Mischief Night

It's Mischief Night tonight. When we were kids in Philadelphia that was a thing. The night before Halloween was Mischief Night and it was expected for kids to get into trouble vandalizing the neighborhood. I also remember it being referred to as Devil's Night in some other parts of the country. Mischief Night was a night of mayhem and pranks. Lots of toilet paper thrown around.

Earlier in the week there was Chalk Night and Soap Night. One night kids would chalk up the neighborhood sidewalks and walls. The other night was for putting soap on windows and cars.  As a teenager I don't remember actually going out and doing that stuff. Maybe one time I put a little chalk on the wall of a corner store. That's it.

A few weeks ago I was getting my haircut and the person cutting my hair had some Halloween decorations at her station which I commented on. We talked about Halloween traditions and I brought up Mischief Night which she had never heard of. Then I told her about Chalk Night and Soap Night in Philly when I was a kid. She was fascinated with my stories.