Here's her recipe:

Popcorn Balls by Atrel Gibson, serves 12

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup white corn syrup
1/3 cup water
4 Tablespoons butter (or 1/4 cup = 1/2 stick)
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp vanilla
3 qts unseasoned popped corn (12 cups)

Put sugar, corn syrup, water, butter and salt in a saucepan and cook. Stir til sugar is dissolved.

Continue cookinng w/o stirring sytrup til syrup forms a brittle ball in cold water (270 F)

Add vanilla and stir only enough to mix it through the syrup.

Place popped corn in a bowl large enough for mixing. Pour the cooked syrup slowly over the popcorn and mix well.

Wet hands slightly and shape corn into balls, using only enough pressuree to make them stick together. Makes 12 medium sized balls.

Wrap individually in wax paper and twist at the top. She added a bit of red food coloring to make them look Christmasey. They're very pretty placed in a big bowl, then put in the middle of the coffee table, for family members to devour at will.

My MIL always put them in the box of our packages, using them as packing for anything fragile. All those years, all those packages, and I don't remember much of what any of them held. I / we do remember the popcorn balls. No matter what else is on my list, I'm finding a way to make a batch of these, and wrapping them up for my DH to open Christmas morning. I think she would be pleased.