In my experience, I found the two groups to be different.  The ones who are against Halloween are also really into the religious meaning behind Christmas and they might tolerate Santa, but they don't have their kids really believe in him, unless it's just in spirit.

Rowen, what denomination are you seeing this in?  UCC?

To add on what chemgal said, Halloween is often seen by the people (extremists) you're referring to as a real occult ritual or something to that effect.  Christmas doesn't have that association, Santa or not.

I think it has something to do with the ghoul and gore aspect that turns people off (we've made it into). Christmas, even the secular, commercial version, at least tries to retain some element of goodwill and good cheer towards people. Halloween, more about 'let's scare the bejeebees out of them." so, which are people willing to spend money on (both are now so commercialized).

See, to me, once you get through the accumulated commercial and cultural crud that has built up around both festivals, both represent something spiritually profound.

Halloween reminds us that the death and darkness are as much part of existence as life and light.

Christmas is about Hope being born into a dark world.

Mendalla

Yup. I get that. I guess some people would rather focus on the hope being born, than on the dark world. Dressing up in costumes and getting some candy okay. But, the violent and dark aspect itself- it's kinda weird that it's celebrated, I think. If it's done with a sense of humour- that brings light to it. But, some of it's just plain dark. Some of the masks, costumes, movies, etc. are disturbing.

Not to be Debbie Downer or anything ;) but I think we live in a really spoiled culture- because the death and darkness depicted in sophisticated Halloween symbolism, is the last thing people in many parts of the world long to celebrate.

I guess that I am in the "you can't have one without the other" camp. Birth and death are defining moments in a life, a cycle that existence goes through continuously, but also interdependent elements of existence. If the multiverse theory of cosmology holds, even universes go through the cycle and have these defining moments. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (To everything there is a season...) captures this beautifully.

Celebrating that cycle means acknowledging all parts of it, albeit in different ways. Obviously, one does not acknowledge the dark in the same way as the light, but that does not mean it should go unacknowledged.

Traditional "Hallowe'en" was less about violence and horror and more about recognizing the presence of the shadow side of existence and those who have passed on before us. That's likely why I gravitate more to classic ghost stories than modern horror at Halloween (though I do enjoy a good modern horror novel, too).

Mendalla

Thinking of starting up a holiday without the cheery-hohohoness of Christmas, nor the eek-so-scariness of Halloween. It shall be a day of contended blissful apathy. It shall be a day of elevator music and mediocre television specials. People shall give presents, but none that others particularly love nor think are creepy - a box of kleenex perhaps, or a blank CD.It shall be called Mehday. 

I can see the ads for Mehday sales now... slight discounts on stuff you really don't need or want.    and the traditional meal... a baloney sandwich, with no mustard.  Mustard would be too exciting...

Sounds rather like an exaggerated version of how Christmas and Halloween have been nerfed by the commercial crowd already. I kind of like that. Let us have real Christmas and real Halloween (see my comments upthread to know what I mean by this) and give the corporate marketing machine its own holiday to screw around with.

Mendalla