Tricks and Treats for All

If you tell them, they will come.

In previous years, Halloween and trick-or-treating has been less than enjoyable for kids in my neighborhood. Hardly anyone participates, and kids don't really have a good time. This year I wanted to change that. A week ago I made some colorful flyers inviting all the kids to meet at a specific time for trick-or-treating, and I encouraged my neighbors to participate by turning on their lights and being ready to give the littlest residents a night they would talk about for days to come. The night before the festivities, The Hubs and the neighborhood kids delivered the flyers to every house in our little subdivision, and I waited to see how one of the most anticipated days of fall would turn out.

Our bag of treats were ready.

The cookies were baked.

The kids showed up on time, and we went from door to door, collecting sugary treats...our numbers steadily growing as neighbors arrived home from work.

The neighbors were awesome. Many, many more participated this year than last. It was evident in the number of houses that decided to dress up for the occasion.

The Hubs had a great idea to treat the kids to an outdoor movie after they made their rounds about the neighborhood.  We even had a fire pit to keep us warm and to roast marshmallows for s'mores.

A few of our closest neighbors also pitched in with the planning of the night.  They brought food and drinks, set up tables outside, and ordered pizza. And when the temperatures started to really drop, and the wind picked up...the unexpected rain came (yes, it wasn't even in the forecast!!!).  So we moved the party inside. We were spread out among three houses...at our house, the big kids played video games, at the house to our left, the adults got together and had a really good time, and at the house to their left, the little kids hung out and had little kid fun.

Our good time continued way into the night. At around 11 p.m. all the moms got the little ones in and ready for bed. As for the dads...I have no idea what time they actually called it a night. But one thing's for sure...everyone had a good Halloween.

We told them.  They came.  Everyone had a good time.  Even the "biggest" kids.