Mischief Night

When I first moved from Staten Island, NYC to New Jersey some eight years ago I had a lot to get used to. First was that, when you get lost while driving, you ought to make a U-turn. Growing up on an island, if you got lost you did two things: 1) make sure you don't cross a bridge and 2) keep going until you see a street you know, then work your way to where you want to go from there. Eventually, if nothing else, you'd hit one of the streets on the coast (which we all knew by heart), then you'd be able to find your way. That doesn't work in NJ. The second thing that I've had to get used to is that you have to go to a liquior store to buy beer, or some bars can also sell beer to go. In NYC grocery stores and delis sell beer, and bars are forbidden from selling alcohol to be taken off premises.

I still haven't gotten used to Mischief Night though. When I was a lad two different things happened on Halloween night. Younger kids went trick-or-treating, going around to people's houses in costumes and begging for candy. Older kid armed themselves with shaving cream and eggs and had contests to see who could get messier. You might also TP the trees in front of your friends houses and all city buses had a generous coating of eggs.

New Jerseans split this event into two nights, "Mischief Night" is the night BEFORE Halloween (which would be tonight), and is reserved for TP, shave cream and eggs. Tomorrow night the kids will come a-begging.

I still trip over this. Every year I start my planning for mess clean-up assuming it will happen on Halloween, then realize that I'm a day late in my planning. Every year I start hoping and praying for rain on Halloween (when all it will do is make it miserable for the trick-or-treaters) when I ought to aim my wishes a day earlier.

Maybe someday I'll get it straightened out in my head.