You've Been BOO'd

Usually sometime in October during the evening after darkness has settled over our development, our doorbell will ring.  But it will ring only once. We will not rush to the door but wait and listen for a possible second ring which will never come (and it gives whoever rung our doorbell plenty of time to get away).  We will turn on the lights to the outside confirming our suspicions that no one is there.  And then we will open the door...


...to find a bowl of goodies on our doorstep...


...and to find that we have been BOO'd.

This is a ritual every year around this time in our neighborhood.  It usually begins around the middle of October.  People will sneak around delivering the goodies under the cover of darkness. This may require stealth, dark clothes, running shoes, and the ability not to dissolve into fits of giggles (especially if you are just running across the street).  I sometimes have trouble with the last one.

Once the goodies arrive, you have 24 hours to BOO two more people.  In addition to the goodies left on the doorstep, two papers are also left.  One is a picture of a ghost to hang on your door so others know that you have already been BOO'd and the other is a poem describing the game.

It reads:

A friendly ghost has come your way
To wish for you a wonderful day.
He left a small gift and something sweet
Never heard him come cause he's light on his feet.
You must be light on your feet too,
Cause this is what you have to do:
Choose two friends, and choose them well.
Now this is a secret, you musn't tell.
Copy this poem, and the sign twice,
If you do it by hand, make sure it looks nice.
Take a couple of gift bags down from the shelf,
Or a plain paper bag, you can design yourself.
Fill them with sweets, and a gift of your choice.
Leave em' on your friends porch,
without any noise.
Hang this sign on your door, for all ghosts to see.
They'll know you've been "BOO-D",
and will leave you be.
This is only a game, to have a little fun,
Let's see how far it goes, before the month's done.
Now you have 24 hrs. to visit your friends.
Please don't be the cause of our games early end.


I know who I am going to BOO, do you?