If Christians are offended with the current state of Halloween, they should take it back. It is not exclusively a Catholic observance, as it was begun long before the Reformation, so can also be claimed by Protestants. (I do not subscribe to the idea that it was adopted from a pagan holiday.)
That is, Halloween is the evening of the three-day observance of Allhallowtide. All Saints’ Eve (Halloween), All Saints’ Day (All Hallows’) and All Souls’ Day. Allhallowtide is a “time to remember the dead, including martyrs, saints, and all faithful departed Christians.”
On All Hallows’ Eve, Christians traditionally believed that the veil between the material world and the afterlife thinned. In order to prevent recognition by a soul, “people would don masks or costumes to disguise their identities”.
That is, on Halloween, ‘first through the gate’ were the troubled, not virtuous souls, who look for those they knew in life, for bad reasons. This is the reason for the costumes.
But the following day, All Saints’ Day, the most virtuous of people return, to again spread about their goodness and blessings as they can.
The last day, All Souls’ Day, is for those departed who were good Christians, to find solace among the living, and peace in their rest. Mostly seen in the Mexican Day of the Dead, it is a chance for the living to remember their love for the departed, maybe to remind them that once loved, they are still loved.
Thank you for that history lesson.