Everybody doesn't have to play

This is Halloween, this is Halloween

Pumpkins scream in the dead of night

This is Halloween, everybody make a scene

Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright

It’s our town, everybody scream

In this town of Halloween

Don’t recognize those words? Then it’s fair to assume the sugar from Halloween candy doesn’t course through your veins, and that visions of ghouls and gremlins don’t dance in your late-October head.

The lines penned by composer Danny Elfman are familiar to all who hail the Pumpkin King featured in Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” And for a certain segment of society — many kids and those of us older folks who never outgrew the adrenaline rush of being scared witless on moonless, mindless candy quests — this really is the best holiday of them all.

Not everybody can live in Halloween town, however.

And not everybody wants to.

Borrowing the words from another song, this is a good time to pull off our masks for a moment and enunciate: R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me.

Trick-or-treaters should not be harassed for hitting the streets in search of sweets, and those who abstain from the festivities should be equally respected. There are religious reasons, health reasons and other reasons why some people choose not to participate. Respect them all and understand, nobody owes anyone an explanation.

When the sun goes down tomorrow, keep your pranks to yourselves and your like-minded friends. If a porch light isn’t on, that’s your signal to stay away. Light on? Jack-o’-lanterns beaming? That’s a welcome mat for excited kids of all ages.

Let’s have fun, be safe and respect each other. Whatever your system of belief or disbelief, respectfully is the best way to celebrate Halloween.