Happy Halloween! Or as we used to call it at Catholic School, All Hallow’s Eve. It’s the day before All Saint’s Day when Christians remember those loved ones who have passed on and pray for them. 

Like Christmas and Easter, the true meaning of Halloween may be lost on some people but unlike Christmas and Easter, it’s a fairly new phenomenon to celebrate the commercialised version of Halloween in Australia.

Whenever the subject of Halloween comes up, you can bet your house that some curmudgeon will repeat the boringly unoriginal retort “this is Australia mate, it’s not America” as if that unequivocally means kids, young and old SHOULD NOT dress up and engage in trick or treating or any other such folly. So we’re not American. So what? Can’t we have fun as Australians?

I personally don’t get involved in Halloween but that doesn’t mean I sit at home and seethe that others might dare have a bit of fun! HOW DARE THEY???

And of course, there’ll be the pseudo-intellectuals out there who just can’t wait to say “it’s not even really American, Halloween traditions originated from ancient Celtic harvest festivals, particularly the Gaelic festival Samhain” Again I ask, so what?

As one mate of mine who later in life find himself with two young sons said “I’ve been converted. The whole neighbourhood gets into it. People actually meet and speak to their neighbours!” How can that possibly be a bad thing?

Let’s talk about it tonight. What do you really have against kids having a bit of fun tonight?