Halloween 2009: More tricks than treats

Absent the costumes of nightmarish politicians, the scariest mask looming this Halloween seems to be that of Bernie Madoff, convicted Ponzi-scheme weasel.

That’s appropriate, it seems. Madoff made off with billions of dollars from people who trusted him to invest their money wisely. The Great Recession, meanwhile, has made off with a significant amount of Halloween’s treats.

The National Retail Federation says spending this season among the 18-to-24-year-old crowd will fall from an average of 86 bucks and change per person last year to $68.56 this year. Surveys say there have been fewer decorations sold, fewer parties planned and fewer store-bought costumes.

The Great Pumpkin, this isn’t.

Halloween faces tough going anyway. Many church leaders decry its roots in paganism and dark imagery. The Onion, a parody newspaper that brings us endless pleasure, last year wrung its hands over this headline: Has America Lost Sight Of The True Meaning of Halloween? The story that followed featured satanists decrying the dark holiday’s overcommercialization.

But if you can push aside all of that baggage, the tradition will bring back the things we like most: Cute kids dressed as superheroes and princesses, holding out sticky fingers in a bid for treats — no tricks, thank you. Leaves will rustle. Jack o’ lanterns will burn. Adults who should know better will have a Snickers bar or so too many.

Scary times? Certainly, for many of us. But surely, there’s no harm in one more popcorn ball.