Give me a treat and cut out all of these Halloween celebrations - Gail Walker, Columnists - Belfasttelegraph.co.uk Belfast Hi 4 °C | Lo 2°C Other group sites Photosales niJobfinder niCarfinder Home Delivery Propertynews JOIN US ON FACEBOOK Skip Links Skip to navigation Skip to primary content Skip to secondary content Skip to tertiary content Skip to footer Navigation News Northern Ireland Ulster Covenant Republic UK World US Election Politics G8 Summit Campaigns Big Clean Up Transfer Chaos Tuition Fees Seven Wonders 100 Jobs in 100 Days CLIC Sargent appeal Making The Difference We're Backing Belfast Health Education Surviving Exams Post-Primary Selection Graduations Free Textbooks Environment Big Clean Up Technology Nostalgia Other Titles Sunday Life Community Sport Football Premier League Local football Scottish FA Cup European International Football Legends World Cup Milk Cup Rugby World Cup RaboDirect Pro12 Six Nations Heineken Cup Rugby Schools Cup GAA Racing Golf Motorsport North West 200 Other Sports Tennis Cricket Snooker Boxing Swimming Schools Sport Columnists Steven Beacom Billy on the Box Declan Bogue Tyrone Howe Joe Kernan James Lawton The Punter Alan Green Stephen Craigan Sports Awards Ice Hockey Soccer Stats Business News Achievers Awards Corporation Tax Money Investments Tax Help & Advice Employment Issues Business Clinic Opinion Viewpoint John Simpson View from Dublin View from London People on the Move Boosting Business Company Profiles Top 100 Companies Small Business Can Tourism Business Awards Entertainment Belfast Festival Music & Gigs News Reviews Film & TV News Reviews TV Listings TV Listings Eating Out Theatre & Arts Books What's On Guide Lifestyle Health Features News Food & Drink Fashion & Beauty Motoring House & Home Travel Books Weekend Personal Finance Woman Opinion Columnists Mike Gilson Gail Walker Lindy McDowell Eamon McCann Ed Curran Frances A Burscough Alf McCreary Nuala McKeever Jane Graham Robert McNeill Robert Fisk Mark Steel Julie Burchill Liam Clarke Readers Editor Letters Editors Viewpoint Woman TeleBest Classified Services Family Notices Promotions & Competitions Jobs in Northern Ireland Cars NI Property Northern Ireland Get paper delivered Weather Media kit GrabOne Farm & Plant Finder Leaflet Distribution in Belfast The digital gateway to Northern Ireland news, sport, business, entertainment and opinion Home > Opinion > Columnists > Gail Walker Latest: 15:32 Jury undecided on hoax bomb message 15:32 Clegg: School choice not political 15:22 Unions demand council living wage 14:42 Fanning and Kline to play lovers 14:42 Chloe Moretz has signed up to stay 14:42 Rosario is Ryan's new leading lady 14:42 Tulisa wants to do more acting 14:42 Kimberley Walsh song criticised Search Go Give me a treat and cut out all of these Halloween celebrations By Gail Walker Wednesday, 24 October 2012 Halloween or Hallowe'en or how ever you spell it... Just another reason why I hate the season of ghosties and goulies. There was a time when Halloween was one of those poor emaciated holidays when a straggle of kids would ring on the door and tell the restive householder that indeed Halloween was coming and their efforts would be rewarded with a handful of sweets and that was that ... But not anymore. Just like Valentine's Day and Mother's and Father's Day, Halloween is becoming a holiday when we are forced to do our civic and patriotic duty and spend a fortune to keep the retail sector going. But like Valentine's Day, you're no longer talking about one day. Oh no, for about a fortnight beforehand, your street sounds like a cheap recreation of the Battle of Somme as bangers ruin the silence and scare the cats and dogs. Nowadays, you're some kind of miseryguts if you don't have a luminous skeleton or at the very least an electric pumpkin in your window. Don't be surprised if a friend throws a Halloween party and you're expected to trot off to the party costume shop to spend £30 on badly-fitting nylon. Or you have to throw an E-number filled bash for the little dahlings. Or you find your letterbox is stuffed with some council-sponsored holiday programmes ... Even worse is the growing Americanisation of what used to be a sweet little pagan holiday. Shiny faced kids in professionally made Spiderman costumes now come to your door demanding 'Trick or Treat?' Trick or Treat? What happened to a wee ditty about the goose, the penny and your old man's hat? Where do they think they are? Seattle? Memphis? Albuquerque. Yeah, I know it's a bit early but I can't resist ... Bah! Humbug! 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It's not too hard Did Match of the Day’s old guard ensure Colin Murray got a red card? Kimberley Walsh song criticised new In Pictures: Football's richest clubs revealed new Emailed Commented Video Teletoons by Stevie Lee Horoscopes Aries Taurus Gemini Cancer Leo Virgo Libra Scorpio Sagitarius Capricorn Aquarius Pisces Out & About: Little Wing Columnist Comments • Who will play heroes and villains in Lance Armstrong saga? Who's going to play Lance in the inevitable film? I was pondering this the other day while grinding my way to work through the 17 sets of traffic lights (regular readers will know of my feeling on this) that blight the two-mile city-centre journey from my home to the office. • Isn't it about time PSNI got tough on UVF godfathers? Does he ever rue the day he decided to come to Northern Ireland? You could hardly blame Matt Baggott if he did. Recent photographs in this paper reveal how the Chief Constable of the PSNI has become a bit weathered in the three-plus years he's been at the helm here. • Don’t let thought police curtail our free speech What do transsexuals, loyalists and the Tweenies have in common? This is not some kind of sick joke, though I admit it's crying out for an ingenious punchline, possibly involving an outsize Union flag bra. Answers on a postcard please. • That moment when Prods in the room tend to go quiet ... It's clear now that the flag issue is not going to fizzle out and that, barring an astonishing about-face, the rest of this year at least will be characterised by 'trouble'. This sites uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. See our cookie settings for more information. 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