I'm with you about kids being bussed in or trick-or-treating high school kids.
Otherwise it's just a time to get silly, have low expectations, and let reality go. Maybe close to a festivus for the rest of us.
One of our neighbors tried to make a statement one year. They had a note on the front door claiming the house had a spell on it so they couldn't give out candy. The reality is they're an older religious couple with no kids and probably just didn't want to be bothered. They are nut jobs for xmas though, the first ones to put up xmas lights and the last to take them down (well into February).