Mostly out of laziness and mostly as part of a social experiment, we are pretty much going candy free for Halloween. What does that mean? It means that, instead of offering up a ginormous bowl of candy for trick-or-treaters, we'll be letting the kids pick from a bowl of toys, small games, art supplies, pencils and puzzles. Some of the items will be gently used from our kids (and have been in the recently created donation bag) and some will be new. Yes, I understand there's a carbon footprint on the new toys, and specifically, who know where exactly they came from. But, I bet there will be squeals of delight when kids will get to choose from playdoh, race cars and the like. Yes, we will have some candy on hand, mixed with less sugary treats, but it won't be as immediately available and will be offered mostly to the older kids who probably won't want some of the things we have on offer.
Why are we doing this? Just to spice things up because kids get enough candy during their Halloween outings that they certainly don't need any more from us. And who needs to contribute to the excess consumption of HFCS and fat particularly when childhood obesity is on the rise? Anyway, we'll see what a success or failure this will be and I'll report back.
Are you doing anything different this Halloween?
25 Crunchy Thoughts:
I like this idea. Growing up I was in a small rural community. Where the neighbors new all 10 of us kids and we all had awesome Halloween treat bags (with homemade treats). The bags were always paper and there was minimal packaging, now I understand why kids cannot eat unwrapped treats in todays society. It is not because its more dangerous than it was 20+ years ago, it is because we don't know our neighbors anymore there is no society anymore.
I would suggest if you have the time and talent making the Halloween (non-edible goodies), playdough, can be put in yogurt containers - the kinds with the lid, you could make silly putty, you could give out home made quick sand in little baby food jars, or my Grandfather makes these wooden mind teasers (some are quite small) two in particular come to mind, they could be made from scrap wood, sanded and painted (halloween colors) and then handed out with a note about how to use them.
We don't give out Candy - because we don't get trick or treaters, we apparently live in a "bad" neighborhood, where the kids prefer to go to the suburbs for candy.
I was thinking about opting out of the Candy fun this year and having my kids do the UNICEF thing, but I like my charity to stay local, where is does good my kids can see and participate in...
I know really long comment ;)
Let us know how it goes. My kids have gotten pretzels (a favorite) and halloween type toys in the past and they like them, now if they could be more sustainable..
WAY different.
Tired of the plastic wrappers, I'd thought to make cookies this year and put them in little handmade "sleeves". That would be quite a lot of work seeing that we get about 100 trick/treats each year.
Then, I started reading about how most parents would throw away the cookie for fear of poisoning and I got to thinking, "Why would I do all that work just to have it thrown away?" Then, I got to thinking of how maybe I should put my name and address on the cookie sleeve so folks would know it was from me. Then, I got to thinking of how there are only maybe 5 kids on our block and how the 100 kids come from other ("poorer") neighborhoods and they wouldn't know me from anyone else. Then, I got to thinking, "Why am I going through all this work for people I don't know who come into my neighborhood only to get treats on Halloween?" Then, I got to thinking, "You caught chickenpox this year and don't even know how, and you're gonna expose yourself to 100 kids?" Then, I got to thinking, "Just turn the light off this year and watch a movie on the other side of the house."
Haven't decided for sure yet only because I've always enjoyed Halloween and hate to be the "Get off my lawn" scrooge, but I'm just not feeling the pre-Halloween spirit this year, AND I want to be healthy enuf to spend some time with my daughter next month. She got dumped by her boyfriend recently and needs a distraction.
Cute that the word verification is flucove.
To me, Halloween is the last day of the year that I would worry about ingredients and such. I figure that it's pretty much the only day of the year that I would buy any of that crap, so it's no big deal. The sad part is that most of the kids probably eat like that every day. Halloween was such a huge deal to me when I was young because we never had any of that stuff in our house. I just wonder if kids even care about getting it all anymore...they might be pleasantly surprised to get something a little different.
I thought about making cookies, but ran into the same problem as Oldnovice about most parents throwing them out. Halloween poisonings (the old razor blade in the apple...) are about as real as unicorns, but you can't expect people to be reasonable, so why waste your time and energy? I can't bring myself to be a curmudgeon, so corn syrup laden, overly packaged, big corporate candy it is. Maybe I'll think of something better next year.
We decided to forego trick or treating (the rest of the neighborhood kids never make it the half mile to our house). Instead we are hosting a party for our kids and some friends. One grandmother is making Halloween candy. The other treats (which will be given out as we play various games) include Halloween coloring books, pencils, stickers, and Matchbox cars. Not perfect in terms of enviromental impact but much better than the alternative. At least, the treats will give several weeks and months of enjoyment. We will also use cloth napkins and our everyday dishes for snacks. The decorations range from carved pumpkins, colored corn, pinecones to home made construction paper bats & spiders.
--Ave
We get 100s of trick or treaters and usually I spend a gob of money on candy. The last couple years, I've gotten my act together and gotten fair trade and organic chocolate. This year, though, I was a little less organized. Moreover, I just couldn't justify all the plastic wrappers or even small toys. We ended up having a small bowl filled with organic lollipops (from the health food store) and some stickers that we had (and a few "goodie bag treats" that were floating around the house lightly used). I think we'll hand those out and then be done with it and switch out the light. Of course, if I thought I could get away (with my kids) to give out their extra race cars, I definitely would!
I really like the idea of sharing toys that you were planning to donate. I think other small non-candy treats like stickers also work well.
I'm kind of on the same page as a few; I think it's good to have variety in the treats, and have some toys in there. But I also grew up like Megan, with no candy in the house, and feel that the problem is with kids eating it every day rather than getting a big pile that they make last for a couple of weeks and enjoy sorting through and eating with a thrill. Perhaps ideally we'd give the option at the door. I haven't decided what we'll do yet, but I like the pretzels idea. I think the issue with the home-made treats from people you don't know is the food handling, not the paranoia about poisoning. For us especially this year when we're pregnant and can't risk or afford to get sick.
For our son, we're taking him to a neighborhood party at our community center, and to a couple of neighbors who know him. If he has chocolate, it has to be eaten before noon because the effect takes 9-10 hours to wear off, so the less on hand the better. He's only 3 so loves the toys and doesn't know he's not getting candy. I know I don't have much more time in his life where I can control this!
Last year we gave out 25 beach ball size balls and boy were they a hit. We ran out almost immediately and the rest got juices. This year we are going with granola bars. Think for next year I will pick up some toys at yard sales and offer them like you are doing. Great Idea!
We don't stay home on Halloween and don't have kids trick or treating in our apartment building so I get out of this one easy. :) I will say that I take my daughter trick or treating every year. She gets candy and eats the pieces she likes the first few days. The left overs get dumped into my prize box that I use when I teach Sunday School.
I don't know if its just my community, but most kids I know don't get candy at home or at school so when its offered as a prize they go nuts.
Nothing special. I give quarters out on halloween. I read on the internet about Books for treats. A cool idea, you can get rid of your old kid's books, re-use re-cycle, elimanate packaging and give a kid a book. Hat Trick! Not having any kids or books, I will give quarters again this year. But I think that it is a capital Idea
Speaking of nuts, there are so many kids that can't eat the candy anyway, either from nut allergies or, like my son, diabetes. Yes, he can eat SOME, but not gorge himself, which is better anyway. My guys actually prefer getting pencils and cute erasers, small (even junky) toys. They last way longer than the five seconds a piece of candy does.
I am doing the traditional candy, partly out of laziness and partly because I like to eat the leftovers myself. Yes, I know, not great for me or the planet.
What I really wish is that we were able to hand out home-made treats. It eliminates the packaging and the HFCS, and it's fun. Too bad that 'stranger danger' forbids it. It's especially unfortunate considering that there actually haven't been any cases of strangers poisoning random candy, it's pretty much all fear-mongering.
The buying of mass produced plastic costumes for kids to wear while going around collecting massive amounts of mass produced plastic candy is not something I want to be a part of at all anymore. I’m baffled that people are even buying plastic pumpkins now to decorate there yards when they have inexpensive real pumpkins available from local farms less than a mile away. The commercialization of holidays – the idea that we have to spend massive amounts of money to celebrate anything - is something that has really been bugging me lately.
What I loved about my childhood Halloweens was the creative process of putting together my own costume from things I found around the house – or occasionally helping my mom sew one from scratch - and carving pumpkins with my family. I only got excited about the candy because I thought I was supposed to. Now we limit Halloween treats to pumpkin pie and donuts and apple cider made from all local organic ingredients and I get a lot more enjoyment and satisfaction out of it.
When my grandmother was young no one did trick or treating in our town. They would have a big bon fire in the city park with costume contests and bobbing for apples etc. The winners would get prizes – I’m thinking caramel apples and donuts but I don't remember off hand – but nothing like the excesses of today.
These are the kinds of traditions that I would like to recreate for my kids – ones that encourage creativity rather than consumerism and community spirit over a mercenary spirit.
When I was a kid, my parents bought a bushel of apples from my neighbor's orchard to give out to trick-or-treaters. My mom thought kids didn't need anymore candy.
It would be a good idea still, but it seems parents believe the urban legends that people are poisoning Halloween candy. (The news still proliferates this every year). It is tragic that parents will no longer accept home made treats.
Like Utahlawyer, we always had apples as kids - my grandparents would get a "regular size" candy bar for each of the grandkids, and finish filling a lunch-sack size bag with fruit. We haven't purchased anything Halloween-y this year... I like the apples though... or other "stable" fruit...
I grew up in New England so Halloween was a big deal, but here in Hawaii it's non-exsistant. Last year I bought a bunch of candy but no kids came. This year I have some things on hand, but nowhere near as much as last year. I always make sure it's free of the eight major allergens, including gluten. I live in sort of community, but most of the homes are rented out to vacationers so I don't think I'll see any kids again this year. :( I know that probably works out better for the enviorment, but I miss the excitement.
We are "turning off the lights" this year... when faced with the decision to spend $10 on vitamins for my son or a $10 bag of candy on my already tight budget... I chose the vitamins and hopefully a flu-free winter.
I think the best treat we ever got was a homemade chocolate caramel apple from one of the neighbors - she only gave them out to kids she knew (and put her name on it). We've gotten homemade goodies a few other times, always where we knew the family (and they had homemade for the kids they knew and store bought for everyone else).
We threw some cheese cracker packs and little boxes of raisins in the bowl one year and I was surprised how many kids chose those. This year its candy plus a bunch of Halloween pencils.
I always like it when my kids get pretzels, chips or the little packs of cookies - they are great to tuck into lunch boxes, without actually being candy.
growing up in a tiny fishing village in Nova Scotia (pop 500!) I always got cookies and apples. I find it ludicrous the paranoia that parents go through now. It's sad.
We live in an apartment building- so no trick or treaters which I will miss since I adore Halloween, but at the same time I know I'd be stressed about the types of candy to offer. The amount of packaging is ridiculous.
My hope is to live in a neighbourhood where I know each person... so that this will become a non-issue.
I do like your idea of giving away gently used toys. although, I clearly remember having a unicef box and getting pennies...
I like Halloween! Both my husband and I weren’t allowed to eat a lot of candy growing up. Halloween was the one day of the year that we got candy. Even then, it sat in a bowl on top of our refrigerator out of my reach and I had to ask my mom if I could have a piece. So I’m not going to assume what my neighbors do or don’t do with their kids Halloween candy. I choose to give the kid a gift (a small not expensive at all thing but still it was given in kindness) what that child or parent does with it is up to them. We have a lot of really little kids and knowing the parents in my neighborhood I don’t think many of them will let their kids gorge themselves on candy. Of course I could be wrong.
Just because there are a lot of things for sale that have to do with Halloween doesn’t mean you or anyone else has to buy it. The holiday can as noncommercial as you like. It’s very easy to do.
We started decorating now that we’re homeowners and have the time. Some I’ve made, some are natural like pumpkins, and some are purchased items that can be used year after year. I didn’t buy it all in on fell swoop, which I guess is supposed to be the commercialization of the holiday? There are some purchased items and things I purchased over the years to make those items, so I guess that’s too commercial? I don’t know.
My husband and met through theater. I have a closet full of costumes I’ve made for performances. Some years I made new ones because I’d much rather build costumes that sew regular clothes. I built a Balloon Boy costume for my dog for the charity Halloween pet parade out of recycled materials for a dog that hates costumes. For the record I don’t like putting clothes on dogs either, but well, my twisted little mind said to do it :). Since we don’t have a human child, that’s as close as we get to having a Halloween party and going trick or treating. Still fun and raises money for a great organization!cabbyi
I reluctantly let Miss 13 go out to a community event tonight. Halloween is not a big event in Australia. I don't mind the kids dressing up and having fun but there aspects of Halloween I don't get or understand! But we did buy a bag of mixed lollies to hand out as treats.
While I was typing this a pair of cute little girls arrived with their dad and I was happy to give them something.
We're giving out candy, sugarless gum, a bunch new items I picked up at my favorite thrift store including, spider and bat rings, halloween pencils with pumpkin erasers and glow sticks.
My husband has a Halloween story from his childhood. Apparently an older neighbor put out a box of old Readers Digests with a sign that read, "please take only one, other children will follow." :)
I would have loved an old readers digest more than candy as a kid :)
No trick or treaters at my house, I used to like handing out candy at work though! I probably wouldn't bother here since I don't want the candy in my house- I don't need encouragement to eat it!
We decided to let go of the "every stranger is out to poison you" insanity that tends to rule Halloween. We passed out homemade organic popcorn in small bags with our name and address on it. It was a total hit and probably cost us under $2 to make for our 50+ trick or treaters, most of whom live in our neighborhood. I'm sure some parents threw it out but so what? (My philosophy is if you are too freaked out to let your child eat something from a person you don't know, then don't have them go knocking on their door asking for treats.)
Clarification: I mean so what in the economic sense and not in the environmental-impact sense. With our minimal packaging, however, the popcorn is probably more likely to breakdown before a Twizzler is.
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