Trick or Treat...or NOT?

Our family, along with most other Americans, just observed Halloween. Notice I didn't say "celebrated". When I was a child, my mother actually decorated a little, got candy and dressed me and my sister up in cute little costumes. She let us walk up and down the street we lived on and gather as much candy as we could from our neighbors. Things are so different these days. Now, I am the mother and my views are different than those of my "back then" mother. My husband and I have chosen not to let our kids dress up in costumes or "celebrate" Halloween. These days, it seems a little scarier for the kids and borders on being a little "demonic" at times. We don't even give out candy. As a matter of fact, sometimes we try not to even be at home the evening of Halloween. We'll usually take our kids somewhere like Chuck E. Cheese and let them play for a while. We are Christians and have decided that this decision is best for OUR kids. However, (isn't there always a "however"?) We are so blessed to be a part of a neighborhood that respects our decision. Not only that, our neighborhood also has an annual "hayride" for the kids. Basically, one of our neighbors hitches a trailer up to the back of his vehicle and fills it with hay. The kids, some in costume, pile up in the back on the hay and Mr. Eric drives them slowly through the neighborhood, let's them jump off and run to the houses with the lights on and get their treats. Prior to this past Halloween, we hadn't participated in the hayride. After a short discussion, my husband and I decided to allow the kids to join their friends in the hayride this year. They didn't dress up in costumes, they were just their cute little selves. A friend of ours let them borrow "pumpkin buckets" for their candy. They had a BLAST! My husband even rode on the back with them and raked up hay as the kids jumped off and back on the ride. I'm torn as to whether we still "celebrated" Halloween or if we just "participated" in a neighborhood event. Hopefully, it was the latter. Either way, our family had a wonderful time with our neighbors and I think the kids won't soon forget it.