Comments on: Thrifty Green Halloween: Enjoying a Fun and Eco-Friendly Holiday

By: Robbie

Robbie — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 22:57:40 +0000

We use the treats from trick or treating to fill up the candy dish for the neighbors who come around (thank goodness ours are little still!)

By: Joy

Joy — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 23:20:49 +0000

It’s funny because I grew up in a family where sweets were very limited and my sister and I did some crazy things to fulfill our cravings–like dipping hunks of unsweetened chocolate in sugar gnawing away at them. I agree that you can definitely go too far when it comes to restricting anything!

By: Eileen

Eileen — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 22:04:07 +0000

Rebecca, I’m with you. The more I read and observe in my students, the more I think there are other factors in the childhood obesity epidemic that contribute more than candy. ‘For one, candy has always been around for kids and we haven’t always had this problem. I firmly believe that anything you make a big deal of NOT letting your kids have, that is all they will think about. I think it makes more sense to let them feel like candy is a once in a while thing for special occasions and keep things healthy the rest of the time. So they don’t think of it as an every day food.

By: rebecca

rebecca — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:09:23 +0000

Am I the only one who thinks it’s a little mean to throw a party so your kids can’t go trick-or-treating? I loved trick-or-treating as as kid, and it was fun the one time we did it with Audrey last year. As Eileen mentioned, it’s a great way to get to know the neighbors.

As for cutting back on the candy, since Roscoe is only 2, I’d probably just give him a piece on Halloween and then make the rest disappear. Once he’s older (and knows better), I would probably keep it for him and dole it out. I like April’s idea about trading the candy in for a prize, if you’re really concerned about too much candy.

As for what to give out on Halloween night, I just give out candy. One year I got worked up, thinking I was contributing to the childhood obesity epidemic, and thought I’d give out dental floss or something. Then I decided against it. I don’t think even my dentist cousin goes that far!

Donna–good point about kids buying candy with their pennies! Ha!
Kathleen–Yes, gone are the days of giving out apples or homemade cookies. Too bad; that could have been fun.
Cathy, I think we have similar outlooks on Halloween: FREE CANDY!

By: Cathy

Cathy — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:25:18 +0000

My kids love to trick or treat, so we’ll definitely do that. We use candy as a treat for our kids a lot, ( I know, bad), so in a way all the candy they get is nice because then we don’t have to go to a store and buy our own.

By: Kathleen W.

Kathleen W. — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:13:25 +0000

I love these ideas! I always dread the eco-issues surrounding Halloween, particularly all of those small wrapped candy bars. Gone are the days when you could just hand out apples or homemade cookies. I was thinking of handing out crayons (not a great eco option, but at least they’ll be used more than 10 minutes). I’m still thinking about other things, and will probably do a little online research on the topic this week.

By: Donna @ The Frugal Mom Blog

Donna @ The Frugal Mom Blog — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:45:43 +0000

Thanks for the great ideas. The pennies remind me of when I was a kid. I used to take the pennies the very next day after Halloween to a local penny candy store and buy MORE candy……lol. You just reminded me that I can throw some pennies in my kids treat bags that they are handing out at school, so thanks. For a green Halloween this year we are going to try and compost our carved pumpkins in the backyard and see what happens. I think the kids will like seeing nature take it’s course

By: eileen

eileen — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 06:27:56 +0000

I actually LOVE trick-or-treating with my kids. The main reason is meeting neighbors. It is such a fun thing to go up to people’s door and talk to strangers who live in your own neighborhood. We don’t do enough of that!

So far my kids are happy with going to just a dozen or so houses. When we get home all the candy goes in a communal bowl – they have never been allowed to think of it as THEIR candy. I leave it out for a day or two and let them splurge. Then I put it away and they forget about it. It’s never been a huge issue. I think it’s better to not make a big deal out of NOT letting them have sugar. I also think from a dental perspective, it’s better to overdo it one day than to eat small amounts of candy every day for weeks.

By: April ~ EnchantedDandelions

April ~ EnchantedDandelions — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:34:39 +0000

For the candy situation, we’ll allow the kids to have a couple pieces that night, but then we’ll leave the rest out for the Halloween Fairy to pick up. In exchange, she’ll leave a small gift (a new coloring book, fingerpaint, etc.), as well as some healthier treats (usually a splurge item, such as organic candy, or Annie’s graham bunnies).

Maybe in the next year or two, we’ll make some friends so we can have a halloween party, instead of ToTing.