While growing up, I remember Halloween as a kid’s celebration before All Saint’s Day. Being Catholic, All Saint’s Day meant a holiday and not having to go to school. Since I was mischievous, the group I hung around with enjoyed participating in the tricks, rather than the treats. Adults had the responsibility of chaperoning school parties. It really wasn’t a celebration for the grown-ups.

How things have changed! Halloween has become an adult holiday for the new American families. Adults selfishly crave to be entertained, amused and catered to with all the fascinating attractions.  

It’s easy to forget that the pursuit of happiness is not what life is about. The headlines in a national newspaper read: “HALLOWEEN – So big it’s scary.” The article stated that today adults make the holiday all about them.

This year, a record $8 billion will be spent by U.S. consumers, mostly for adult costumes, parties and decorations. Halloween is now second only to Christmas in consumer spending for decorations. One reason many people are attracted to this holiday is because there are no gifts to purchase and no religious rituals to observe.

Halloween is actually a pagan

celebration and has nothing to do with Christianity. It has become bigger that anyone could have imagined.  

In New York Cities’ Greenwich Village, 2,000,000 people (90 percent adults) will celebrate with a parade and party all night. The adult infatuation has caught the attention of marketers from the alcohol industry.

For the wine, beer and booze makers, Halloween is huge and second to New Year’s in parties.

Where Halloween used to be all about trick-or-treating, the focus now is much more about the parties.  

Halloween – so big and scary – but in today’s world, the attitude is “Let the good times roll.”  

If you have any questions or comments, please write to Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call 985-652-8477, or email hkeller@comcast.net.