the bathroom is a bad idea, can't they just enjoy something for no reason other than they do?

I agree with you in general but some of us don't have a creative bone in our body. I never did any of this with my parents and I don't really regret it because I hated doing it in school. My imagination was good but most of my props for my games were either imaginary or terrible because I just wasn't creative.

People buy costumes/decorations for different reasons, whether it is the lack of time or interest in making them. When people start criticizing how others celebrate their holidays or what they should or should not be doing, they kill a bit of the holiday spirit.

When I will have a house of my own, anybody who knocks on my door will be welcome to some candy, whether they're cute or scary or have costumes. If I ever start making "rules" for giving, I might as well stop giving all together because I don't want to think about these things on holidays.

Thank you Claina!!!

Very well put... you show grace and generosity