Street party!

As we sat down to dinner last night the first trickle of trick or treaters started to ring our doorbell. The first few were very young children, with one or both of their parents in tow. We were having dinner early so that our grandchildren would have plenty of time to go out seeking treats. Sunrise was around six thirty and by then, the stream of children was steady enough that one or more of us would sit on the front porch handing out treats. The parade of costumes was amazing. We saw a dinosaur costume that extended a couple of feet above the head of the child, a home-made hand sanitizer pump that was amazing, several dragons with wings, and a host of superheroes, first responders, princesses and Disney characters.

I sat on the front porch for a couple of hours, mesmerized by the transformation of our neighborhood. Our street is relatively narrow and it filled with celebrating children. Most were accompanied by a parent. Many were trick or treating as an entire family group. The sound as I sat on the porch was amazing. I could hear hundreds of excited children and happy people talking. There was a convertible, decorated with orange lights and blaring the sound track from the Ghostbusters movie slowly making its way down the street. A couple of drones flew overhead. A teen drove by slowly on a tiny motor scooter with a sputtering engine. Adults got into the fun wearing their costumes. One youngster rode up and down the street on a bicycle with a music machine strapped to his back, playing Halloween songs. He didn’t seem to be trick or treating, just enjoying the atmosphere and the crowd. It was an evening street party.

When we were shopping for a home, we became aware that there are several “seniors only” communities in this region. They offer quiet streets with little traffic, houses that are pretty uniform in appearance. Some even have gates to control visitors. One said, in an advertisement, “Welcome to the areas most exclusive gated and guarded golf course community.” We didn’t look at any houses in that neighborhood. I’m sure that they have no problem selling homes in those places. Last night, however, as I sat on my porch and listened to all of the happy sounds, I couldn’t understand any of the attraction to living in a place with no children. I said to my family, “I wouldn’t trade this place for any senior citizen’s home in thee country.”

The stream of children was so steady that I lost count. We started with a little over 500 treats and were giving them out two at a time. After our grandchildren returned from an hour or so of going door to door in the neighborhood, they started to replenish our treat bowl with excess from their adventure. We ended the evening with just a few treats in the bowl, less than our grandchildren had contributed. I’m guessing that around 250 children came up our driveway to the front porch.

Several things were wonderfully surprising. It was a real family event. There were lots and lots of parents out on the street supervising and making sure that the children were being safe. I didn’t see any cars that were going even 10 miles per hour. Everyone was being careful. And, perhaps the most interesting thing was that the event seemed to have a starting and an ending time. A neighbor across the street said good bye to their guests and turned off their lights around 8 pm. The street started to quiet down a bit. A few trick or treaters, mostly young teens, kept coming. Some of the groups were bigger clusters than before. By 8:30 we were inside and just a few more came. By 9:00 the street was empty and quiet once again. As I drifted off to sleep, the only sound I could hear was a train whistle in the distance and the wind in the trees.

Having celebrated Halloween in several different communities over the years and endured quite a bit of different weather, the evening was nearly perfect when it comes to weather. I sat on our front porch wearing a sweatshirt without being chilly until after 8 pm. Our grandchildren and their parents went out in their costumes and didn’t need hats and gloves. I remember the first year we tried taking our son trick or treating. It was below zero. We went to the first neighbor’s house where they invited us in out of the cold and he played on the floor while we adults visited. They gave him a small treat and we went back home. It was just right for a toddler who didn’t have any experience with Halloween. I can remember other Halloweens when we struggled to devise costumes that could be worn over the top of winter jackets. And there were a few times when the children simply wore their parkas over the top of their costumes. I’m pretty sure that there have been plenty of Halloweens in this place when the rains came. If we had celebrated a week earlier, the rain would have been non stop. Of course rain doesn’t keep people indoors in this country. Our granddaughter was a beautiful princess in bright pink rain boots, just in case. Children wear rain boots on sunny days in this area out of habit. Those are the shoes that they keep by the door.

I don’t know if the mood of celebration was enhanced by months of Covid-induced isolation, but I suspect that last year was much more muted and quiet even in this neighborhood. The outside venue where people could spread out and the gentle breeze certainly made the evening seem safe. Masks, of course, were common. It was, after all, Halloween.

Just remembering the sound of happy people in the street brings a smile to my face. We may have reached the sunset years of our lives but we feel especially lucky to have found a home in a neighborhood with lots of children.

I’m sure glad we asked a neighbor about how many treats to prepare. Next year I may even have a few more.

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