Each year, a few days after standard time returns and the dark cloak of winter gets cinched up around the shoulders of the day, we have some fun with the new dinnertime darkness for the sake of kids. We call it Halloween.

This year, the world seems plenty dark even without the time change, given the foreign war and domestic worries. There has not been much light in our collective emotional response to events, and the sensitivity of small children to the moods of their parents may have drawn an overdose of gloom and anxiety into what should be a happy and carefree childhood.

Parents have always gone to extra lengths to keep their children out of harm’s way on Halloween by tagging along on trick-or-treating forays to keep an eye on traffic and treats. This year there seem to be even more unspecified threats lurking in the shadows; some apprehensive adults have even advocated calling off Halloween this year. What is a small child to think when parents say in action and word that the make-believe spooks of Halloween are real this year?

Our American culture has always greeted the cover of winter darkness with hopeful anticipation that has brought meaning and excitement to generations of children. If we need a reminder of how important this season is to a child, all we have to do is examine our own stores of favorite childhood memories to see how many of them have to do with the holidays at the end of the year.

If we are serious about preserving our American culture, we must be serious about preserving the hope and happiness of our children – even in the darkness. Because of their extraordinary sensitivity, that means protecting them even from our own emotional angst. It is the perfect time of year to draw our children near, to share their excitement, to delight in their anticipation, and to reinforce the family fortress of love and security. As their guardians, we must always scan the horizon for threats to the health and safety of children, but it wouldn’t hurt us to tell the kids we are just admiring the sunset.