One of the first holidays of the fall/winter season is upon us.

Halloween has been a traditional celebration for centuries, although it’s been called different names and the early observances took on different forms, whether it was to celebrate the harvest or a time for pranks and trick-or-treating. I’m not going to get into the history of the celebration, because truly I’m not all that familiar with ancient history and the customs of the civilizations of pre-history or ancient history.

One thing I will bring up is the famous 1938 radio dramatization of H.G. Wells’ book, “War of the Worlds,” which demonstrated the power of the radio and managed to scare some people into thinking the U.S. was under attack by Mars. When I was growing up in Baton Rouge, one of the local radio stations would replay the drama every Oct. 30.

But listening to the “War of the Worlds” wasn’t the only thing I did on Halloween.

One of the things I enjoyed about Halloween as a child was being able to become someone, else either by wearing a ready-made costume or making one up on my own with what I could find in my room. Costumes were usually the topic of discussion in school as Halloween approached.

When I was growing up, it wasn’t unusual to get together with a few friends — all of us in costume — and go trick-or-treating in several neighborhoods and collect a pile of loot. Of course, that was a different time and things were a bit safer and saner.

When our daughter was little, we took her to trick-or-treat at her grandmothers’ neighborhoods because we knew all the neighbors and knew it was safe.

But times have changed and some things my friends and I did long ago we would not do now, because it’s no longer safe and the actions of some have made people think twice about taking their children trick-or-treat. It seems like Halloween has turned into one of those traditions that may soon fade away.

But I find hope for the season. Here, and in many other towns across the country, organizations have come together to revive the tradition of trick-or-treat with other programs, whether it be a fall festival, trunk-or-treat events or in malls or shopping centers. When we lived in Decatur, Ala., the local shopping mall had a trick-or-treat tradition where the merchants at the different stores handed out treats to the children.

Locally, several businesses and organizations will be holding Halloween-related activities. Among them are Kirk Brothers Ford, 2431 North Frontage Road, trunk-or-treat Oct. 27 beginning at 4 p.m.; Warren County-Vicksburg Library, 700 Veto St., free Halloween children’s carnival on Oct. 28; Foundry Church, 3428 Wisconsin Ave., trunk-or-treat on Oct. 29 beginning at 5:30 p.m.; Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau, 52 Old Highway 27 across from the Vicksburg National Military Park, trunk-or-treat on Oct. 31 from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

It’s my hope that the community will support these events and we can all have a safe and happy Halloween.