Date: Tue, 1 Nov 1994 16:17:18 EST

From: Terry Lynn Irons t.irons[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MSUACAD.MOREHEAD-ST.EDU

Subject: Re: Hallowe'en greetings?



David Harnick-Shapiro writes,



Last night was my first Hallowe'en as a homeowner.



Mine also

Apart from a

disappointingly low turnout



Not here--they came in by the carload: 150 kids in

little over an hour

(anyone want several pounds of left-

over candy? :-)



Sure!!!

I was struck, though,

by one thing: in addition to the recitation of "Trick or treat!"

and "Thank you!", a number of children (more toward the 8-10 age

range?) shouted out "Happy Hallowe'en!" as they left our door.



Is saying "Happy Hallowe'en" customary in other parts of the

country? (I grew up here, so I'm disinclined to think it a

local custom of which I was unaware.) Maybe I just got a

bunch of polite trick-or-treaters.



(For some reason I still can't put my finger on, the way these

kids said "Happy Hallowe'en!" reminded me of people shouting

"Merry Christmas!" as they left a Christmas celebration. Maybe

the September onset of Christmas advertising is having an effect...)



I noticed the same thing. Most kids walked off saying nothing, some

said thank you, some wandered through my frost bitten flowers, a little

girl skipped gaily along my stepping stone path, but the curiosity

was the six or seven who said "Happy Hallowe'en." This is Eastern

Kentucky, folks, so I don't think it is regional. I, too, suspect an

influence from advertising.



Terry

--

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Terry Lynn Irons t.irons[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]msuacad.morehead-st.edu

Voice Mail: (606) 783-5164

Snail Mail: UPO 604 Morehead, KY 40351

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