Happy Halloween

It’s the evening before a holy day, hallow’s eve, All Saints Day, November 1st. As with many holidays, the origin is religious but the end result is conspicuous, irreligious consumption. Christmas is now the Holiday season. I can proudly assert that my participation in Halloween is de nada. No candy purchased or distributed, no costume assumed or displayed, no party attended or missed. No personal contribution to billions of dollars lost to a day like any other day except for the fact that my evening precedes an annual, morning trip to church. Why is a Halloween greeting determined be a happy one? The holiday, pray tell, reminds us of the accepted and hoped-for destination of us mortals - heaven - where all the saints await our arrival. What trick or treater, what beggar tonight has a clue?