It’s been a while since my last Just Ask Sam post—and not because she doesn’t have anything to say. Because, trust me, the girl has got a lot to say. I just couldn’t get any answers out of her that weren’t carefully worded as though she was already considering a presidential run in 2030.

A slight tweak in my interviewing tactics brought dramatically better results. Instead of asking her what she knows I asked her what she thinks might be true. This made all of the difference in the world to my serious little rule follower.

Here are her thoughts on the origins of Halloween and some of its traditions…