FAVORITES and FUN: Halloween

I remember Halloween when I was a kid. We ran around in the dark with pillow cases for the candy. (Paper bags could break.) It was heaven for an 11-year-old. Of course once I hit junior high, I was too old.

In the 70s and 80s, Halloween declined. Stories of razor blades in apple and needles in candy were everywhere. People were worried about safety.

But Halloween wouldn't die. (I couldn't resist the line.) It became a favorite of college students and bars. Young women loved the excuse to dress slutty once a year.

Then, it became a retail bonanza. It's NOT the second biggest retail holiday as went around a few years.(http://www.snopes.com/holidays/halloween/spending.asp ), but 6th isn't bad. The decorations and costumes are thick in stores. According to the National Retail Federation’s 2009 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, consumers are expected to spend an average of $56.31 on Halloween, down from $66.54 last year. Total spending on the holiday is expected to reach $4.75 billion.

A whole industry was sprung up around the holiday of horror. Someone is even selling Halloween Hot Sauce. ( http://www.halloweenhots.com ) What's next?