If you were to go up to a person on the street and ask how Halloween started, nine times out of ten they won't have a clue. I would have been one of those people if I didn't look it up ten minutes ago! Don't worry, I'll fill you in. According to BU Today, "The practices of Halloween mostly come from Celtic paganism in the British Isles, and their feast of Samhain, the new year. They believed it was the time when ghosts and spirits came out to haunt, and the Celts would appease the spirits by giving them treats." Then, America found a way to make money off of it after the Irish immigrants came to the country, and viola! We have Halloween.

I don't know if it's due to the lack of decorations in neighborhoods, the scandalous costumes, or just the fact that people don't feel like spending money on this fear-filled day, but it is evident that Halloween is not as big of a holiday as it used to be. Ten years ago, I couldn't wait until the sky fell dark so that I could visit as many houses as my little legs could carry me. I would have to make several trips back to my house so that I could re-load my pillowcase, and this would happen at least two times. By the end of the night, I would have candy to last me until next Halloween. On the other hand, my ten year-old got candy to last him until the end of the week, but he went around the same neighborhood that I did when I was his age.

Nowadays, I'm left with trying to find a last minute costume that doesn't "reveal too much" and making trips to houses for booze instead. Before that, though, I'm left with the duty of handing out candy to the adorable trick-or-treaters (one of the many downfalls of growing up). This year, the streets were a little emptier and the houses a little barer, which makes me think, is Halloween a dying tradition? I'm trying to recall when the holiday changed from trying to find the most creative or horrifying costume to the most revealing or sexy ensemble? Since when did buying a corset, lacy underwear, and a pair of devil ears constitute as a costume?

Was it due to Cady Heron's infamous quote, "Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it?" There's nothing wrong with finding costumes that make you feel good about yourself, but when does it become too much? Walking into the Halloween stores and seeing the skimpy costumes for children shocks me to the point of oblivion. What 12-year-old wants to dress up as a sexy strawberry shortcake? Maybe the lack of excitement is due to corporate America, or catering revealing costumes to an even younger crowd, or simply because you don't live in an area where there are many kids. However, maybe the tradition just dies as soon as you can't see it through the eyes of a child?