Or how about: “I’m Crazy Plant-Arm! Hey, look at this! I have a plant coming out of my arm! Isn't that bizarre! I am crazy, I am deformed, and I am hungry! Now, give me some candy! Fork it over!”
So, whether it’s “trick-or-treat” or “give me some candy,” we should know why we make it our personal mission to accumulate bags full of candy corn, Sweet-Tarts, M&Ms, bite-sized Snickers and the less-than-popular mini boxes of raisins or those black- and orange-wrapped taffies that don’t really taste like peanut butter.
The origins of present day “trick-or-treat” date back to the Celtic tradition of offering gifts of fruits and nuts to appease wandering spirits. If not placated, the villagers feared that the spirits would kill their flocks or destroy their property. Others trace “trick-or-treat” to a European custom called “souling.” Beggars would go from village to village begging for “soul cakes” made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors.