I just realized that with all the stuff that's going on in the world, that there were probably be no kids coming to my door on Halloween asking for candy.

My fear is that Halloween, which has been gaining tremendously in popularity this past decade, won't ever be celebrated in the same way again. Then I thought about the poison-candy scares of the '70s (when I was out "twick-or-tweating"), and that didn't kill Halloween. Granted, it crippled it throughout the '80s; but then the holiday made a roaring comeback throughout the '90s, to the point where I had 100 kids come to my door last year (and none of the kids knew who I was).

I was just wondering what everyone else's opinion is about Halloween this year -- especially those who have children. A few folks I spoke to at work said they would not allow the terrorist attacks to affect the way they celebrate Halloween. One person thought, "Oh, I think kids will still go out-- but you'll see a lot more parents this year."

What do you think?

See ya,
Macabre Michael

     M.O.T.S's question garnered some insightful replies. Below are some fans thoughts about All Hallow's Eve:

•   I think kids will go out - except those with freaked out parents. Maybe less scary costumes.
    Safety is an illusion. You could get hit by a car, swallowed by an earthquake, shot by a sniper. We've all just agreed to suspend reality so it doesn't paralyze us with fear. This attack made us remember. And that's what they wanted. For us to feel vulnerable. Well, the fact of the matter is, we're ALWAYS vulnerable. Let's all try to disappoint the terrorists and live our lives like we always have!
  - "NoGatz"
•   My thoughts are that we go trick or treating in Afghanistan. We could get dressed up like Army commandoes, complete with AK47's, tons of ammo, and a few grenades to stick up Osama's frikkin ass.
    Then we say Trick and pull the pin and that will be our treat! Case closed.
  Happy Halloween Everyone! - "mongie"
•   While your concerns are valid, I'm not too worried. I suspect that parents will still want to give their kids the experience of Halloween, even if it means checking all the candy when they get home. Those friends of mine who are parents seem to prefer taking their kids to large shopping malls for trick-or-treating. They tend to feel safer in the mall environment, and bad weather is obviously not a concern either. Most, if not all, of the stores participate by having mall-approved candy to hand out, and some malls even allow for a costume parade, contests, etc.
    The only downside is that we, the yearly candy buyers, get stuck with a buttload of leftovers, as all of our former trick-or-treaters choose the mall over our respective neighborhoods. The kids are taken care of, but it's we - the treat suppliers - who are cheated out of all the Halloween fun, unless we happen to work at one of those malls!
    We're gonna have to fight back with our own little Halloween party, complete with adult goodies, spiked punch (something with a little "wang" in it) and goofy costumes...
  Many autumnal regards - BeezleBob
•   I think all weenies will be hollow this year. Other than that, I can't forsee...It may also be interesting to see how people feel about ghouls and real Halloween stuff in light of the tragedy that's ensued. None of this sissy halloween princess and pretty stuff crap.
  - Zaineye

     The vast majority of the responses were from folks who were adament about not letting the recent disaster change the way we celebrate Halloween -- at least not in any significant way. If you'de like to eMail your comments, click the link or write to [email protected]. We'll continue to post responses here.

And we'll let partner Bentz Benton give us some last thoughts:

MOTS:
    I would not let what happened change anything. If I had kids I'd go with them (if they needed supervision), or hand them a bag and let them be kids.
It was dangerous when we were little too...but you can't let those bastards stop you from LIVING it. So...it's HALLOWEEN AS USUAL! BOO!
-Bentz