The term jack-o'-lantern was originally used to describe the visual phenomenon ignis fatuus ("foolish fire") -- an atmospheric ghost light seen by travellers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes -- known as a will-o'-the-wisp in English folklore.

Vampire bats do exist, but they are not from Transylvania. The common vampire bat is found in the tropics of Mexico, Central America, and South America.

In the Frosty the Snowman TV special released in 1969, Santa Claus brings Frosty back to life with a touch of Christmas snow.

Christmas is the most commercially successful holiday, followed by Halloween.

At the beginning of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is a cold-hearted miser who despises Christmas. His catchphrase, "Bah, humbug!" is often used to express disgust with many of the modern Christmas traditions.

Owls are associated with Halloween because, in Medieval Europe, owls were thought to be witches. To hear an owl's call meant someone was about to die.

Pumpkins come in many colors, including orange, blue, white, and green.

The fear of Halloween is known as Samhainopobia. The origin of the term traces back to the Celtic word Samhuin, meaning All Hallows Eve to Christians, though Samhuin predates the introduction of Christianity to the region it originated in, Northern Ireland, by at least 4000 years.

The word pysanka comes from the verb pysaty, "to write", as the designs are not painted on, but written with beeswax.

Thirteen-year-old Joyce Reynolds tells everyone that she saw a murder once. At the end of the party, Joyce is found drowned in an apple-bobbing tub.