Around the Bluhmin’ Town

By

Judy Bluhm

Brace yourself. The horror is coming. And no, I am not referring to the midterms. Halloween is right around the corner. Ghouls, witches, pumpkins and treats. Be prepared for a night of plenty of scary costumes, a bowl of candy and a Bloody Mary. No, not the drink. (Okay, maybe). Bloody Mary is the evil spirt which you can conjure up by chanting her name repeatedly in front of a mirror in a dark room. Dear Readers, don’t do it! Those who have tried it claim they have had their souls stolen!

Let’s talk about pumpkins. A talented man in Rhode Island now holds the world record for the world’s fattest pumpkin, weighing in at an unbelievable 3,156 pounds. Good gourd! The first pumpkin to ever break the 3,000-pound barrier. That humongous pumpkin can make more than 3000 pies! Or, in Arizona, could feed 1,500 javelina. I am making up that last statistic, but two pounds per pig sounds about right. 

Then there is the candy. Americans have a sweet tooth and will likely spend 4.1 billion on candy for Halloween. A global surge in cocoa and sugar costs has seen a spike in confectionery prices, rising by about eight percent over last year. Oh well, a little inflation will not stop us from getting our bags of confection! For the trick-or-treaters, of course.

The billions spent on candy is just the tip of the spooky iceberg. Americans love to decorate and dress up in costumes, translating to over 13 billion in Halloween spending. My dog, Teddy, and I were walking last evening, and someone had a ten-foot-tall skeleton displayed in their front yard. Poor Teddy went up to give it a sniff, and the skeleton moved and let out a horrifying screech. Which I matched with a scream and Teddy with a terrifying howl.

See those cute little kids in your neighborhood all dressed up in costumes? Well, that tradition goes back to the medieval times, when poor adults and children went around in costumes during “Hallowmas,” the Autumn holiday which included folks begging for food and money in exchange for prayers. This annual routine was called “souling” and was brought to America by the Irish early in the 20th century.

The idea of walking around asking for candy completely went away during WWII when sugar was rationed. But by 1952 trick-or-treating became popular again. And it has been ever since.  Even with fears (mostly unfounded) about kids getting razor blades stuck in their candy, children going house-to-house asking complete strangers for candy, became one big American holiday.

Today, trunk-or-treat events have taken over the traditional door knocking, because they offer a more convenient and centralized location. Held at churches or community centers, it gives children a chance to trick- or- treat in a safe environment. Having kids in their scary costumes knocking door-to-door has declined across Americans suburbs, by as much as 75 percent in recent years. So, it is entirely possible that those bags of sweets you bought will mostly be eaten by you.

 Being scared on Halloween is optional, but having a bowl of candy is required. Just in case your doorbell rings. Otherwise, Bone-Appetit!

Judy Bluhm is a writer. Contact Judy at [email protected] or visit www.aroundthebluhmintown.com.