Well, it’s that time of the year again. Halloween is fast approaching. The leaves are turning colors, we are unpacking our sweaters and scarves for the cooler weather, and carving what we believe will be the best jack-o-lantern ever.  Soon, children all over the country will be going door-to-door  filling their baskets with candy while wearing their super hero or pretty princess costume.

Halloween didn’t become popular in American until the mid-1800s when millions of Irish people came to the U.S. to flee Ireland’s potato famine in 1846, bringing the tradition of Halloween with them.  The new Irish and English immigrants helped to nationalize the holiday, and Americans started dressing up in costumes and going door to door looking for food or money.  Over the millennia the holiday transitioned from a somber pagan ritual to a day of merriment, costumes, parades and sweet treats for children and adults.

Here are some interesting facts about Halloween:

• The first Jack O’ Lanterns were actually made from turnips.
• Halloween is the second highest grossing commercial holiday after Christmas.
• Samhainophobia is the fear of Halloween.
• The largest pumpkin ever measured was 836 pounds in 1993
• Ireland is believed to be the birthplace of Halloween.
• Black and orange are typically associated with Halloween. Orange is a symbol of strength and endurance and, along with brown and gold, stands for the harvest and autumn.  Black is typically a symbol of death and darkness and acts as a reminder the Halloween once was a festival that marked the boundaries between life and death.

Kids and adults sometimes tend to struggle with what Halloween costume they will wear that year.  A certain population of Americans take their costume cues from the years’ pop culture.  History does repeat itself as this has been the case for decades.  For example, here is a list of the top costumes:

• 1993 Ninja Turtle
• 1997 Batman / Catwoman
• 2000 Austin Powers
• 2001 Harry Potter
• 2005 Darth Vador / Princess Leia
• 2007 Hannah Montana
• 2016 Donald Trump / Hillary Clinton
• 2017 Wonder Woman / Spiderman
• 2018 Black Panther
• 2019 Fortnite / Spiderman

Whether you are going to a Halloween party, going trick-or-treating with your kids, giving out candy, or curling up on the couch to watch a scary movie, Halloween is meant to be enjoyed.  I am throwing a Halloween party for my son and his friends.  I used the Idea Board of the Penless app to help me organize all the details.  https://www.penless.com/  It is a great way to keep everything I need to do in one place on my phone.  I am even able to bookmark certain websites of where I want to buy some of the decorations.  Penless makes planning a party a breeze!

During the day, I don’t believe in ghosts.  At night, I’m a little more open-minded – unknown

photo: Libreshot