Spirit of Halloween

Although I believe that the concerns many people have about the "dark" side of Halloween's origins are more than a little silly, the holiday does have its beginnings in the dim, twilight world of ancient superstition and myth.

In the beginning it was a pagan festival known as Samhain, celebrated by the Celts in Great Britain and Ireland. The name Halloween derives from All-hallow-even, the night before All Saints day, a day of religious festivities in pagan Northern Europe. In an effort to put an end to "non Christian" celebrations the Catholic church eventually incorporated elements of this celebration into the Christian calendar.

Traces of the old traditions were carried by immigrants to the United States in the nineteenth century. The spread of American pop culture in the twentieth century in turn brought this new holiday to much of the western world.

European cultural traditions hold that Halloween is a unique time of the year when spirits can interact with the physical world, and when magic is most potent. What we now know as Halloween is a blend of the old ways and newer, ever-chaning customs.

Costume Parade - Have all the party guests walk, one at a time, in front of the judges. Have treats for the winning costume. Write down the names of the winners in each category and hand out Halloween-themed treats.

Scavenger Hunt - Come up with a list of items that tie-in with Halloween in some way. Make sure plenty of these items are easily found near the party site.

Bob for Apples - Easy to prepare, dump apples in bin of luke warm water. Don't forget they need to have their hands behind thieir backs. If you're scared that may be too messy, try haging the apples from the ceiling and have them sink their teeth into the apples that way.

Pumpkin Carving Contest - Have guests bring their own pumpkin and provide designs and help with carving.

White Elephant - Each guest brings a unisex gift and trades with each other until time is up. Open and enjoy!

Dr. Jeckel's Lab - Provide a laboratory of objects in concealed containers and let kids reach inside. i.e. Eyeballs that are really peeled grapes!

Mummy Wrap - Each team wraps another in toilet paper to create the best mummy.

Coloring Contest - Make copies of coloring books and award prizes for staying in the lines!

Beauty Salon - Hire your babysitter to attend your child's party and do hair and makeup as if in a beauty salon.

Face Painting - Have a clown arrive with face paints and temporary tatoos!

Obstacle Course - Arrange two teams that compete against each other in a homemade obstacle course.

Hayride - Look up local farms for hayrides or hiking on haunted trails.

Crafts - Have kids create their own treat bags to bring home after the party. Themes vary depending on occasion.

Tye Dye - Let kids tye dye their very own shirt, shorts, socks, or towel.

Movie Night - Have kids dress their best and arrive for movie night. Roll out a red carpet...

Dance Party - Let kids compete in a danceoff. Turn you living room into a disco

Spartan costume

From the movie 300: Spartan Halloween costume including: robe, arm guards. size: adult standard.

Willy Wonka

Willy Wonka Costume from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Costume includes: jacket with attached vest and top hat.

Adult Harry Potter Costumes Voldemort Costume

From Harry Potter Costumes Voldemort Costume costume includes: robe and voldemort mask. size: mens standard. official Harry Potter movie costumes.

Obi Wan Kenobi Costume Adults Stars Wars Costumes

"Obi Wan Kenobi Costume Adults Stars Wars Costumes costume includes: tunic, pants with attached boot tops and belt. "

Star Wars Collectors Costumes Chewbacca Supreme Costume

"Star Wars Collectors Costumes Chewbacca Supreme Costume supreme edition costume includes: bodysuit and mask completely covered with hand layered multicolored long hair fur, for an authentic ""blended"" look complete with latex hands, sash and pouch. "

Addams Family Morticia Costumes Adult Halloween Costumes

Adult Addams Family Morticia Costume, includes: dress only.

Batman Begins Costumes Deluxe Adult Batman Costume

"Batman Begins Costumes Deluxe Adult Batman Costume costume includes: muscle chest jumpsuit, cape, headpiece and belt. "

Wizard of Oz Dorothy Costumes Adult Halloween Costumes

Wizard of Oz Dorothy Costumes Adult Halloween Costumes costume includes: dress only. Wizard of Oz costumes for adults and teens

Along with the candy, the decorations and the costumes, a mainstay of the modern Halloween is the fear that our children are especially vulnerable on that night, subject to all kinds of horrific poisoned candies and razor-blade concealing apples. We just accept it and figure that it's a part of the dangerous world we live in. I've even heard Halloween described as the national holiday of parental terror.

No doubt it is a dangerous world at times, but a rational, well-researched look at the idea of the "dangerous Halloween" shows that things aren't quite what they seem. We are used to telling our children something like:

Don't eat any unwrapped treats. They undoubtedly will contain some form of poison or hallucinogens.

Apples are the perfect hiding place for razor blades

We should take your candy to the hospital and have it X-rayed to make sure there isn't anything bad in it.

Don't set foot inside anybody's door because this is the night that all satan worshippers are on the prowl for young children.

All well-intentioned warnings, no doubt, but what is the reality behind this? A sociologist from the University of Delaware who studies deviant behavior and who has made a specialization of Halloween crimes decided to settle the question once and for all. He scanned the major newspapers from 1958 until 1998, looking for accounts of razor blade- studded apples and poisoned candy. He studied hundreds of articles and made extensive phone calls to police and hospital officials. When he was finished the total number of children he found to have been harmed by these Halloween horrors was.... none. No evidence of anyone killed or serious injured by contaminated treats. Statistics also show that only 5 percent of non-family abductions of children happen in October, the fewest of any month.

So where does this notion come from? Much of it is undoubtedly an extension of the fears of a more complicated and troubled time, projected onto the most vulnerable among us. Many of these stories are urban legends that get passed around, the details always changing, something that a friend of a friend had happen to their neighbors best friend. These fears are also, in a sense, a grown-up way of celebrating Halloween. We can't trick or treat any more but we can still get together and tell scary stories....stories we swear are true, which makes them even scarier.

I'm all for being careful and cautious and reasonable when it comes to the safety of our children, but I'm also a little worried about the kinds of messages we are sending their way. If we keep them from trick or treating in the neighborhood and instead cart them off to the safe well-lit mall, the message is pretty clear: as a kid, you are only safe in a adult-sanctioned, commercialized place with a security guard at each entrance.

That's maybe the scariest thing of all.