After six years of celebrating our neighborhood Pet Parade during the holiday season, we decided to switch things up. December in Palm Springs is wonderfully busy, but it is also really busy. Halloween gave us a chance to keep everything we love about this tradition, add costumes to the mix, and bring the neighborhood together while life was just a little less hectic.

Vista Las Palmas showed up. Neighbors gathered in the street, dogs paraded through the neighborhood, cocktails were poured, the costume competition got surprisingly serious, and the Palm Springs Animal Shelter joined us for the morning.

Some came to walk. Some came to watch. Some came for a drink and a chance to catch up. Plenty came without a pet at all. And that may have been our favorite part. It felt less like an event you attended and more like the neighborhood simply having a very good morning together.

Of course, the dogs understood the assignment. There were wigs, uniforms, bunny ears, bees, hot dogs, a very convincing member of the clergy, and at least one costume with production values that raised the bar considerably for next year.

A special thank-you to Brenda Mathews of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and Rebecca May of Compass for continuing to support this neighborhood tradition, to the Palm Springs Animal Shelter, and to all of the neighbors and volunteers who helped make the morning happen.

And thank you to everyone who walked, dressed up, poured a drink, brought a pet, cheered from the sidelines, stopped by to say hello, or simply spent a little time with their neighbors.

It was exactly what we hoped for: a beautiful Palm Springs morning, a lot of laughter, some wildly committed costumes, and a neighborhood enjoying being together.