Yup, 'C'....it's getting to be more commercialised every year too. I'm with you, it's an American tradition, not an English/British one..and let's face it, the *only* reason it's been adopted over here is down to making money from it.

In Sidmouth they'd wreck the phone boxes, park benches and bus stops every single year, throwing eggs and flour all over the place. The police asked the grocer's and supermarkets to make sure they didn't sell those items to kids around Halloween time, because it was costing the council so much to clean up the mess. A lot of the elderly folks got very worried at Halloween, because they didn't want to answer their doors, but realised if they didn't, then something nasty might happen to their car, their windows, or their garden..

Sadly, it seems to be 'Protection Racket Night' over here. My friend had pumpkins in her garden one year..some kids nicked 'em and caused chaos up and down the street...She no longer bothers.

Even more sadly, our society is broken over here...Maybe in small communities it's OK, where folks still know each other, but in the towns and cities it can be quite threatening.

Plus, these days, I'd be kinda worried in case some sicko has laced sweets with something, or had them hanging around in some pretty shady places..and some of the Halloween Masks are enough to make you feel ill! Geez! I hate 'horror' things anyway, so it's not my kind of night...But again, I recall in Sidmouth how one old lady was terrified when she answered the door to some kids, and one of them had on a 'Scream' mask, and he was holding a fake dagger above his head...

I mean????????????

It's good to hear the American Halloween Night is still good fun though...and I'm sure that many little kids enjoy it, in the safety of their own home. I saw quite a few cute little witches and warlocks around yesterday...but the step into the Darker Evil side of things leaves me very, very cold...and more than a little worried..

Sorry, Dan..don't mean to sound grouchy, but we have 'the other side' of it over here and it ain't always good.