Merry Halloween!.....

"Trick or treat, smell my feet!" That was the familiar refrain we would say when I was a kid. But from costumes and candy, to parties and the house of horrors, Halloween has grown to become an over $8 billion dollar industry. I think I've been to more Halloween parties than for anything else outside of Christmas. But how did this happen? What was once a one-night stand for kids to get free candy has developed into an almost month long celebration of both merriment and the macabre.

Have other holidays grown? Or have they suffered due to the growth of popularity of Halloween? Let's look at them.

New Years Eve/Day: May have suffered the most. When I was younger, New Years Eve parties were a BIG deal. Everybody went to one.Yes there was drinking, and plenty of it.  But wherever you were, Dick Clark in Times Square was near. That was also the night you were careful when driving home. Now, maybe because of my age, I stay home. Dick Clark is dead. New Years Day was the day to watch all the football games It was the end of the college football season. Now it goes on for a couple of more weeks.

Memorial Day: Stayed about the same. People have picnics, go to parades. I think they are mostly happy because warmer weather is near. Most people only think for a few minutes about the real reason for the holiday. Honoring our country's fallen heroes. Sometimes that's too sobering a concept to grasp. However, I do like the quote from Gen. George Patton. "The object of war is not to die for your country, but to make the other poor bastard die for theirs."

Fireworks, flags,  and fun on the Forth.

Independence Day: My favorite summer holiday Fireworks, burgers, dogs, beer, and remembering the founding fathers. A ballsy group if there ever was one. Let's go USA.

Labor Day: Never a big deal with me. Enjoy the last holiday with decent weather. Hasn't changed much.

Thanksgiving: The ultimate family holiday. Great food. (that's a pain in the ass to make, but tastes good going down). It is what it is. But recently I think Thanksgiving, and the family, has been damaged by the retail giants that need to make a buck on black Friday, and now on Thanksgiving Day itself. Shop online, everybody.

Christmas: You know what it is. But somehow the celebration of The King of Kings has turned into a dreading of the king of stress. People worry about what to wear. What's a good gift. Will uncle Lou be pleasant this year? Will the food be good enough? What about the decorations?. And on and on. Sometimes the best day of the Christmas season is the 26th. Everybody relaxes, and you get to wear that "beautiful" sweater.

OSU Coach Woody Hayes even came to a Halloween party.

So that brings us back to the tremendous growth of Halloween. Why? I think because it's just fun. I have no statistics to prove this, but I think there's more Halloween parties today than New Years parties. Plus free candy! Can you really complain about a funsize Baby Ruth? Costumes? The stupider the better. You get to pretend you're somebody else for a day. I think adults keep it up as adults because they remember the fun they had as a kid. The haunted houses and haunted theme parks? Heck, it's fun to laugh at the horrible and the grim reaper for one day.

Some people have a problem. They say it's a celebration of the devil. I think they're thinking too deep. I have no problem with it. It's a chance to be somebody else, and laugh.

So this year, let's try to be a little more creative with that costume. No dressing like a "bum" (how would we know the difference?) Moms, don't give out Double Bubble. That's good for a baseball game, but not Halloween. And kids, remember: careful crossing streets, watch out for cars.. And no smashing pumpkins. Right.