I must admit that share (some of) the priest's misgivings about Hallowe'en - but not for the same reasons.
How much agricultural land and effort is being wasted on growing pumpkins which will just be thrown away on November 1st?
I get the impression that - for safety reasons - many shops have given up selling fireworks and the cheap and nasty crap available for Hallowe'en more than makes up for this. It (despite the origins of the celebration) is a cultural (and profitable) import from the USA. I was in France a few years ago in late october and saw the same sort of stuff in French supermarkets.