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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