All Hallows' Eve, 2017

Dear George, 

Halloween was a huge event in our childhood and, then again, as parents to our son J.  Nowadays we sneak out to Skyline Chili and the movies to dodge the trick or treaters, but the holiday still bring back a lot of memories.  Here is some quirky Halloween trivia, along with a poem commemorating the occasion.

Love,

Dave

• The ancient Celts believed that spirits roamed the countryside on Halloween night, and they wore costumes to avoid being recognized as human beings.
• Halloween is the third biggest party day in the U.S. after New Year’s and Super Bowl Sunday.
• Last year Americans spent over $300 million on pet costumes for Halloween.  
• The first city-wide Halloween celebration in the U.S. was in Anoka, Minnesota, in 1921.
• About 99% of all pumpkins sold in the U.S. are used as Jack O’ Lanterns for Halloween.     
• Snickers is the most popular candy for trick-or-treaters.
• 90% of parents admit to sneaking candy from their kids’ Halloween trick-or-treat bags.    
• Children are twice as likely to die from being hit by a car on Halloween than any other night of the year. 
• While less common today, U.S. animal shelters have banned the adoption of black cats before Halloween out of fear that they will be sacrificed. 
• By the end of the evening a typical child’s trick or treat bag contains about 11,000 calories. 
• There are only two known cases of poisoning involving Halloween candy.  In one a boy died of a heroin overdose, but it turned out that he had consumed some of his uncle’s stash and the family sprinkled it on his candy to cover up the incident.  In the second incident a father laced his son’s candy with cyanide in order to collect $20,000 in insurance money.  
• Full moons are rare on Halloween.  The two most recent were in 2001 and in 1955.  The next one will be in 2020. 
• Candy manufacturers reportedly lobbied congress to extend daylight savings time into early November to get an extra hour of daylight for trick-or-treating (and candy sales). 
• Because John Carpenter’s 1978 movie, “Halloween”, was on such a tight budget they used a $2 William Shatner Star Trek mask for serial killer Michael Meyers’ character.  
• With over 2 million spectators and 50,000 participants, New York City holds the largest Halloween parade in the U.S.  It began as a walk with children and family friends in Greenwich Village by puppeteer Ralph Lee. 
• The record for the fastest pumpkin carving (with eyes, nose, ears, and mouth) is held by Stephen Clarke (24.03 seconds).  
• Scottish girls believed they could see images of their future husbands to be if they hung wet sheets in front of the fireplace on Halloween. 
• The fear of Halloween is known as Samhainophobia.  

All Hallows Eve

On Halloween we shed our normal selves 

We dress as ghosts or pirate kings and queens 

Then frolic with the goblins and the elves

And fill our sacks with purple jelly beans

But Halloween is more than fun and games

This is the night the dead return to life

The witches’ brew is bubbling over flames

And Dracula is seeking a new wife

The children ring the bell in search of treats

They’re clueless about what awaits their fate

Ten snarling werewolves prowl the city streets

A ghoul digests the bulbous flesh he ate

I think I’d just as soon stay home tonight

The zombies have me in a state of fright