When these acts of minor vandalism happen, to call the police would violate the spirit of the holiday. Not only are the trick-or-treaters supposed to be anonymous, they are encouraged to step outside the normal constraints of propriety - to live large and take risks without fear of reprisals, if only for one night. Again, it levels the playing field, giving everyone equally the right to demand treats without paying for them and to deface your property if you don't hand it over.
We open our lives to public opinion each Oct. 31 and hope for good results, but there is no guarantee. Children have minds of their own and will make their choices based on multiple factors: Do I know these people? Does the house look too spooky? How many treats am I likely to get? And when the night is over, there are winners and there are losers.
Finally, what makes Halloween so democratic is that it is a holiday where the people make the rules. Although it has roots in the calendar of the Catholic Church and the pre-Christian ceremonies before it, Halloween today is not legislated by Congress. It is not a government holiday. It is not decreed by any religious leader. The traditions and the activities are created by each household, in each neighborhood, in each town all across America.
