Ever used to remember how our parents and grandparents celebrated Halloween? Maybe you don't, or maybe your parents never did celebrate Halloween. But back in the good old days of the older generation, Halloween was the one festival that kids looked forward to, besides from Christmas. Back in the time there were no handy, store bought costumes; our parents and grandparents spent days sewing and patching up their own spooky white sheets and witches. Then late in the night they would come back to their homes, their cotton sacks filled with apples, cookies and other homemade treats. In the time that such goodies were scarce, one can imagine the excitement, the simple delight in the festivities of Halloween.

But now, times have changed. We live in a world where there is more material than substance, more caffeinated sugar, trans and saturated fats than old fashioned treats. Halloween in our generation becomes dull and uncreative, for our costumes can be bought so easily at the nearest Save-On-Foods or Value Village. Ideas for costumes lack inspiration; when was the last time you decided to sew and patch up a costume, completely from your original ideas? And when we go trick-or-treating, we haul along Halloween bags especially manufactured for collecting candy. In superstores and supermarkets shelves pile atop shelves of Oh Henry's, Smarties, Oreos, and other mega-value packs of candy bars that are high in sugar, sodium and fat.

And Halloween isn't just about trick-or-treating. For us teenagers, Halloween has become another trend; the ones who are bold, who seek attention from fellow peers dress up with the most audacity. For one day out of the 364 others (and sometimes 365, on leap years), girls suddenly seem to think it's okay to dress up at slutty as they want and no one can object to it.I don't know about you, but it certainly seems a trendsetting thing at my school. One can spot at least three or four girls dressed in furry Uggs and bunny ears in the crowded hallway at once. For other teens who are of legal age, bars and nightclubs set up Halloween themed parties -- "clothing optional". (Hey, you like Twilight? I do too! Let's make out!) Halloween, in teenage language, suddenly seems to become Sex Christmas.

What happened to the Halloween that the older generations celebrated? It seems that along with the influence of materialism, we have long forgotten what the true Halloween spirit is about. In this century we have much, much more material, but we lack the soul and creativity to celebrate Halloween.