Halloween, or Hallowe'en, was a holiday celebrated on the night of October the 31^st.  Traditional activities include trick or treat with the usual fireworks and bonfires. Halloween originated from the Pagan festival of Samhain which was celebrated among the ancient Celts.

The countdown began weeks before October 31, when shops clear away their back-to-school stuff and instead clutter up the aisles with assorted orange and black expensive rubbish.  Arranged at children's height are assorted goodies such as chocolate eyeballs, and garish foil-covered pumpkins, There are also cute and expensive costumes to transform your child into a scary witch, spindly spider or skeleton, or even a devil or Frankenstein.  There are also accessories such as plastic pitchforks, vampire teeth and devil horns etc.  All organized to help add up a few more pounds to mum and dads' bill.

My wee boys are as usual hoping to go trick-or-treating, dressed in blood covered cloaks complete with gory masks of fur, fangs and bloody eyes.  Thus spending on Halloween has increased by 30 to 40 per cent every year. It is expected to be worth £160 million this year.  It was £12million in 2001 but now we spend more than £30million just on pumpkins - and like all commercialization is an entirely US import.

My boys like guising doing trick or treats as they get loads of fun dressing up in outlandish gear, meeting their friends who either go out with them or end up on the same doorsteps showing off their mum and dads creations.    The adults too are engaged in promoting Halloween by having treats ready for would-be-monsters ringing on their doorbells.  A pound is obligatory now with at least some sweets as well.   Nuts and biscuits on their own just will not do.

However, heaven help you if you run out of goodies when you've had a host of little mosters to entertain you.  If you can't or won't pay up to these teenage gouls and vampires, they will return to haunt you with eggs if you are lucky or bricks if you're not.   Clearing up their mess is another daunting and thankless task.  So take it from me if you want a quiet Halloween evening, don't let the devils in your door for it'll be expensive one way or another.