I remember hearing about today, the 30th, being something the first time when I saw “The Crow” with the late Brandon Lee. Devil’s Night it was called. Some other places it is known as Mischief Night. The vandalism, mayhem and arson were so bad in Detroit in the 1990’s that it was rechristened as Angel’s Night and over 40K people volunteered to help protect the city.
It started a trifecta of days to celebrate All Hallow’s Eve, All Saints Day and All Souls Day. In some cultures this marks Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.
Children used to dress up as their favorite saints and ask for a soul cake lest they would play a trick on the homeowner. I’m not just a dentist, I’m also a human. Humans love candy. That being said, as a dentist, I choose to give out chocolate for trick-or-treaters. Anna and Elsa are big fans of chocolate. Chocolate is more easily rinsed away by saliva and doesn’t cake onto teeth like some crunchy candies or stay into the grooves of the teeth like some chewy candies. And studies show that dark chocolate may be better for you. But, so is the exercise one gets going out in the neighborhood to get the candy for yourself or with your little heroes and ghouls.