Today is Halloween and there will be little trick-or-treaters that will be knocking on my door tonight, asking for candy. I will oblige, but there is something that makes me sad about this holiday. It is just not the same as it once was.

I know this will make me sound very old, but let me tell you about Halloween when I was a child. This was one of the best times to be a kid because people came out in force and put on a community event that was just delightful. Candy was not store-bought confections. People actually made homemade treats to hand out at their doors. No one worried that someone would but something evil in the candy or that it was made in an unsanitary kitchen. My mother was famous for her homemade caramel apples and sticky popcorn balls. It was not just sweets either. People grilled hot dogs and handed them out to trick-or-treaters. They had bonfires and gathered the neighbors together to make s’mores. My hometown had a Halloween parade where they had a best-dressed costume contest. When I was 8 years old and my brother was 4, my two teenage sisters came up with an idea in which they made a black sedan out of a cardboard box that strapped over my young shoulders. They dressed me in a dark suit with a top hat and put my little brother in a bride’s dress, holding a bouquet of flowers, with a "Just Married” sign on the back of the cardboard car. We took second place and earned $15. Do you see why I mourn the loss of something very fun for children? No one was out to harm anyone, it was just a grand community event.

We live in a much different world than where I grew up. It is a shame. The new world is skeptical that some angry, demented person will get loose on Halloween to do the unthinkable to children. They are convinced that Freddy Krueger lurks out there. We have to be more careful; I get it. But there is another sentiment that is at work today. People get offended by the smallest of things. For instance, it was pretty common when I was in elementary school to have a dress up day on Halloween. We had an in-school party and got to play games. It was fun for children. Most schools have given up on these kinds of festivities – at Halloween or any other holiday – simply because parents complain. In the name of protecting kids, they have taken away the celebration and ruined the fun.

I think it is time to take back Halloween to make it the community event it once was. There are some communities that have tried to make a safe environment for kids, such as Trunk-or-Treat – an event where people decorate the trunks of cars and hand out candy in a well lit parking lot, usually at a school, a library, or a church. There are some communities that have fall festivals this time of year. Where does all of this fit into business? I am finding that business sponsorships in the fall are gaining traction over other times of the year by their exclusivity. What do I mean by that? Whenever I am advising a client on their marketing and they are thinking about sponsoring an event, I tell them the same thing: try to be the exclusive sponsor. Don’t share the sponsorship with another company if you can help it. Next, find an event where a lot of people will attend and have a wonderful experience. They will associate your brand with the fun they had. Most sponsorships, especially those open to an entire community, happen in the spring and summer. But fall is quickly gaining ground as a good season to promote yourself. From Labor Day to Thanksgiving, more and more outside community events are happening. Find your event – maybe a Halloween event – and gain some recognition for your brand.