A little note from the past. My dad told me he and his friends used to push over out-houses (no indoor plumbing in those days). He got a backside full of buckshot for his deeds which took hours for the Dr. to remove. Lesson learned. He said the original Trick or Treat meant treat or you get a trick (prank), not all of which were nice. Candy treats have not been around that long. On my first venture into the Halloween night, I was probably 5 years of age (that is about 67 years ago) and my older sister said we should go trick or treating. She drug me down the street to a house about a block away. She knocked on the door and told me what to say. This old man answered the door and we both said Trick or Treat. He turned to his wife and said what do you make of this. She said to invite in so they could see our trick before they would give us a treat. So in their front room (more of a parlor that a living room) my sister did a cartwheel and I did an somersault. The couple talked about whether it was good enough for a treat. They decided it was and the wife left the room to see what she could find. She returned with and apple and told us we could share it at home. That was it for the night - one house I dont think I went trick or treating again until I was about 9. My mother used to dress up like a witch and sit out in the front yard with a big iron pot full of dry ice and a fake fire underneath. Some kids just kept going. One night she told me she had just run out of candy and I needed to do a quick trick or treat run to the neighbors to get some more candy. I complained that having just come from a party I didnt have a costume or nothing. She said get out there and make your mother proud - you are scary enough just as you are. Looking back on it now I realize just how much fun she had sitting out in her witches outfit cackling and handing out candy. In those days you had to go through the candy carefully since some of it was booby trapped (very little) but every year there was an article in the newspaper. Hooliganism has been around for a long time. I can remember being afraid to go out alone because of gangs with their identities hidden by costumes were up to no good. Stolen hubcaps, broken car windows and deflated tires. There has always been a problem on Halloween night. My dad said some people come out in the night because you cant see them very well. For the most part I think we are lucky to live in a relatively safe neighborhood. Just sharing some thoughts from my past.
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 04:36:54 +0000
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