It's a boon for candy companies and a pox for dentists.

It's an excuse to have fun.

Few Americans know or want to know anything about its origins which can be read on Wikipedia.

When I was a kid, Halloween was "A Big Deal." We went from house to house and neighborhood to neighborhood. Usually, we would have to return home 2 or 3 times in a night, dump the haul, and return for the next batch.

Nowadays, I don't see many trick-or-treaters (the kids who knock on your door in costume). For the past few years, I buy two bags of chocolates and I'm lucky if I get 10 visitors. For the first time in my life, I did not buy candy for Halloween yesterday.

I was going to stop by the observatory last night instead, but I got halfway there and realized it was too overcast. So I went home, turned out the lights, and spent two hours on the exercise bike.