Now That Halloween Is Over…

I'd like to offer one last Halloween fright before we turn our attention to the next celebration of the holiday season—Thanksgiving coming up in the U.S. on Thursday, November 27, 2025. And what is that one last fright?  It's all that Halloween candy you still have on hand.

Halloween aftermath usually means two things—putting the witch and goblin decorations away and fighting the battle of all that candy in the house. First, there's the leftover candy from what you bought to hand out to trick-or-treaters. There's two schools of thought about what type of candy to buy. One theory says buy what you like so you can enjoy the leftovers. The other theory says buy what you don't like so you won't be tempted. And the second thing is all the candy your kids collected on their trick or treat rounds. Sacks full of candy. Enough potential sugar overdose and tooth decay material to last until next Halloween.

And what kind of candy is it that we now have in abundance? It seems that all the candy manufacturers, in addition to their regular size candy bars, make the little fun size candy—the mini candy bars or individual pieces. Those little bite size morsels that give us just a taste.  Unfortunately, it's usually a taste for more.

These little tidbits aren't as harmless as you'd like to believe. Many of the small treats are worse for you than eating a normal size candy bar. But that can't be, you tell yourself, because you're only going to eat one of those little things and that's certainly not the same as a regular size candy bar. What's that you said? Eat just one? Well, you and I both know that's a lie! Remember that old Lay's Potato Chip commercial from many years ago? Bet you can't eat just one. That applies to those tasty little bite size morsels of candy as well.

Perhaps the scariest thing about Halloween is the number of calories, grams of fat, and grams of sugar we consume under the guise of it's little, it won't hurt me.

And finally, how about Halloween Superstitions?

Superstitions flourish in all countries and all cultures. Some of the origins are so obscured by time that no one knows when, how or why they came into being. Friday the 13^th always brings out superstitions and the rituals used to thwart them.

However, Friday the 13^th isn't the only day of superstitions.

Halloween has always been a holiday filled with mystery, magic and superstition. It began as a Celtic end-of-summer festival during which people felt especially close to deceased relatives and friends. They set places at the table and left treats on doorsteps for these friendly spirits. They also lit candles to help their loved ones find their way back to the spirit world. Today's Halloween ghosts are usually depicted as scarier, as are our customs and superstitions.

Here's a list of ten superstitions that seem to apply specifically to Halloween.

1)  If a candle goes out on its own on Halloween, it is thought a ghost has come to call.

2)  A burning candle inside of a Jack-o-lantern on Halloween keeps evil spirits at bay.

3)  You invite bad luck into your home if you allow a fire to burn out on Halloween.

4)  A person born on Halloween can both see and talk to spirits.

5)  Seeing a spider on Halloween could be the spirit of a dead loved one who is watching you.

6)  If you hear footsteps behind you on Halloween, don't look back because it could be the dead following.

7)  Don't look at your shadow in moonlight on Halloween night.  Otherwise, you will die within a short period of time.

8)  If a bat flies around a house three times, it is a death omen.

9)  Ringing a bell on Halloween will scare evil spirits away.

10)  A bat that enters a home may have been let in by a ghost.

Do you have any superstitions that we could watch out for with Halloween of 2026?

Next week we'll take a look at the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.