Ok so when I was a youngster I remember Halloween being not only a fun time filled with candy but a scary night filled with random screams and spooky houses set up to get a rise out of people.

This year is the 2nd year I have got to take my son out trick or treating and I must say the whole feel isn't the same anymore. Most of the lights weren't on and the ones that were just barley went as far as to set out an uncut pumpkin.

I realize times have changed over the course of my 27 years on this earth but I find it odd that this holiday seems to have been limited to the Hanna Montana and other preteen exploits. There really isn't anything that spooky about Halloween anymore, even the traditional door to door work out that use to accompany Halloween has been limited mainly to high traffic shopping malls, buisness districts down town, the zoo, and at the local churches "trunk or treats".

I find this astonishing that most people have limited their childrens expirances of Halloween when they themselves talk about how much fun they use to have going out for 4-5 hours checking in as much candy as humanly possible. I am still trying to figure this one out. Is it pure lazyness, the lack of interest, lack of time, or just a fear that has been instilled into a parents brain that they are going to meet up with a hooligan and that childs candy is going to be messed with by some psyco?

I really feel that Halloween in a way has lost it's edge and became the lame laid thing that no one really cares about anymore.

So what I am wanting to know is pretty simple. How does the Halloween of today compare to what it was in your childhood? Do you feel that children are being deprived of what Halloween was when you where a kid?

Also feel free to make other comments / debates on other areas of what I have been talking about. I really don't want this discussion to be limited to the 2 questions above. I am just running out of time and have to head to work soon.