It’s been so long ago I can’t remember exactly when it was maybe 15 years ago, but I remember the day well. I got a package in the mail. I LOVE to get mail, especially packages. This wasn’t the usual box but rather a short tube shaped package. No return address but addressed to me. I opened it. It was a witch. A stuffed toy, black, purple, green and ugly witch. I was disappointed. There was no note inside. I thought about it for a while and called my dad at work. He didn’t deny it, he just laughed. And laughed.

The next time I was at my parents house I snuck upstairs and looked for a place to hide the witch in his room. I looked around and then found the perfect spot. The next day MY phone rang. And thus began our gift giving of witches in October. You might ask where WAS the perfect spot? Well, that is why “mostly” is in parenthesis in the heading. I stuffed it into his mouth piece of his c-pap machine and hid it under the covers.

We continue to exchange our witches in secrecy and in deviant ways and the uglier the better. My Dad has become quite crafty in his secret gift giving. Once I received a long white box from the florist, the kind long stem roses come in, equipped with ribbon, tag and green wax paper only to encase a hideous glittery green faced witch that filled the entire box! Another ingenious delivery was a box at my door with used Romania postage stamps with various postal stampings and customs markings all over the box. I’ve come home from fall break with witches hiding in every room, all the ugly witches I’ve given him over the years BACK in my house!

But I’ve had fun too! One year I knew he had a doctors appointment I went to the Doctor’s office to put the witch in his truck (knowing he never locks his door) and found not only his windows down but his truck door WIDE OPEN!! It’s like he knew I was coming.  That was hilarious! I’ve mailed him a witch in a  “life is good” box. I snuck a cackling witch as a stowaway in his suitcase bound for Russia. I put one in his can of chips and re-glued the lid. But I’m still not as clever as he. Because he is the bad witch.

Over the years the witches have improved. Sometimes they are downright cute! Except last year I got a witch that snores. She is ugly!

Somewhere along the way they started arriving with poems. Poems about claiming who is the good witch, sending well wishes (or not) for the Halloween season or poems about the special characteristics of the witch. These poems are rolled up tightly and placed in the witches’ hand or stuck in a pocket. They are highly entertaining!

I come for a visit, but hope to stay

to grace your house from day to day.

In this beguiling season of goblins and witches

I can chase them away with the straw in my britches.

So display me in a proper place

and I will eliminate that nasty race.

This year I received an ugly goblet and was sad and thought two years in a row of bad witches. But upon closer inspection the goblet was full of antique typewriter keys! Ooo laa laa. It was left on my foyer table suspiciously after a crafting day with my mom. 

The mail was also at my door and there in the pile was an orange envelope addressed to the Bad Witch, from the Good Witch. I had mailed it to my dad LAST year and he had scratched out his address and put mine and had brought it back. He is so bad!!

Not to be upended yesterday while my parents were out and about I made a little trip across town to their house, oh and stopping by the post office to have the postmaster stamp “REFUSED” across said orange envelope. 

I popped the letter BACK in his mailbox and I hid this cute little witch among the coffee mugs. I know for a fact bad witches (and good ones too) start the morning with coffee.

I can’t wait for my phone to ring!!

This little witch is made by Lori Mitchell. I discovered her characters a few years back and they are sooo cute! Love them!

Hope you enjoyed our story of mischief. Happy Halloween.

Katey, the good witch

PS: Meaning no disrespect to my dad and his achy breaky back. He is doing much better now a days and is quite well enough to be made fun of.