It's Halloween today. That means a few things are certain: (1) Costumed children (2) Lots of candy (3) Election Day looms ahead  -- finally!  (4) The end of the year draws near. Once we hit the end of October, it really feels like the end of the year is just around the corner. On Sunday, we'll be turning the clocks back an hour. Before we know it, we'll find ourselves working on holiday shopping lists and itineraries.  Halloween falls on a Monday this year, which seems rather odd, doesn't it? Many people opted to attend Halloween parties over the weekend in lieu of trick-or-treating on a school night. I see Halloween as officially kicking off the holiday season. You'll notice that many retailers have been stocking their shelves not only with Halloween merchandise, but Christmas ornaments and decorations as well. Their strategy is obvious: Market all the holidays in one fell swoop.  To be sure, it's a smart move on the part of these merchants, as...

Yep, it's that time of year again!  I can just picture it now -- parents and their kids scrambling to find the perfect costume, houses and schools decorated with everything from ghoulish ghosts to wicked witches, children ambling from home to home trying to fill their jack-o-lantern buckets with as much candy as they can possibly fit in them. And those who don't have kids or decided to leave them with the babysitter are probably planning to attend a Halloween party or other event in town that likely involves costumes, food, and loads of liquor! While most of us are familiar with the kinds of festivities that take place on Halloween, we aren't as well versed in the history of the occasion. How and when did Halloween originate? When was trick-or-treating first referenced in the media? What are some alternative names for the holiday? Do other countries celebrate Halloween? Do stores sell nearly as much Halloween merchandise as they do Christmas items? In this post, I...