Riding on a Horsepowered Open Flatbed, rather than a one horse open sleigh, HEY! Jingle Bells....

Friends of our family have a flatbed trailer that hitches to the back of a flatbed truck. At Christmas time they throw a ton of hay on it and we go for a hay ride and go caroling. This year, Son1 and I went by ourselves while Hubby stayed with the sound sleeping Son2. Oh well...Son2 went last year, in my tummy.

Giving the rules.

It is really past Son1's bed time, here. From last year, I learned that it is best for us to ride on the back of the actual truck rather than on the back of the open flatbed trailer. When it is time to make a sharp turn everyone has to jump off the flatbed, and sometimes they even have a few guys pick up the trailer to make the sharp turns over the bridges.

A few teens were on foot and on rollerblades. They knocked on the doors and shouted "Merry Christmas!!!" Then we would launch into several carols. But our ride on the truck's flatbed only lasted until we got to a converted home for seniors. The kids jumped off the truck and trailer to carol in the driveway so they could be seen and heard. Son1 was wise to this, and insisted we sit on the open flatbed. SIGH....so we sat on poky hay rather on the nice compact bale we had claimed. We sat with a group of boys that were about 6 and 7 and I regulated the throwing of hay.

We pulled out of the gated community and into several apartment complexes. Patrons took our picture and some even videoed us. I wonder if we are on the internet somewhere. One family pulled out a conch shell and hailed us some good will. Only in Hawaii.

We jumped off the trailer at one point again to turn around. I heard a teen age male voice say, "Mrs. Farmer?" somewhere in the dark. I looked up, surprised. Usually I talk to moms and the other little kids. I made out the figure in the dark.

"Is Mr. Farmer here tonight?" he asked, rather expectantly.

Ahhhh. I knew where this was going. "No, he is home with the baby. Were you hoping to play chess with him?"

"Yeah, kinda," he said sheepishly.

"Ohhh, I'll have to tell him you asked about him. I am sure we can figure a time that you can play him." Here is the truth. Hubby loves to play chess. He was even on the team at a couple of high scools, until he made the Varsity chess team and his picture was in the yearbook. That was the end of that. He was a Varsity football player and a played a few other Varsity sports. No way. Couldn't ruin his image. Off the chess team. But now, word has gotten out among teenage boys that he plays chess. And they love to play him. HA!

On the way back, the song leader let Son1 hold the lantern he used for the songbook. This was some big stuff to a three year old.

We got back to their house, and all kinds of yums were served. Everybody brought something to share. That goes without saying. The hosts did not ask, but when you are invited to someone's home in Hawaii you ALWAYS bring something. That was one of the first things my local friends taught me when I moved here. (I was trained like that in the Beltway, too.)

So, the kids didn't have shoes on because we went into their home. But when they decided to run outside for a hay fight, they all were in socks and bare feet. Son1 is local, I tell ya.

But these hosts are smart. After the hay fight all of the kids had to bag up the hay and sweep the truck.