Wow, I generally only read the quilting discussions, but I'm glad I found this thread. Growing up Halloween was innocent fun. Both my grandmother and brother were born on Halloween and it was a fun holiday: Jack o' lanterns, costumes, the school party, trick or treating in the neighborhood with good manners, and roasted pumpkin seeds. I let my kids dress up with their preschool classes and carved pumpkins a couple years before deciding that Halloween is really in conflict with our religious values, especially as the holiday has become now. It's terribly overblown, with a focus on gore, violence, and smut. I actually had no idea about the deterioration in the "etiquette" of trick or treating, since I haven't participated in years. I do resent how folks will pound on the door, even though the lights are all off. I'm glad I'm not the only one to drop-out of Halloween.
