Our children pick through their candy keep 10 of their favourite items and the rest goes in the “magic pumpkin”, the Pumpkin Fairy takes the candy and leaves them each a book. I realize this can be an extra expense but it solves my problem of dealing with sugar ramped up monsters for the next few weeks. They have now begun forward to the pumpkin fairy just as much as the trick or treating.

And ditto on the gruesome costumes, I spend a few nights later talking them to sleep after the fright of some well meaning neighbour.

We didn't manage to get to 10,000 Villages for Fair trade, organic chocolates this year… but for future reference, they sell bags of 50 pieces of individually-wrapped yumminess.

Your point on the problems of horrific costumes hits home and I would like to add another side to the argument. When I was out for my first Hallowe-en I went as a witch and had tons of fun. I recall loving the pageantry of the other costumes, scary, funny, beautiful. but the most salient moment of that experience is the man who answered one of the last doors on our route. Before me stood a huge man covered in tattoos. I was terrified. I stood with my mouth agape, but no answer coming to his friendly questions about my costume. He laughed and put some candy in my bag, at which I turned heel and ran down the walkway to my dad.

My dad, also laughing, told me he was safe and that I should go back and say thank-you for the candy. I was scared, but did as I was told. The man was very gracious, said you're welcome, and off I went, messages received loud and clear: “don't judge a book by its cover” & “being brave can make you feel great”.

It's hard to say what will scare a kid. Of course, bloody vampires and angry-looking werewolves are more likely to scare them than day-to-day stuff, but maybe it is also an opportunity for children to move to that edge of what feels familiar and safe while still having mom and dad close by for support and reassurance.

At the little Halloween Dance at my kids' school today, I was shocked to see little guys running around in black robes and gruesome masks. They were freaking me out, and I'm 34 years old! Why would someone buy their 6 year old a mask like that?? I even got a little shocked by the costumes on some of the teachers now that I think about it. I grew up with the excitement and originality of homemade costumes, and in my family, a store-bought, generic one just wouldn't be any fun at all!

And thanks for the “treats” ideas…we're not home this year to give anything out (and last year I only got 6 knocks on the door…3 being uncostumed teenagers, and one being two adult women holding out their purses and wearing Hello Kitty masks) but I will keep those ideas in mind the next time I am wrestling with the financial strain of handing out organic, fair-trade goodies. I remember as a kid our neighbor would give us bags of popcorn and that was yummy! One of my favourite “goodies”.

I think that is one of the essential ingredients missing from Halloween for us these days…we don't know our neighbors in the way we did when we were growing up, even though we live in the home my husband grew up in! That, and the overload of commercialism. It doesn't feel like a homemade, imaginitive, even spooky-in-a-fun-way holiday anymore, just a reason to get candy for free and dress up like the latest movie character. Basically, I build it up in my mind as October comes, and then I'm disappointed by it all.

Oh no, I am ranting! I need to get off the computer and find my happy halloween love…like the homemade caramel apples (mostly organic!) that are ready to wrap up for out friends tonight. That'll put me in the spirit!

Enjoy your halloween away from the big ol' city!

Enjoyed your Hallowe'en post! Just wanted to share one of my favourite Hallowe'en memories from a few years ago. A little boy – about 6yrs old – came trick or treating to our house in East Vancouver. He came wearing a home-made cape covered with dried leaves, and some kind of leaf crown. Amidst all of the store-bought vampire and monster costumes of the other kids, he exclaimed repeatedly “I am a friendly forest nymph! I am a friendly forest nymph!”… His eyes sparkled with pride, but I also sensed how desperate he was to be a “friendly” spirit in a sea of violent costumes. I was really impressed with him, and looked forward to seeing what the next year's costume would be! (We have moved now… so will look forward to meeting the new creative neighbourhood kids tonight!

On another note, a friend's (very sensitive) little boy took a toy gun to his show and tell at school several years ago. He was adamant that the gun shot “fur”… a nice variation!

Hope the evening goes well,

Glenys