Halloween is only days away, and already our kids are making their plans like generals on the eve of an invasion.

Becca paraded around in her devil costume the other day, complete with plastic pitchfork and red horns. Personally, I didn't think she looked the least bit threatening, except to our dog, Cassie, who took exception to the pitchfork.

Bailey has a lot of red in her costume too. But it doesn't come with horns. Bailey's planning to go trick-or-treating dressed as a ladybug.

For nature's child, it's a good fit. She likes ladybugs. She also likes rocks. But people don't look so good dressed as rocks.

Of course, some schools are getting away from this Halloween stuff. They prefer to hold fall festivals, which children view as nothing more than a ban on all those fun Halloween costumes and masks that they all want to wear.

But nothing will deter an evening of trick-or-treating.

You can sense their excitement. They're ready for the nation's biggest sugar high outside of Christmas.

The National Confectioners Association says Halloween is tops for candy sales, beating out such treat-happy holidays as Christmas, Easter and Valentine's Day.

As our family can attest, most of that candy ends up in our house. It's amazing how much candy Becca and Bailey can amass on a Halloween jaunt through some of Cape Girardeau's neighborhoods.

It's a nightmare for parents who figure Halloween will result in a trip to the dentist.

But the old Celtic holiday has become a part of our culture, complete with Spiderman and Count Dracula costumes.

In ancient times, the Celts would dress up in ghoulish costumes and parade out of town to lead wandering spirits away. Celtic children would walk door to door to collect firewood for a giant bonfire.

Of course, it's a lot easier to collect candy than firewood. No doubt, it didn't take long for children to realize that a chocolate bar was better than a log any day.

When I was growing up, kids were expected to tell a joke, even a lame one, to get a treat. These days, you don't even have to beg. Just showing up on the doorstep qualifies kids for candy.

There were no Nixon masks when I was a boy. He hadn't been president yet, so there was no need to scare anyone. I masqueraded as the Lone Ranger and even an organ grinder, which doesn't rank as a superhero but does qualify one for candy, particularly if you can get a younger sibling to tag along as the monkey.

It was a holiday that moms had all sewed up with homemade costumes.

I don't think I was particularly scary in my trick-or-treating days.

Even the ghosts weren't a fright. Naturally, Casper was a friendly fellow who seemed to show up in every neighborhood.

Even today, Halloween isn't really scary. Voting in Florida is more of a nightmare.

You don't have to be a parent to have fun with Halloween. Plenty of adults who don't have children dress up too, but they generally don't disguise themselves as ladybugs. It takes a 6-year-old to pull that off with any style.

These days, there are costumes of just about everybody's favorite monsters. There are even costumes for pets, although we're not planning to put our puppy in Halloween attire.

As for the candy, it's certain to get rationed well past Halloween. On a day celebrated for trick-or-treating, that's definitely a trick that parents know well.

Mark Bliss is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.