No, I’m not talking about Christmas. I’m talking about Halloween! Halloween is perhaps the most misunderstood of all the holidays. Perceived as being a “Satanic” holiday by many, it actually gets its roots from the same place as Christmas and Easter: paganism.

According to www.history.com, “Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain.” It was on this day, the night before the new year (which they celebrated on Nov. 1), the Celts believed that the spirits of the dead walked the earth and caused trouble.

Modern traditions of wearing costumes and even bobbing for apples came out of this era. It wasn’t until a little later that trick-or-treating and jack-o’lanterns came into the picture.

As a kid, I always looked forward to Halloween night not just for the candy, but because I could be whoever I wanted to be for that one night. I could go out and get a good fright before coming home and pigging out on that year’s treat bag. Even as I got older, I still refused to give it up. One year my mom told me I was too old to go out trick-or-treating, and so we rented a number of scary movies, made creepy snacks and spent the night at home. Needless to say, I was back out trick-or-treating the next year.

One of my favorite things about Halloween is making my own costume. My mother and I would spend the whole month of October making my outfit. One year I was a Powerpuff Girl, bow and Mary Janes included. And another year, I was a faerie, with wings that were so wide I couldn’t sit down without knocking into something. When it comes to Halloween costumes, the sky — and your imagination — is the limit.

And, of course, there is the candy. It wouldn’t be Halloween without candy now, would it? My favorite was always caramel apples. Many people just handed out the cheap stuff, so to get a caramel apple was a rare treat. Of course, as soon as one of those was dropped into my bag, I would immediately start to eat it. I never paid attention to all of those news stories about razor blades being hidden inside the candy. My parents only took me to houses of people they knew, so we never even bothered to check the candy. And never once did I find poison or anything in my apples. Though I did get sick one year, but I still blame the fact that I watched The Blair Witch Project that night.