Halloween lost its original purpose in our culture about the same time it lost the apostrophe, but it has become something far better in our culture these days. Far from the celebration of the dead, Halloween is now a pseudo-competitive social event where people are free to act in ways they would not normally: Dressing in odd clothing, begging from strangers, wandering around at night, playing pranks, etc. As demonstrated numerous times in pop culture (Sigmund and the Seamonsters, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, etc.) it's the one time of year when weird is accepted as normal and fits in, and as such, it actually creates a form of tolerance education that kids are more than willing to join in.
