Tired of the usual Halloween party decoration ideas?  Done with the carved pumpkin spewing green vomit or purple smoke?  Are you over all the Spooky Recipes, like witches’ finger cookies and bat wing licorice props? 

Me too.

Yet, when I drive through my neighborhood, I seem to be the only one not “in the spirit.”

I see yards filled with spooks and spider webs and zombies.  I hear eerie music and moans.  Skeletons chase monsters (or vice versa) around tombstones and cauldrons. 

The inflatables are bountiful, but not as imaginative as the Christmas blow-ups.  Perhaps that is because Halloween is just the second most popular holiday. 

No matter the marketing, Halloween sales are topped only by Christmas.  Unmistakably, Halloween is a profitable season for merchants, costume shops, and candy makers. 

Just for fun, here’s a sampling of some Halloween fun facts borrowed from several Internet resources.

            1.  Samhainophobia is the fear of Halloween.  Where can a samhainophic go to escape Halloween?  Think about it.

            2.  Fifty percent of kids prefer to receive chocolate candy for Halloween, compared with 24% who prefer non-chocolate candy and 10% who preferred gum.

            3.  Trick-or-treating evolved from the ancient Celtic tradition of putting out treats and food to placate spirits who roamed the streets at Samhain, a sacred festival that marked the end of the Celtic calendar year.

            4.  According to tradition, if a person wears his or her clothes inside out and then walks backwards on Halloween, he or she will see a witch at midnight.

            5.  72.2% of those surveyed by the National Retail Federation will hand out candy, 46.3% will carve a pumpkin, 20.8% will visit a haunted house, and 11.5% will dress up their pets.

            6.  Also, according to the National Retail Federation, 40.1% plan to wear a Halloween costume and 33% will throw or attend a party.

            7.  A child born on Halloween is said to have the ability to talk to spirits.

            8.  In Bellville, Missouri, it is illegal to ask for candy if you are over the age of 13.

            9.  In Alabama, it is illegal to dress up as a priest or as a nun on Halloween.

            10.  The average bag of candy that one child will collect on Halloween contains about 11,000 calories.

May this Halloween be a record setting season.  Happy Halloween from A Desk 4 Me.

by Ike Stoneberger, Writer/Wizard/Mall Santa/Potato Impersonator at A Desk 4 Me