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SamBee wrote:
Fair enough Ray. I’m fairly alright with the pagan aspects of other “Christian” festivals, but there is definitely something very nasty about Halloween which you don’t get with the others. It’s traditional – for example to curse folk at Halloween, and tell frightening stories.
I’m fine with it too, Sambee, and I see your point. I just want to point out that many, perhaps even most (especially with children) don’t celebrate the holiday in that fashion. Our kids were never witches or zombies and never even asked to be. The holiday doesn’t have to be about evil and it’s not about evil for at least some. We told a lot more frightening stories around the campfire than we do at Halloween (where we don’t do any), and honestly I’ve never known anyone who has “cursed” anyone or practiced witchcraft or voodoo on Halloween or any other time. Living in a small rural town probably gives me a different perspective, but we actually know the kids that come to our door – or at least know which family they belong to and about where they live.
It’s all about the candy for me and my kids. Costumes are simply a “gateway” to get the candy. 
What I hate to see is the “spook alleys” at church. THAT is not okay in my book.
Digging this old thread up, because during recent consultations for our stake activity on Halloween, one of the bishops in a neighboring ward complained about this very issue. The Americans seem unphased, but I have heard comments from locals about it… not instigated by me. I can’t remember if I said this above, but round here Halloween is a license to some people for bad behavior – i.e. smashing windows, egging people and other nastiness. LDS don’t seem a part of this, but it does seem ingrained.
I see it as a commercialized festival like Christmas, not an almost entirely.commercial one like Valentine’s Day. It goes back a long way. The American version is essentially from the Celtic festival, with a lot stolen from the Mexican Day of the.Dead and heavy dollop of post-war consumerism.
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