As Halloween's festivities have finally come to an end, people will rejoice in the post-spooktacular tradition of eating their collected candies.
Nevertheless, Halloween is definitely not everyone’s cup of tea, and this woman has learned it the hard way.
Instead of also enjoying the small post-Halloween pleasures, a mother is now dealing with a certain amount of stress after she received a disheartening surprise in the form of an anonymous letter, slipped through her door, expressing disapproval of her Halloween decorations.
A mom received an anonymous letter ordering her to take her Halloween decorations down as a result of making people feel "uncomfortable"
Image credits: Lia Steele
Residing on the outskirts of Bristol, UK, 35-year-old Lia Adams-Steele adorned her front yard with cobwebs, pumpkins, and three witch figurines, all with the help of her two young children.
Unfortunately for the excited family who fully embraced the spooky season, their fun was cut short when their neighbors wrote that "images of witches are offensive and scary to some and give nightmares to their children".
You can read the anonymous letter below
Image credits: Lia Steele
She said: "I was upset to receive this letter, that was personal. I understand that not everyone celebrates Halloween but I don't see our display as aggressive. I am truly sorry if I have offended or I have caused some person's children's nightmare with our display - but I think this letter was uncalled for.”
The concerned mom also mentioned that she believed her Longwell Green display to be "kid friendly" and not intended to be scary.
Lia Adams-Steele had made the decorations with her two children with recyclable material
Image credits: Lia Steele
The exhibit in front of her home featured a wooden gingerbread house and three witches, all crafted from recycled materials.
The mom-of-two shared that her kids, aged five and seven, have a passion for arts and crafts, and they had a fantastic time brainstorming and creating the concept.
Lia explained: "I find myself coming up with ideas of things we can do that are low budget - using things we have got at home and trying to use rubbish and upcycling to show the kids that out of recycling, you can create something amazing.
"Me and the kids spent days, hours, painting and putting this all together. It was a really special period of time for us working together as a team and seeing how the display was forming a shape."
"Me and the kids spent days, hours, painting and putting this all together," Lia said
Image credits: Yuting Gao (not the actual photo)
The crafty matriarch mentioned that she received encouragement from certain neighbors during the construction process, as they believed it was a delightful activity to engage in with her children.
"I think it's more scary someone went to the effort of typing up the letter, to be honest,” Lia said. "In 2023 I feel a little bit scared that I had to receive a letter like this,” she added.
"Your Halloween display is too scary?! I'd say mission accomplished!" someone wrote in support of a Facebook post Lia published asking for others' opinions
Image credits: Haley Phelps (not the actual photo)
She had shared an image on a community Facebook group, seeking input from her neighbors on whether they found her decoration to be overly frightening.
Lia mentioned that she received over 300 reassuring comments, emphasizing that if people had expressed concerns about it being excessive, she would have contemplated its removal.
"Your Halloween display is too scary?! I'd say mission accomplished!" a supporter commented.
Lia confessed: "I'm not a bad person, I'm not an evil person - I'm just a mum who wanted to make their kids happy with creating something special so I am keeping the display.
"I don't mind whoever has written the letter but I think I deserved a name to the letter, so at least I can say to this person I am truly sorry I've offended you or caused a nightmare. I don't think an anonymous letter was fair."
"In 2023 I feel a little bit scared that I had to receive a letter like this,” Lia said
Image credits: Kenny Eliason (not the actual photo)
According to British laws, outdoor Halloween decorations are mostly legal, but some could result in a fine of up to £5,000 under the Occupier's Liability Act 1957 if they pose a risk of injury or accidents to visitors or passers-by.
Halloween is particularly beloved by Americans and represents a lucrative business that generates billions of dollars every year in the USA, according to Statista. However, according to statistics published in 2021, Lia was a part of the approximate 36% of UK adults celebrating Halloween.
Insider has stated that Guy Fawkes Day (also known as Guy Fawkes Night and Bonfire Night) has historically been more significant than Halloween in the UK. Moreover, the publication has also mentioned that it is rare for people in the UK to put up an excessive amount of Halloween decorations.
A Quora user wrote: "You'll rarely see anyone decorating their house with Halloween stuff, apart from maybe a pumpkin on the porch or something.”
Many internet users thought sending an anonymous letter was cowardly
