Another Halloween is in the books, and I can't help but notice how much it changes every year from when I was a kid.  Back in the day, Halloween safety was a big topic.  I remember worrying about things like razor blades in my Snickers Bar and reflective tape on my convict costume.  Little did we know that the dangers would be far worse today.  Child predators, meth labs, tooth decay...I mean serious stuff.

I say it every year and every year we get closer to it becoming reality:

"Halloween will cease to exist in its classic form by the end of my lifetime."

There are several things I've already seen happen that tell me that Halloween will die a death similar to the zombies of Walking Dead, except Halloween won't return to life and try to eat your brain.

1. Designated Times

Maybe it's because I was just a kid, but I don't remember a city or state laying down a mandatory time for Trick-or-Treating.  3-5pm or 4-8pm, whatever it may be just doesn't seem right.  First off, I remember my mom telling me we had to wait until it was dark to go out.  Now the kids are done by dark.  What!?!  Doesn't that defeat the whole point of Halloween?  My wife works, as do I, making it impossible for us to hand out candy until at least 5pm.  I don't get home til much later, so I haven't seen even one Trick-Or-Treater in years.

2. Date Change 

This one really gets to me.  When did we go Trick-Or-Treating?  October 31st!  No matter what day of the week.  That was Halloween.  I shutter when I hear city governments announce things like, "Halloween will be held on Saturday, October 29th this year."  Halloween is October 31st!  Period.

3. Alternative Events

I have mixed feelings about this one.  Some churches have banned Halloween as a pagan day.  I'm a Christian, but I think this is bogus.  It's only pagan if you treat it that way.  What's Satanitc with a kid dressing up as a Power Ranger and getting Skittles?  Nothing.  Now, the other events like the popular Trunk or Treats, Boo at the Zoo, and Main Street Trick or Treats are great events.  If the old school, door-to-door Trick or Treating days end for good, these will make a sufficient replacement.

Nobody likes change, but it seems like Halloween has changed way too rapidly in the last 20 years or so.  It will eventually be a shell of its former self, but I will always remember my one-night, two-neighborhood, candy sprees of my youth, even if my kids will never experience it.

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