QotD: Halloween

Parents know: Nothing undercuts your moral authority like Halloween. Don't eat so much candy. Don't take candy from strangers. Except today. Today it's fine. In fact, I insist. I'll drive you to strangers' houses. It's like having a day where adults give each other packs of cigarettes.

The actual collection of treats may be the least important part of Halloween. The costume comes first. Alas, many schools have banned costumes in favor of Fall Harvest Celebration — but not in my day, no sir. We called it Hail Satan Day. Ah, the memories — the smell of apple cider in the classroom, the crisp autumn breeze, the plaintive bleating of the goat as we led it to the altar . . . no more, of course. It's not "politically correct." But even then you had parents objecting about the whole Satan thing. Some wanted to hail Baal; the fundamentalists wanted to honor Samhein. Can't please everyone.

James Lileks, "What do kids want for Halloween? More", Star Tribune, 2006-10-26