It's ironic that, while the fear-mongering is stupid, much of the advice given is actually pretty sensible.<p>> But instead, most Halloween articles to this day tell parents to feed children a big meal before they go trick-or-treating, so they won't be tempted to eat any candy before bringing it home for inspection.<p>Sounds like a good idea to me. Eat healthy food, so you won't be tempted to eat unhealthy food.<p>> Face paint so no mask will obscure a child's vision.<p>You know what? Wearing a mask isn't fun. Sure, it's fun for 30 seconds in the store. It's also fun for 30 seconds after you put on your costume and say, "Look at me, everyone!" But after that, yes, it obscures your vision. It makes your head hot. It pokes you relentlessly in irritating places. It itches, and it makes it difficult to scratch.<p>So my take on all this is that the trend away from masks (which, sadly, I think has been starting to reverse in recent years) means that a lot of kids have had more fun on Halloween then they would otherwise have.<p>And, by the way, masks also make photographs less interesting. "Here's my kid's Halloween costume. Yes, the kid's inside it. Trust me."<p>(EDIT: Yes, I know the fear-mongering is stupid. I said as much.)
This was a blast from the past.<p>When I was a kid, not only was someone going to die from strychnine in their Pixie Stix, but the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups also probably contained razor blades and needles.<p>These days when I think of Halloween I just think of women in the marketing department dressed like strippers. Or are they supposed to be Lady Gaga? <i>shudder</i>