Did You Know You Have An Alternative to Halloween?

By Dani Greer

I admit it. I'm not a big fan of Halloween. Mostly it's the over-commercialization and the utter waste embedded into what should be a fun and simple playtime for children. Gone are the days of raiding Mom's closet for gypsy or queen costumes and grabbing a big bag for a pretend-spooky romp through the neighborhood with best friends. Oh, and collecting all that candy loot! Even the sugar overdose probably wasn't so bad decades ago - eating sweets was hardly a daily event. Now, it's an invitation to childhood diabetes, and who wants that for their kids?

Still, I wouldn't deny children the fun this holiday should be. I get ready for Halloween every year in my rural home, and though not too many kids wander to the outskirts of my little town, I'm prepared with treats. I just don't give them the usual fare. I figure if they're going to get candy from me, I may as well develop their tastes for something better. So I stock up on a few really good chocolates, with the idea that any leftovers can be thoroughly enjoyed by you-know-who through the rest of the year. Wicked, I now.

Recently I discovered a very cool website - Green Halloween - a non-profit, grassroots community initiative to create healthier and more Earth-friendly holidays, starting with Halloween. It began in the Seattle area in 2007 with backers such as Whole Foods Market and was such a huge success that in 2008, the initiative expanded nation-wide. In cities across the country, volunteer coordinators are turning their city’s Halloween holiday healthy and eco-friendly, but many are also raising money for their own, local nonprofit beneficiaries via the initiative.

There are so many creative treat options at the wonderful Green Halloween website, that the site is worthy of a long exploration before the big day rolls around. My favorite concept and page dealt with the idea of giving treasures rather than candy. Click here for a list of possibilities. I'd already been thinking in that direction, and last year had cool pencils made from recycled Japanese newspapers. This year, I'm digging into my huge stash of fused glass magnets and giving those, because they truly are real one-of-a-kind treasures.

I'll probably also tuck some bookmarks into each child's bag - these happen to be from Little Pickle Press and list their award-winning books. Who knows? Maybe What Does It Mean To Be Green? will end up on some little person's Christmas wish-list!

What about you? How do you feel about Halloween? Are you doing anything special to keep it green and healthy for yourchildren? Leave us a comment with your ideas.