All Hallows Eve

picture from www.goodlightscraps.com

Happy Halloween, everyone! Just the thought of Halloween almost causes cavities to form in my teeth, but this festive holiday has always been one of my very favorites. The decorative pumpkins and scarecrows, gorgeous leaves, clever costumes, and candy galore are a few of the reasons why this day has got me, as well as just about everyone else, hooked! So...why do we even celebrate this wacky day anyway?
Halloween, also known as All Hallows' Eve or All Saints' Eve, can be traced back to approximately 5 B.C.E.   Celtics had a yearly festival known as Samhain, and they believed that spirits of those who had died would rise and mingle with the living on October 31. That day marked the end of their harvest season and prepared them for winter. People would leave food on their doorsteps for good spirits and would start bonfires or wear masks to drive the bad spirits away.

picture of Samhain from pagepaige.blogspot.com 

"Guising," or dressing up in a costume, door-to-door can be traced back to Scotland in 1895 on Halloween. Trick-or-treating for candy or other similar treats became popular in North America in the 1940s.
Classic costumes that children and adults alike don on Halloween or to a costume party include witches, pirates, celebrities, fictional characters, animals, a play on words (example: writing or wearing a book on your face or head would be "Facebook"), or other people or objects that are big in pop culture. This year, one of the most popular costumes was Miley Cyrus as she appeared at this year's Video Music Awards.
If you will be out trick-or-treating tonight, remember to stay safe! There may be cars driving fast without thinking about the people in the streets, so wearing bright clothing or a reflector is a cheap way to ensure a little extra safety. If you are worried about ruining your costume's image, try attaching something to your candy bag!


picture from www.pamsclipart.com 

Too old to trick-or-treat or wanted a change of pace? Handing out candy can definitely be a blast too! To set the mood, I suggest playing some Halloween music (I use Pandora) and perhaps sitting on your porch with some hot chocolate and a cozy blanket. Speaking from experience, I can guarantee this is one fun way to start your night. Most towns have guidelines on how long trick-or-treating lasts, so if the night is young and you still have time to kill before you call it a day, try having a movie marathon! Some popular picks for this day include several of my personal favorites! If you are in the mood for more children friendly yet spooky picks, just about anything that Tim Burton made would be a great choice. Anywhere from Edward Scissorhands to Alice in Wonderland, or Coraline to the Nightmare Before Christmas would be terrific. Not your type? Well how about The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Halloween, Scream, Scooby Doo,  Ghost Busters, Harry Potter, or Nightmare on Elm Street? One of these films should surely put a smile on your face.

If you are feeling generous....
For many, you will have an abundance of candy and not enough mouths to eat it all. If you have extra Halloween candy that you do not want or decide you do not need, you have a few options. You could save it for a rainy day by placing extra candy in a plastic bag in your freezer. To put a smile on someone's face, there are many groups or clubs that collect unwanted or donated candy and send it to our troops overseas. Others donate candy to patients at hospitals or people in nursing homes. Anything would be greatly appreciated, so this may be an awesome event for you to try out this year!


picture from  mrspedtechtalk.blogspot.com 

Citations: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trick-or-treating