Halloween is fast becoming the most prominent holiday in America. The traditions that Deborah and I have been raised in have always resisted the spookiness and secularity of this almost meaningless holiday. But when we were in Phoenix this year with Deborah's cousins and aunt and uncle we saw a whole other side of Halloween.

We started out across the street at a block party and had pizza and other fun food. Already there was an air of camaraderie and good spirits, with everyone trying to make things special for the children.

Then we set out for trick or treating. None of our family had ever done it before, but it was something entirely different than what we were expecting. Because the weather was so nice, most people were sitting out in front of their house in lawn chairs with their baskets of treats. Neighbors sat together to pass the time between pods of tricksters.

Some of the homes had really gone all-out, with barbecues and haunted houses. Everyone was so friendly, and practically begged you to join them for a hotdog or hamburger.

I thought, 'When else in the American calendar do we invite complete strangers into our house for food? What other strategies do we have for bringing neighborhoods together like this?' Maybe the absence of baggage we have around a holiday like Christmas can be a resource for the kind of peace and goodwill we try to promote under the more doctrinaire 'holy days.'