Which Witch Was Which?

             
    My wife and I were on Halloween duty last night.
    We were at my daughter's house prepared to hand
out treats and ward off any tricks that might come our
way.
     I've always enjoyed Halloween. So did my Mom!
     We used to have a Halloween party every year
on the weekend closest to the holiday.  Mom would
gather all the kids round our Dining Room table,
shut off all the lights, then tell a gory story about a
dead body as she passed "parts for that body" from
person to person.
      The "eyes" were actually grapes and you'd be
surprised how a chicken liver can pass for a heart
when you can't actually see what you're holding!
       On Halloween my friends and I would stop at all
the houses in the neighborhood and come back with
candy bars and, usually, a decent collection of
quarters and dimes as well!
        We didn't get the loot on good looks alone!
         In most homes we were required to sing a song
or, at the very least, come up with some sort of poem
or joke.
         Sometime around the holiday you could be
sure that someone, either a neighborhood movie theater,
on one of the Cable channels out of New York, would
be running a Frankenstein movie!  Frankenstein is an
essential part of Halloween!
          Although Halloween traditions are pretty much
the same now as they were then  there have been a few
changes.
          The old standard sheet used as a home made
ghost costume has been replaced with elaborate masks
and full body outfits. There are still plenty of witchs and
super heroes. But most kids try to emulate contemporary
characters from the movies and TV.
          Our neighborhood doesn't have that many kids
anymore and those that are around would rather migrate
to the "richer areas" in their quest for goodies.
           For the past three years or so we've left some
treats on our porch with a note asking trick or
treaters to take one for themselves. We've never had
any of those treats touched!
           My daughter's neighborhood is a lot busier.
           We usually see more than a hundred kids there
on Halloween. We always stock up for a crowd like
that!
            But don't ask for a song or poem.
            At best you'll get ..."Trick or Treat, Smell my
feet" or the like. Nobody sings. It's more like just a
candy grab.
            About three quarters say "Thank you." Half
of those do so after being reminded by their parents.
            And you won't find many folks giving out money
anymore. They've already spent what they had on the
candy!
             This year's rush took about three hours. By that
time most porch lights had been turned off and the
supply of candy and chips had been dispersed.
             I was pleased to see Turner Movie Classics
running some of the classic horror films for Halloween.
             Including my old fiend, I mean friend,
Frankenstein! Ah....just like the good old days!
             I sat back to watch and to nibble on a couple
of those candy treats that had, somehow, fallen into my
possession over the course of the evening. Some trick,
don't you think?
             Hope that's a grape in your goddie bag and
that all your NEWS is good!