Halloween just ain't what it used to be

It seems like only yesterday I was tiredly walking my little butt home, dressed as the pink Power Ranger and carrying my orange plastic pumpkin brimming with enough candy to keep a 6-year-old wired for weeks. But since time has passed, it seems that Halloween and the costumes that accompany it have lost much of their youthful innocence.

Little girls used to want to dress up as Disney princesses, like Belle or Cinderella. Now they want to show off their Lady Gaga leotard or perfect their Snooki fake tan and poof. Little boys couldn't wait to dress up like firefighters or cops, but instead they impersonate pimps or their favorite rapper.

Costumes for women are even worse. Somewhere along the line someone decided that all women should dress as promiscuously as possible for Halloween. Women now have to pay upwards of $40 for costumes that barely cover their goodies.

You might be thinking, "Women don't have to dress that way if they don't want to."  For those with this mind set, I suggest taking a trip down to your nearest Party City. Costumes that are not "sexy" are very limited. Forgive us for not finding the giant pumpkin suit or the Velma costume to be very appealing alternatives.

The best part of Halloween, trick-or-treating, has sadly changed too.

Growing up in South Buffalo, I knew almost everyone in the neighborhood. It was only in a great while that you came upon a house with the doors shut and the lights off. You didn't have to go very far before your bag was filled with chocolate.

I find that it's the total opposite these days.

I took my 10- and 11-year-old sisters trick-or-treating last year and was surprised to see so many houses dark and uninviting. It seemed for every one house passing out candy, there were 10 in between that were not. After walking block after block and even driving to different sections, my sisters were still disappointed.

Maybe my former neighbors feel a pinch on the wallet because people just aren't passing out candy like they used to.

There are set rules for trick-or-treating now, too. The general rule used to be from sun up to sun down, or just whenever you couldn't find any more candy. Now in the city of Buffalo, there is a strict two-hour limit, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Whether it's the decrease in clothing or candy, I miss the old Halloween!

Samantha Murphy can be reached by e-mail at murphy.record@live.com.