And maybe Halloween is even creative in a trippy kind of way, as we stuff our innocent progeny into ghoulish latex costumes and carve faces into root vegetables. 

Maybe banning Halloween in my house this year made me the “worst mum ever” and has left my children feeling severely bereft, especially in comparison to “lucky kids” like John and Jane who apparently went trick-or-treating “all night with their mums” and scored “a ton” of goodies.

So as I lick my guilty wounds and reassess whether I can continue this tough stance next year as my daughters approach teenage-hood and become even more sugar-mad, I still wrestle with the question:

Do we really need it?

Halloween has its origins in Celtic times, celebrating the end of the harvest for Gaelic culture. Masks and costumes were worn to mimic or appease evil spirits and bonfires burned through the night.

The telling of this ancient history evokes rich images of dance, ritual, and connection to Mother Nature. 

Not plastic and sugar.

Trick-or-treating is a modern invention, after notably American culture seized on Halloween as an annual event.

Halloween’s popularity has grown since, spreading through England, Canada and Ireland – basically any country heavily influenced by American media, including, of course, Australia.

Weeks before Halloween, shops nationwide fill with plastic masks, costumes, wigs and wands, which are all destined for landfill directly after the night is done.

With garbage tips already groaning under our plastic waste, and the ocean system poisoned by plastics that refuse to ever break down, does the planet need more of this junk just so we can have a few hours of fun?

And let’s revisit all the known health problems associated with over consumption of refined sugars, and the affects on a poor child’s mood and waistline.

Let’s recall again how artificial food dyes, preservatives and additives – handed out in bucket loads on every street during trick-or-treating visits - can render even the mildest child truly witch-like.

Now that’s spooky.