From several different fronts. I have a side business as a magician/balloon twister. I started this, in all places, Tulsa, Oklahoma. I've convinced people who graduated from Oral Roberts University that I have actual magic powers, offended clerks in Mardel's (Christian supply store owned by Hobby Lobby) by casually mentioning that the little manila envelopes I was buying are for a magic trick, and what bothers me the most is all the churches hiring me for Harvest Parties instead of Halloween parties.

Even when not on the job, there's the evangelism. I was puttering around in my garage in late October once when a teenage kid from a local Baptist church approached me to give me a flyer about his church's Harvest Party. I looked at it and asked, "Why don't you call it a Halloween Party?" He misheard me and proudly said, "That's right, sir... We would never call it Halloween." "No, you aren't listening. Why not call it a Halloween party? You're having costumes, food, apple bobbing and other games, a bonfire, hay rides... Everything that would be at a normal Halloween party. If I put up a Christmas tree, Christmas wreaths, lights, stockings, tinsel, etc. would it be a Holiday party or a Christmas party? What does changing the name do for you? Halloween is just a corruption of old English meaning All Hallow's Eve. Your minister is an idiot."

He couldn't leave fast enough.

TlalocW

the hell out of me. I do not take them literally, but they are scary. Some scary is fun, but if I get too freaked out, I need to stop.

I love Halloween. It is my youngest daughter's favorite holiday. She always loved to pick a costume. I would indulge her, and help her assemble a costume. One year, she was Harpo Marx. How many nine year olds know who he is? Another year, she was an Egyptian lady. She was a great kid, and is now a great adult.

The worst insult we ever had trick or treating was the house where they gave out little slips of paper with Bible verses on them. I thought that after that, I should treat my kids to huge candy bars or or some other sugar-laden indulgence. And my kids were raised in the church! They learned the religious meaning of Halloween.

This is no different than having a secular and religious side to Christmas. Of course, we are having a war on Christmas, and they are having a war on Halloween. Stupid.

--trying to figure out what was going on. That was amazingly fast work by MIRT!

Not everyday that the founder of WND (or someone impersonating him) stops by to harass us lowly DUers.