The Jewish Halloween

My friend Dave, (http://bogieworks.blogs.com/treppenwitz/) tells me that blogging is like having a baby. "It needs constant attention and feeding if you want it to thrive." Well, Dave, you haven't fed your baby in two days!!!!!!
As Purim (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purim) approaches, everyone begins to get excited, especially the kids. The last week, the discussion at our dinner table was about "What I should be for Purim." And we are talking about teenagers here, not little kids. Now I have never had the privilege of being in Israel for Purim, which I understand is a blast, (no bad pun intended) but here in the states, i think of getting dressed up for Purim as a little kid activity, you know, like Queens Esther or Vashti, Mordechai, or Achashveiros, or, loi alaynu, Haman. (see the previous link if you need the translations!) But today, the kids want to be Britney Spears, (bald or not) or Michael Jackson, or some other non-purim like creature. Which brings me to my topic. Somewhere over the last week or two I read something equating Purim to Halloween. There is catachlysmic difference between the two, and the title of that article/post offended me. But as i listen to our kids, good kids, who go to Jewish day schools, and Jewish high schools, i do have to wonder why their focus is not on megilla, or shaloch manos, or matanot la'evyonim. Don't get me wrong. They will all read megilla, deliver shaloch manos, and give tzedaka, but that is not where their priority is as we get ready for Purim. Maybe I am jaded. Cynical.
Or maybe they are just kids.