Can anybody out there in please tell me, or explain to me, how and when did halloween  become a holiday to rival Christmas? I noticed some houses in my neighbourhood with decorations adorning the front door and windows. My two children have reminded me that we need to get witches fairylights to string accross the windows plus other must have decorations. The only scary thing about halloween now will be the cost associated with it.

What next? card companies issuing seasonal cards depicting the Grim Reaper or the Horsemen of the Apocalypse with greeting that may read "Hope you die well" or "Wishing you and yours a horrible slow death" (please feel free to add a few more).

I do miss the times when an apple held from a string or plunging your head in a basin of chilled water to fetch an apple were the treats that one looked foward to.

The main reason is Halloween fills a "retail void between back to school and Christmas.". It now ranks in the top spending holidays as we're suckered into buying decorations depicting ghosts and ghouls, and whole pumpkins.

I'm just waiting for someone like Harrods to open a devils grotto to take the kids to. "And what would you like?" he bellows with a trail of crackling laughter as he looks into the childs eyes.

What I'm interested to know is not so much how Halloween came to rival Christmas as to when did witches get fairy lights?

 Who can answer that one?