The Ghost of Halloween Past???

Earlier today, I was looking through a bunch of catalogs that had come in the mail sometime over the past two weeks. I figured I would glance through them one last time before donating them to our garbage man. These were filled with Halloween decorations and costumes. As I flipped page after page, I began to wonder just when did Halloween change? These catalogs were filled with the most bizarre and grotesque things..enough to cause even a lot of adults to have nightmares. What has caused this trend of having so much visual gore as decorations? Isn't Halloween supposed to be a holiday of fun for..children??? I am not talking about ghosts or skeletons..these, children can handle and come to expect at this time of year. But my goodness! Some of these so called decorations go a bit too far! Where are the cute little pumpkins, ghosts, witches and black cats? The ghosts and goblins have far been replaced with gory visuals from twisted minds. I admit that I like to decorate for this holiday and love a good ghost story..but the "blood and guts" realism might be a bit much for little ones. When we were younger, there were "scary" movies, haunted houses and "fright nights" but most of it was "implied horror". Not much is left to the imagination these days..is it because there is a lack of imagination? Or is it that with the influx of it all through the movies, television and computers, people have become immune to it all and need stronger visuals to make a point? The costumes were not any better..if I see one more "dead bride" or another "half eaten zombie", I think I will become the wicked witch and scream.."No more candy! No more trick-or-treating!" Where are the ghosts, witches, ballerinas and cowboys? I know I am being stodgy about all of this and I should just "go with the flow" but I long for an old-fashioned Halloween party with apple-bobbing, musical chairs and "pin the nose on the Jack-O-Lantern"! This said..I dug through the closet and pulled out my mother's old Halloween decorations. Yes, I will keep my "haunted parlor" but her cute little ghosts and pumpkins will be scattered throughout the house as a reminder of Halloween Past! I vow to make at least one "true" Jack-O-Lantern and I will have a dish of candy corn sitting on the table! Oh! And popcorn balls..who can forget the ooey-gooey goodness of those and caramel apples! Yes!..Ghost of Halloween Past..I have not forgotten! I will try to have an old-fashioned Halloween! .......Nostalgia sometimes gets the best of me during holidays!