Halloween - a trick or a treat?

[LocalEditorColchester]

Some parents think Halloween is a fab occasion for the little ones to dress up, have fun and gorge themselves into a diabetic coma - other's think it's a load of commercial nonsense copied from the USA.

What do you think?

Will you be dragging accompanying your little witches and ghouls around the neighbourhood clutching cauldrons and buckets? Or will you be taping up the letterbox and pretending no one's at home?

I have mixed feelings about Halloween, I definitely think it has gotten a little out of hand and AmericaniZed in recent years - a whole aisle dedicated to Halloween in a small local supermarket?!
On the one hand I feel like I want it to be something interesting and fun for my DS, but then I look at all the spooky and frankly scary stuff (talking skull with glowing eyeballs anyone?!) and think it is really inappropriate for the under 8's.
When we lived in a large town we never opened the door as it was all scary teenagers, now we live in a village I always have a pumpkin outside the door and a box of sweets for the local kids. I have been talked into going door to door with my DS this year by a friend with a kid the same age and I bought a witches hat and broom yesterday for him, so we shall see how it goes.
I have seen a house nearby with huge Halloween decorations in the window - they went up at the end of September!!!!
If my husband had his way he would tape up the letter box and barricade the door, but then again he's a bit Bah Humbug and would do the same to carol singers given half the chance!

Ah, carol singers! There's a whole other debate coming up later...