I really don't care whether it's American, traditional or whatever. If I were a stickler for strictly British tradition I wouldn't tolerate Father Christmas being the American "Santa Claus" in a red suit. Here, he was a rather scary old man in a green gown until the late 19th century but we've moved on.
Hallowe'en, when I was a child, meant a very few parties and keeping an eye on Pendle Hill in case of witches flying about. Now the children dress up and go door-to-door. Here in Lymm it's very rare to get visitors any older than about 10 and they are always in large groups, escorted by parents, and don't go far afield. It's fun for them, it's harmless and it's far preferable to chucking fireworks around.
Though I respect anyone's right to ignore them, I quite enjoy joining in the fun.
