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…
How do you think Halloween started?
Halloween started many, many years ago. On October 31st every year, the ghosts and ghouls and monsters all come out so the people made up a way to get rid of them. If they all dress up, that will scare the monsters away. That is why it’s a tradition to dress up every year on Halloween/October 31st. [editor’s note: she was very specific about the fact that the slash must be included there.]
Why do you think people started handing out candy?
The reason is because monsters hate candy. They prefers eyeballs, ears (except for zombies), spleens, hair… but most of all bodies (again, except for zombies). So candy is used to also scare away monsters (again, not zombies).
Where do the monsters go when the people scare them away?
Every single monster lives in a grave, no matter what kind of monster they are.
Why do we say trick or treat?
Easy. We say trick or treat because when monsters hear that they come running because they think there will be monster treats, but when they smell the sight of human candy, they go running back to their graves.
So there you have it, my friends. I don’t know about you, but when I “smell the sight of human candy,” my mouth starts to water. And not in that I’m about to become a zombie kind of way.
What candy do you always sneak from your kids’ treat bags? Mine hate Butterfingers and that’s fine by me. 😉
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Hi! I'm Jen, a freelance writer and girl mom who loves reading the newest children’s books as much as I love a good psychological thriller. I believe fiercely in the power of kindness, empathy, and really good quality chocolate. When I'm not knee-deep in glittery crafts and girl talk, you can probably find me sprawled out on my couch in the middle of a Netflix marathon with dark chocolate smeared on my face. The struggle is real. 
I love the fact that she specified spleens as something that monsters eat. Also I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that she said “smells the sight of.” She is too much!
Me too! Those parts had me seriously holding back the laughter. That and all of the zombie talk.