Our neighborhood has a Halloween celebration every year. We all have long driveways ,no sidewalks and frankly it is tough for a kid to Trick-or-Treat. We got together and decided to make an organized affair. We would do a hayride. Tractors could pull flatbed trails filled with hay. Kids, with their parents, could ride. The tractors have one route down the main street of our neighborhood. People come to the ends of their driveways, sit in lawn chairs and give candy when the kids unload from the hayride.
This year was our third year of the hayride. We have evolved to 3 hayrides which leave 15 minutes apart. Neighbors have created insta-parties at street intersections instead of driveways. Everyone socializes. The kids have a fun ride, get candy and are safe!
We usually take the last hayride because I cannot get home from work any sooner. This usually involves flying home from work, running into the house, grabbing the candy and a pumpkin to put on the top of the mailbox. I throw them in the car, change kiddo into his Spiderman costume in the driveway. Drive to the end, put the candy and pumpkin on the mailbox, and ask a neighbor to light it when it gets dark. We then wave to the full hayrides we pass on the way to the start. Kiddo sees all of his friends on the earlier rides, I pray for no meltdown.
The last tractor is waiting for us. I quickly put on my Spidermom costume. We are on the ride with a dad and his little girl, dressed as a green M&M. She does not want momma to leave. After some waiting for stragglers, we go. Two kids, five adults. We lose two adults at one party stop but gain a mom and dad with their son. they are not from the neighborhood but heard about us through friends in the 'Hood. That is fine with us!
The trick about the last hayride is that there is plenty of candy left over, so much that people are jamming skittles and butterfingers into my son's pumpkin. About halfway into the ride, I beg a neighbor giving out candy for an overflow bag. She is resourceful and finds a grocery back in the car. I need to remember this for next year. I empty Spiderman's pumpkin into the big bag and we are ready to continue.
One of the stop is scary with a couple of monsters with scary faces and light up eyes. They sway zombie-like. Kiddo is scared but still gets his candy and scampers back to the safety of the trailer. He is starting to understand the concept of Halloween but is not very loud on the "Trick or Treat!" Maybe next year.
We finish the ride and it is dark. Everyone has packed up and gone home to count candy and make sure there are no scary things in the take. Kiddo has had a lollipop and some chocolate but no real dinner. I am not going to push it. If he wants to eat candy for dinner, this would be the night to let him.
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