Last year we had light snow for Trick-or-Treating. This year, it rained, not so lightly. Less cold; more wet. But Halloween is not for the faint of heart, nor the dry of clothes, so we took it as it came.
This year, we had a large group to Trick-or-Treat, including other parents to manage the marauding hordes. My wife, who is in charge of manning the home base, handing out candy, and pouring the wine, asked me to heat up some cider in a crock pot before our crew set out foraging. It was a good idea. A warm beverage would hit the spot when we got back from our raiding in the rain.
Big Man got just a taste of Trick-or-Treating before the weather encouraged me to take him home. Buster, and most of the other kids, got a moderate dose of Halloween and a moderate dose of wet before they, influenced heavily by parents, called it a night.
Big Brother, two of his friends, myself, and another father got good and wet, as we went back out to brave the storm after dropping the others off at home.
I’ll always remember you this way, Batman: when you were still warm and dry.
Those last three kids will always remember this as the Halloween everybody stepped in a mud puddle. Nobody stepped in the same mud puddle, and some of us stepped in multiple puddles. None of our costumes included waterproof footwear.
A surprising number of people were out, considering the weather. Most had umbrellas, devices we rarely use and have never considered on Halloween. I began seeing more and more adults carrying paper coffee cups. It was like there was a Starbucks in the middle of our neighborhood suddenly.
The kids wanted to keep going; I couldn’t stop them, because, soaked as I was, I admired their tenacity. A little rain on their heads wasn’t going to stop them. A lot of rain on their candy might, though. Only when they noticed their candy getting wet did they entertain ideas of going home. Wet, cold skin is one thing, but children must keep their candy safe.
Eventually they agreed it would be irresponsible to risk the candy they already had to get a little more. We made our way home, not overlooking lit up houses on the way.
We got home, chilled and wet, but deserving the candy we’d collected, and most certainly a hot cup of cider. I went to the crock pot. Empty.
“Where did all the cider go?”
“Oh,” my wife replied. “I’ve been giving it out to the parents of Trick-or-Treaters.”
Welcome to the community Starbucks.
“People really liked it,” she added to sooth my disappointment. “One lady took five cups.” I wasn’t as soothed as she thought I’d be by the success of her Halloween largess. “We’ve got more cold cider in the fridge,” she concluded.
We poured more into the crock pot. While we waited, the other cold dad and I enjoyed a glass of scotch. That was better than crying over the spilled milk of human kindness.
Snoozing on the Sofa 
Hot apple cider sounds delicious, but personally, I would have gone for the wine.
All the dry people had wine. The wet people needed something that warms you up quicker, like a hot drink or scotch, or both.
So funny! It rained here too. You’ll going to need a bigger cut of candy for getting wet for them.
I’m in charge of the candy once it gets home, so my bill will be pain in full.
Pain in full huh? Is that a Freudian slip?
Freudian slip, life with three boys – six of one, half dozen of the other.
Ha! Eat some candy it will fix everything.
Scott, I picture you saying “scotch” the way Homer Simpson says “donuts”.
Guilty as charged.
I’m sorry it was so puddly. I’ll bet it was kid-memorable though.
We always seem to remember our wet feet.
and pouring the wine,
(did the kids bring their own plastic cups?)
AND YES, by all means, SAVE the candy!
You’re so much kinder than I, my husband would have been shot for handing out all the hot cider… we spike that stuff with some Captain Morgans….mmmm. (Hey, it’s Halloween for everybody, not just the kids)
When you’ve got a houseful of moms and all their kids are away, there’s going to be wine poured. Which may explain the generosity emanating from my house that night.
We should have trick or treated in your neighborhood. We got poured on also, but alas no treats from the adults, barring the cast-offs from picky kids. (Fortunately for me my kids don’t like Almond Joys, and I rue the day they learned to like Butterfingers.)
You missed out on a delicious, hot beverage to chase off the cold. Stop by next year, but make sure you get there early. As I learned the hard way, the hot beverages go fast in our neighborhood.
Kids will put up with just about anything for candy. I remember one year it snowed and man! did we freeze! But the lure of bubble gum … that was my incentive … kept all of going, with blue lips and chattering teeth. You brought memories back, Scott. Thank you!
Kids will go play in the snow for nothing. They will certainly do it for candy.
It’s a shame you had to trick or treat in such awful weather. It’s a bigger shame your treat of hot cider ran out. What an awful trick!
A little scotch made it all better.
Ah, leave it to the Scots… or Scott’s. 😀