Don't let 'holiday spirits' spoil the day

A website named a couple of Omaha neighborhoods as the best place in the state to trick-or-treat, but we bet they’ve never seen McCook’s Norris Avenue on Halloween.

There’s something about a small town that makes Halloween special — the first citywide celebration was in Anoka, Minn., storyteller Garrison Keillor’s hometown, none other than the original “Lake Woebegone.”

Orange may be the new black for female prison inmates, but both are Halloween colors because orange is associated with the fall harvest — especially pumpkins — and black is associated with darkness and death.

The macabre tone of the holiday is tempered by its commercial popularity, second only to Christmas, and we tend to take comfort by nourishing our sweet tooth to the tune of $2 billion worth of Halloween candy.

While roaming the streets asking for candy may be a childhood dream, it can become a nightmare if they cross paths with irresponsible adults who have co-opted the celebration into a night of partying.

Falling on a Tuesday, this year’s Halloween will probably result in fewer drunk driving crashes than those on a weekend, but it will still be wise to be cautious tonight.

If you do overindulge, please find a safe ride home and avoid becoming a statistic — or making a statistic out of someone else.