When I was a very young child I could tell when Halloween was coming by the dried field corn that would magically appear on our porch. I never questioned where it came from. I just knew it was a sign that Halloween was not far off.
The corn was all part of the area's Halloween Corning tradition. Teens would steal farmers' field corn and use it to throw at things. It was a harmless prank when they threw it on porches like ours, but much more serious when they threw it at passing cars. On the dark winding roads of my county, being surprised by a handful of corn hitting a windshield was dangerous. But the teens didn't see it that way. They just saw it as harmless fun while sneaking around in the dark and surprising people with the corn. I don't remember any serious car accidents, but one of my friends in high school had several of her teeth ripped out by a clothesline as she was fleeing the scene of a corning. Needless to say, I was not allowed to take part in any of the antics, not that I wanted to. It seemed to me it was usually the popular crowd, who were also sneaking beer, who were the main perpetrators.
So what was happening back at our boring house? Trick or treating was always a big thing. Our costumes were homemade usually from things found around the house. We had a very limited area of houses we were allowed to go to and once we reached 12 years old, we were declared too old to Trick or Treat by my mother. Even with our limitations, it was always fun to get candy. That was back in the day when people gave out apples as treats and we had to make sure there weren't razor blades in them. I was disappointed when I was too old for regular trick or treating, but happy that I was able to go Trick or Treating for Unicef. That was usually done through a church group, and we would collect coins in slotted cardboard boxes for Unicef. If we were lucky, we would get candy along with the coins.
Not everyone had the same views on Trick or Treating as my parents. We lived in town, so we got lots of visitors - sometimes in the hundreds. Kids would come in from the more rural areas to Trick or Treat where there were sidewalks. Can't blame them for that, but I realize now that it was hard for my parents to provide something for all of the kids who knocked on the door with their limited funds. However, it just wasn't the country kids. Sometimes it was adults or very old teens with the stereotypical pillowcase. My mother did not have kind words for them.
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| Wally &Theo back in Houston where the weather was often warm for Halloween. |
So what about when my kids went Trick or Treating? They usually stayed in the neighborhood wearing costumes we got from the thrift shop. They would come home, sort and inspect the candy, and then I would put most of it away for later. They stopped Trick or Treating in middle school, much like I did, but I know many of their friends Trick or Treated even when they were in high school. I don't necessarily think that that is a bad thing--or at least it didn't bother me as much as it did my mother.
More stories to tell, but it's time to get ready for the kids that will be visiting tonight. We usually have 20 or so. I'm prepared for more and if we just happen to have some Reese's Cups leftover, well so be it. :)
Until next time...
My mom felt the way yours did about teenage trick or treating. I wasn't allowed to go after I left elementary school. I am a little more tolerant of teenagers than she was. It's more fun to see the little ones but it's a harmless entertainment for teens. That said, I didn't let my 15 year old daughter go out tonight. Her friend was going with her little nieces and nephews so I suppose that's a different story, but I don't think she was all that interested in going, anyway.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of throwing corn cobs. In my area, it was cow tipping that was the big deal. My mom didn't allow that kind of thing and I was relieved to be able to blame her for not being allowed to go out.
I think overall, teenage trick or treating is much more tolerated today than when I was a kid. In corning, they didn't actually throw the cobs (or maybe they did), but the main projectiles were the kernels. I have no idea how it got started or how long its been going on, but I've never heard of another area that did it.
DeleteI have heard of cow tipping, but didn't know if it was a real thing or just a joke. Is it hard for a cow to get up after it's been tipped?
I think cow tipping is a few drunk people out in a pasture at night acting like idiots. I don't think it's very easy to tip a huge creature like that over. Snipe hunting was another game kids played back in the day. There are real birds called snipes, but a snipe hunt was a trick to get the uninitiated out looking for and trying to catch a bird in the middle of the night. I have warned my kids not to be taken in if someone tells them they are going on a snipe hunt.
DeleteI've often wondered how you could tip over a cow since they were so large. I am familiar with snipe hunting though I've never been on a snipe hunt myself. :)
DeleteMy college son, who is a biology major and is in a biology club, went bird watching with his club recently and actually saw snipes, which gave us a laugh about his for-real snipe hunt.
DeleteThat's funny. I've never known anyone who went on a real snipe hunt.
DeleteWe had fewer kids last night than normal. We only had 62 and normally we have about 75. I figure because Halloween fell on a Sunday so many of the local churches had Trunk or Treat and the kids already had boatloads of candy. No matter, I am very thankful my neighbors shared their adorable kids with me.
ReplyDeleteI lost count, but I think we had 30 or so. The number is growing as more kids move into the neighborhood. It was fun seeing the kids in costume and chatting with their parents.
DeleteI enjoyed reading about your Halloween memories from when you were a child. I only learned about Halloween when I came to this country. My roommates dressed up and went to a Halloween party. I took my daughter trick-or-treating when she was a child, but, she didn't like candy when she was little (still not a big fan of most candies); she preferred to hand out candies when she went trick-or-treating! :D No trick-or-treaters, here, last night.
ReplyDeleteI know there are people out there who can take or leave candy, my mother-in-law was one, but that is definitely not me. You were saved a lot of arguments having a daughter who didn't care that much for candy.
DeleteThose are interesting memories of Halloween. We were allowed to go to a few houses, and then choose one piece of candy to eat. We were always told we could have more another day but it all vanished. Meanwhile, my father gave out tiny little toothpaste tubes, so word got out and nobody came to our house after the first would come and discover the trick.
ReplyDeleteThat doesn't sound like the best memories. I guess the toothpaste was a making a commentary on the sweets. After a while, my mother gave out money. She would wrap up stacks of pennies and give those out instead of candy. I guess that was a more kid friendly way of fighting the sugar problem. I'll have to admit, I dipped into my kids candy more than once. However, it didn't entirely disappear.
DeleteStrayer, I'm sorry you don't have better memories of Halloween, but your comment reminded me of a guy who I dated who gave cans of soda pop for Halloween. Unusual but well received. One little boy told his parents "that man gave me beer!".
DeleteI have sometimes given rice krispie treats or prepackaged goldfish crackers. I appreciated items like that when my kids were tiny. Easier to feed them.