No, Really! It's Not All About the Candy...

Trick or Treat? I mentioned in my last post that Halloween has grown significantly in popularity as a holiday. As this article states, many adults in America celebrate Halloween (almost 66 percent), and Americans spend nearly $7 billion—$2 billion of that on candy alone—for this one night of Trick or Treating. So what's the draw? Surely it's not just to blow a hundred or have your kids stock up on candy for the next year and a half.

So here are some other benefits of going Trick or Treating, besides the obvious, sugar overdose.

• It's fun! Outside of Hollywood, when else can you dress up like someone or something totally different from your norm? You get to knock on random people's doors and are given free candy for it! Halloween is a great excuse to be just a little bit crazy and have some good clean fun.

• It's a perfect time for bonding with family and friends. First you and your kids can work on costumes together. Creating a homemade costume gives your children a greater appreciation for the costumes they are wearing. It also teaches your children how to work together, save money, become more creative and imaginative (like this dad). I asked several of my friends, who went Trick or Treating when they were younger, what their favorite was about it, and the most common answer surprised me.