Trick-or-treat entourage

I was part of a trick or treat entourage this Halloween. I can claim I was one member of a group of 13, roughly half of whom were adults supervising as children went from place to place. What we really were was an amorphous, ever-changing mix and remix of groups which adjusted (not always smoothly) as older children moved ahead excitedly and a toddler stopped intermittently to do one of his favorite things, climb the nearest set of stairs.

 

Of course a wagon was brought along for the small child to ride in–everyone who’s raised a child knows how that went: A person ends up pushing the wagon and carrying (or chasing) the child.

 

None of this is a complaint, I had grand fun. Thank goodness for cell phones, though, or who knows how long those of us with the car would have been circling to find the folks on foot as the evening was winding down.

 

I was very impressed by a number of circumstances as my loosely associated crew circulated in the northeast section of Waseca. It was obvious a fair number of homeowners and “trunk or treat” operators had enjoyed themselves as they chose the decor for their many stations. During those times when the amorphous shifts in our groupings left me only in the company of adults, I was grateful for the chance to appreciate the clever themes of the trunk-or-treats and, in some cases, the literally festive decorations at some houses.

 

Given the price of candy, I was also impressed how generously people handed it out. The various bags and buckets of our group became very full after two hours of dashing at high speed from place to place. The fellow who took the trouble to be sure he had a liquid treat for the adults seemed to have fun surprising them as he handed over a can of hard cider.

 

Finally, I was astounded at the weather. I took note of one lad dressed in the tank top and shorts of a basketball player, and of numerous girls in elegant-looking short-sleeved dresses and was struck with the realization they were perfectly comfortable in the 60-something temperatures. The members of my group who dressed in warmer costumes–a full-body one similar in shape to a onesie pajama, eventually had to fold the top half down and tie it around her waist using the sleeves. Another member who had a sort of fleece poncho was so warm by the end of the evening, the poncho was wet with his sweat.  He was okay, though, because he ran so fast from place to place the cape flew out behind him, cooling him underneath.

 

Because each was helping supervise children, it was the first time in 20 years or so that I was out trick or treating in the company of my three sons while trick or treating. My eldest, who is 6’4” tall, somehow got hold of a flamingo costume in his size; all I have to do is think about his comical strutting, and I find myself laughing–again. If you see me in the next week or so, just say the word “flamingo” and see what happens.