When we were kids trick-or-treating was as easy as tossing on our Halloween costume and racing out the door to meet a group of neighborhood kids. We stayed in own neighborhoods for candy and our parents rarely tagged along. We were home by 8 so we could sit on the floor counting candy and watching Halloween special cartoons on the TV.
Trick-or-treating today is nothing like it was!
Trick-or-treating today is the complete opposite of what it was when we were kids. Now our Halloween is filled with catching-up with friends, driving across town to visit three trunk-or-treat events, stopping by restaurants for freebies, and closing out the night with a haunted house tour. Do you know what the common theme is? Much of the night is spent hopping into the car and back out again — with costumes on!
How to Survive a Car-hopping Halloween
I like to think of my car on Halloween just like I would when carpooling — as a mobile command unit! I bring extra trick-or-treating bags, setup an area at the back for easy diaper changes, have a cooler with drinks for the kids, and safe snacks/candy they can enjoy until their candy gifts can be inspected. Of course, all of this is completely useless if costumes bog down your evening. Elaborate costumes are great, but when you’re driving across town a dozen times in one night, by the end of the evening it can be a disaster.
Picture this: you and a group of three other families are trailing along together for the evening on Halloween. At each stop, eight kids are waiting impatiently for your child to fix his/her costume. By stop number four, you have become the unwelcome ones.
How to Choose a Halloween Costume for Car Riding
- Practice removing and replacing masks or costume attachments.
- Ask your child “Can you sit in that costume?” whenever trying on, or creating, Halloween costumes.
- If it takes longer than tossing on a jacket to fix your child’s costume for car riding, reconsider!
- Avoid costumes that are bulky by choosing costumes that wear much-like regular clothing.
- Make sure your vehicle has room for anything that you, or your passengers, need to remove in order to ride safely.
