Getting Into The Spirit

The bewitching hour is not only upon us - it's here! Tonight, our baby daughter Aubrey will take to the streets for her first Halloween dressed as a duck - her favorite animal. To get into the spirit of the day, she decided to wear appropriate colors to school! So just how did all of these festivities originate? Here's a quick look, courtesy of kidzworld.com.

Trick or treating is thought to have come from a European custom in the ninth century called souling. Christians used to knock on people's doors and ask for soul cakes. The more cakes they got, the more prayers they would say for dead relatives of people who gave away cakes. Back then, they believed that the dead remained in limbo after death and that prayers would send a person's soul to heaven. Later, children knocked on doors and they were given apples, fruit and other treats instead of cake.

Scary Facts About Halloween
• About 99 percent of pumpkins sold in North America are made into jack-o'-lanterns at Halloween.
• Americans buy about 20 million pounds of candy corn for Halloween every year.
• 93 percent of American children go trick or treating. Are you one of 'em?
• New York City hosts the largest Halloween parade in the United States. More than two million people join in on the festivities and another four million tune into the parade on TV!
• In the US, around 8 percent of pet owners put their furry friends in Halloween costumes.

Happy Halloween everyone! Talk to you soon. Until then, pick up the pace and keep those ghosts outta your face!

- Jeff