Halloween.

Well, we’ve gone and ruined that once-fun holiday for the kids.

Just because a few folks decided that if little kids dressed up in sheets and called themselves ghosts or donned a black pointed hat and became Wilda Witch, they would grow up to be members of the occult and worship Satan.

But, that, my friends, should be the least of our worries about our kids.

What should concern us is what they are doing on the other 364 days that are not Halloween.

For instance, those video games where men and women fight each other and bleed and die, now that’s scarier to me than any little ghost or goblin I ever saw.

Of course, when I was growing up we were exposed to violence — in the cartoons that came on before the Saturday afternoon western feature at the picture show.

Ol’ Wiley Coyote was always blasting and blowing up the Road Runner and Sylvester Cat and Tweety Bird were always in a chase. Yosemite Sam was always hot on Bug Bunny’s tail. But those were animals and had no relevance to those of us who that laughed and giggled at their antics.

Had these dastardly deeds been done to human characters and had there been blood and all of that had gotten into our little heads, why, many of us might have been rattling tin cups on the bars of Sing-Sing right now.

But it was fantasy and we knew it. Just like witches, ghosts and goblins are fantasy and Halloween fun.

If that’s all we’ve got to worry about our children, then folks, “we ain’t got no worries.”

But we do have worries. And, if you don’t believe me, then go to the picture show a.k.a movie and watched the previews a.k.a. trailer of the Halloween movies that are “Coming Soon.” Blood, guts and gore galore.

As Mama would say, I’ve never seen such goings on or such outlandish beings. I wasn’t sure if the characters were animals or aliens or aborigines or alligators turned human.

They shot fire from their mouths and had knives for fingers. They screamed and no sound came out. Their arms reach up and choked their own throats and roaches came out of their ears.

Everything was on fire. Buildings tumbled and crushed all the people on the streets. Bridges collapsed and corpse came out of their caskets and walked stiff legged into the streets to ravage and kill.

And, that was just the previews, the trailer.

I got so flustered watching that incentive to see more that I stuck my hand in my Coke and spilled my popcorn in my shoes.

If that’s what Halloween is all about these days, I think I’ll stay home and read “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and eat candy corn. I would recommend that others do the same.