Just a nod in the title to the ever-popular Halloween insult: "When are you going to take your mask off?"

My love of Halloween goes back to childhood, long before my professional days. There was nothing I liked better than choosing a costume, carving pumpkins, and trick-or-treating. I even remember coming up with a backstory for the holiday: As Halloween approached, the spirits of the dead and skeletons rose slowly up from the depths of the earth where they were buried, and finally surfaced on Halloween night (I better copyright that before it becomes a cable miniseries). I always wanted Halloween to be like it was in movies and on TV – a full moon, bare trees, the wind blowing fallen leaves around, and an old, creepy house down the block. We actually had to go several blocks away to encounter an older creepy house – much further than our parents would allow us. One year, the neighborhood staged a Halloween parade after dark, and we all strode down the street with flashlights. (Nowadays, would we just be walking with lit-up cell phone screens?)

We used to laugh when certain kids would always opt to be “a bum” for Halloween. It wasn’t like they couldn’t afford a costume; they were just lazy. Today, is it politically incorrect to be a bum or hobo – is it considered making fun of the homeless?

We always hoped for a scary movie on TV that night, and only got one occasionally. Back then, some of the TV series on air would opt for a Halloween plot in their show, which always seemed pretty cool. I guess we’re helping realize that dream with our Halloween-tinged episodes all day today on MeTV! We also hoped that something really authentically spooky might happen… but I don’t think it ever did. The closest we came was some teenage goofballs smashing our pumpkins on the front sidewalk.

Now, with Halloween such a big event for both adults and kids, it’s a lot of fun to see the costumes that people come up with – and interesting to see how many kids have been raised to be polite when they come to your door. (Hint: Have some patience. Ringing the doorbell, then banging endlessly on the front door will only aggravate the homeowner, and guarantee you the smallest, least flavorful treat they have available… or possibly a packet of dental floss.)

I hope your Halloween is whatever you want it to be: fun, funny, scary, or peaceful. Just STOP RINGING THAT DOORBELL! Wait…there’s nobody there…ARRGGH!

Be sure to tune in to MeTV all day today, Friday, October 31st for Halloween themed episodes of your favorite MeTV programs!