Halloween Horrible's

If there was any season I wish that I had the remote control to fast forward through it would be Halloween. I have now spent a couple of days passing store windows full of gruesome headless monsters, creepy cauldrons, and horrifying calculated cackles! I'm on edge everywhere trying to protect my children from being scared senseless and selfishly trying to protect my own precious sleep. Halloween is thought to have started with the Celts tradition of Samhain where they would dress in costumes, light bonfires, and dance around to ward off roaming ghosts. It also marked the start of the long dark, cold winter which was at the time associated with death. These are ALL things I would not want my kids to brood over, so my question is how did this holiday become something that children are the primary participants? After a little research I found that in America during the late 1800's there was a shift to make Halloween less about warding off ghosts and fortune telling but more about a community event. Families and parents were encouraged to remove the ghoulish costumes and traditions for more wholesome celebrations of the autumn harvest. Between 1920 and 1950 acts of vandalism and trickery became common events at the community parades and events. Trick or Treating was revived as families in theory could prevent "trickery" by offering the youth that were associated with the acts of vandalism and terror by offering sweets. Now that the ground work had been laid for one night of sweet scavenging for the mere price of a cute costume, was born the ever growing industry of Halloween (nearly $6 billion annually) As for me I'm considering investing in rose colored glasses for me and my children!! For more history on Halloween and it's traditions check out http://www.history.com/topics/halloween