POLL: Should Americans Celebrate Halloween?

As a child, Halloween was my favorite holiday—even more than Christmas. Because at Christmas, our bounty wholly depended upon what my mother had available to spend that year, and Christmas always seemed to stress her out.

But on Halloween, it was as though, for one day out of the year, the entire community agreed to come together to spoil us little ones with childhood's #1 treasure trove: CANDY!!!

My little sisters and I enjoyed making our own costumes, which for me was always either a cat or a clown. The cat was pulled together from black leotards and black tights, a cotton-stuffed black stocking for a tail, ears made of a headband and construction paper, and whiskers drawn on with my mom’s old eyeliner.

The clown costume was made from an old, flowery bed sheet, sloppily hand-sewn into a baggy jumper, with buttons down the front made of colorful poof balls. And, of course, mom’s old lipsticks and eye shadow served as the clown makeup.

Then, we would go trick-or-treating! We looked like a hot mess, my sisters and I. Surely, we were the neighborhood's Oliver Twists of Halloween.

But no one seemed to mind. All we had to do was ring a bell, and say “trick or treat!” An adult would open the door, take one good look at us, grant us a huge smile for our clearly homemade costumes and then give us an extra handful of candy for effort.

Today, I still sew. But I have no children, and I’ve long outgrown my taste for candy. And as for Halloween, I admit, something in my heart still leaps when I see the smiling faces of happy children, walking up and down the street, dressed up during this one day of imagination, candy and make-believe.

But my little sister couldn't feel more different: She’s a Born Again Christian. Her four children never have (and probably never will) celebrate Halloween, because she says, “It is a holiday that glorifies the occult, plays on fear, glamorizes evil, magic, witchraft and mocks death.”

I think to myself, “Really, it’s all of those things?” Funny, as a naïve child (and God forbid a child be naïve), I just thought it was the one day out of the year to carve pumpkins, make costumes, dress up like our favorite superheroes and eat… CANDY!!!!

But my sister is adamant. And, truthfully, millions of Americans—including many of my friends with children—share that same sentiment.

Some are against its occult origins, while others are against letting their children gorge on candy for days, sending them into hyper sugar fits that last for weeks and possibly ruining their teeth.

A 2007 survey by the Associated Press and Ipsos found that 73 percent of whites compared to 56 percent of minorities said they allow their children to trick-or-treat. The disparity in the survey is similar to the difference in how people view their safety in their neighborhoods. Other minorities, especially immigrants from Africa, Asia and Latin America, don't participate in the tradition simply because they didn't grow up with it.

And still, others simply refuse to participate in the commercialization of what they see as a silly holiday: It is the festival when the largest amount of candy is sold -- second only to Christmas in total commercial sales.  A 2008 survey by the National Federation in the U.S., revealed that, between costumes and candy purchases, the average person was spending $66.54 on Halloween.

What do YOU think? Should we as Americans continue to celebrate Halloween? Let us know in the comments. But first take our poll.