Not everyone reading this post has familiarity with the term Mischief Night. It is typically only common in New Jersey and other areas of the Northeast (Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Connecticut). It falls on October 30th and is a night of mischief that usually involves throwing eggs, toilet paper, and confetti at cars, homes, and in trees.
For some, Mischief Night involves vandalism (which I do not condone), but for others, it is a night of pranks and lighthearted fun between neighbors, friends, and family members. For the Vassallo’s, Mischief Night became a fun prank on Nonna (my mother-in-law) starting in 2013.
Tony was a little over 18 months old in October 2013 and Nicole had a great idea to perform a little mischief with his help at Nonna’s house the night before Halloween. This simple night of mischief, in the hopes of bringing a smile to Nonna’s face (my father-in-law had passed away unexpectedly in May of the same year), has become an annual tradition now spanning a decade.
Since 2013, Tony at first and now Tony and Enzo, spread toilet paper on Nonna’s trees, shrubs, railings and car. Over the years we have added some surprises. An additional year saw Tony squirt silly string all over Nonna and her property. 2022 saw the addition of a confetti cannon that I shot right at Nonna as she exited her house (see video below). 2023 saw the addition of powder cannons and confetti/powder combination cannons.
The annual mischief pranks on Nonna have become so popular that the neighbors look forward to it every year. It has even garnered a bit of a following on social media. The other video at the bottom of the post is from last night’s mischief at Nonna’s house.
Do you have any Mischief Night traditions in your neighborhood or with your family? Let us know about them in the comments.
