I had no problem with my little kiddo dressed in her clown costume and yarn wig, collecting candy from other people’s houses- one of the life lessons that I try to teach is that everyone does things differently, and that it’s okay to join in. But as for ourselves, we’re a candy-free house, and I also wanted to model that you can be festive without giving in. A lot of what I tried to give out at first, however, really wasn’t any more healthy overall than the usual sugary treats. Fun-sized PlayDoh was a huge hit, but each little container contained as much plastic packaging as it did play dough. NOT the way to the clean and green planet that my kids need to inherit. The foam stickers that I gave out another year were just as bad, and the trick-or-treaters didn’t even like them that much. Another kid and a few more Halloweens later, I’ve collected a variety of Halloween treats that are just as cheap and bring just as much joy to trick-or-treaters as candy does, and they’re much more eco-friendly, as well. Here are the treats that I’ll be handing out to the neighborhood kids this Halloween night: One thing that’s saved me from being the sucky mom who doesn’t give out candy is variety. I don’t just have pennies or pencils or apples or books. I have them all, and I either pick what I think a particular kiddo would like the most, or I give a kiddo a choice. I swear, they always end up with something that they like even better than yet another fun-sized Snickers bar.
