As usual, our church did a fantastic job throwing the Harvest Party. Kids, from the biggest to the smallest, had a great time. So did most of the parents. It started with “trunk or treat” in the parking lot, and once inside the Family Center (complete with restaurant kitchen and gymnasium) the real party started.
While the party is intended for small children, the entire family is invited and may participate in activities, from games, a hayride, a puppet show, and door prizes, to the much-anticipated cakewalk.
People from church bake their best goodies to give as prizes. Everyone ends up with a treat, even if they don’t win, since at the end of the evening all the baked goods that are left are given out. There is plenty of other food as well, from popcorn that is popped fresh all evening, to hot dogs and nachos. It’s all free and it has become the community event of the fall.
Besides the fun fair style games where every child wins at least one piece of candy, there was also one of those giant inflatable jumping things and a tunnel to crawl through, filled with twists and turns. The kids loved it.
They were all so cute in their costumes. There was one tiny newborn dressed as a puppy and all the other children were adorable too. There were people dressed up in every age group. My youngest was a cheerleader and her older sister was a hula dancer (she wore clothing under the costume). My 13 year old didn’t dress up because her ankle was bothering her (she’s still in physical therapy), but she did win a CD player when they did the drawing for door prizes. My oldest wore her cheerleading uniform. There were a few other little girls dressed up as cheerleaders, and they were excited to see a “real” cheerleader.
When we got home, the girls compared candy and prizes, made a few trades, and then got ready for bed. We were all tired but also happy after having such an enjoyable evening.
What did you do last night? I hope each of you and your families had a good time too.
Related articles that you might find useful for dealing with all that candy:
Making Your Home into a Healthy Zone