Halloween while Raw?

[Raw Magwene]

I'm curious about how everyone handles Halloween.

What do your kids bring home from trick or treating? Do you make an effort to control what and how much candy they consume?

What do you give out to the kids who come to your house? Candy? Trail mix? Toys?

I don't have kids, but I feel weird buying candy and giving it out. Partly, I feel uncomfortable supporting the companies that make that junk.

I know they're going to get it from every other house in the neighborhood, but I was hoping to hear some positive suggestions for alternative treats. I don't want to be a killjoy, 'cause halloween was fun for me as a kid, even if it did nurture my unhealthy binge eating habits!

[RawTruth]

During my years of being a vegetarian (cooked variety) and wanting to support everyone's health, I tried different things in different years. Once I handed out little bags of trail mix, another year it was small apples. I must tell you that the kids were not exactly ecstatic; the families that are most health-conscious don't usually take their kids door to door (they find or create alternative events), so the door knockers are really into the candy thing.

I usually took my son to non-candy parties at his preschool and then to others that friends would have. Or ... when he was older, I'd take him around trick-or-treating but he knew he'd get to choose a certain number of candies and the rest would disappear (into the garbage the next day). When we'd get home, he'd have a grand time sorting, categorizing, and then choosing the 4 or 5 items that he'd eat over the course of the next week.

Now, I usually make sure I'm not at home so I don't have the dilemma of handing out poison myself.

[trustnraw]

I feel the same way. My kids do not eat any candy nor has my 3 year old ever had any sweeties at all.
We are just joining some friends and going house to house until they get tired(which is pretty quick), then we will just return home and keep our light turned out throw out the candy and watch movies until bedtime.

They know that meat, candies, dairy and such is bad for them and will not help the grow to be healthy adults.
I have been and keep instilling that in them with a lot of love.

Oh, and I will be making a raw Pumpkin pie since they voted for it 3 days ago.

Good Luck and stay strong!

God Bless,

[Conscious Midwife]

Give them coupons to your favorite smoothie shop

or boxes of raisins

or fresh fruit

We don't trick or treat cause I never got inot teaching my kiddos to beg from strangers one night a year and then be leary of them the other 364.

I only know a few of my neighbors in passing and none of their children and it still amazes me that folks let their kids knock on doors. We've even had car loads of kids from other neighborhood dropped off on our block.

Can you imagine?!?!?!?

[Denise Nicole]

We go to a couple Halloween Parties which have games, hay rides, face painting, music, crafts, and of course candy. We also trick or treat with a couple of other children. I have one child who is eating a lot of raw now and one who is veg. Neither are really big on the candy issue, so even though we collect the candy with the rest of the kids, my veg child eats a bit of it and my high raw child just gives it away. They just don't crave candy anymore (yay). But they still like to hang out and get the whole "Halloween" experience. :)

My neighborhood does not allow trick or treating, so I don't have to give out candy.

On another note, we are going to the girls soccer party tomorrow and have been asked to bring snacks, so we are bringing a fruit tray per the request of my girls. :)

[rawpriestess]

Well, each person is different, I live too rural to have anyone come down trick or treating, and the kids are probably afraid I'd give them eye of newt anyway, as I am the resident weird witchy woman, so.........


this is what I would do if I lived where there were trick or treaters, I'd give them baby boxes of grapes, as

1. most parents will not allow their kids to eat anything that is not commercially boxed (go figure) so I wouldn't give them anything home made
2. I wouldn't give them an apple or anything for the above reason
3. I'd never give out junk foods
4. I'd give them money, but a quarter doesn't seem like enough, and a dollar is too much
5. I'd give them what is good for them and NOT any garbage food, but at least most kids like raisins

but please remember what this Holiday is about,
the original holiday Samhain pronounced Sowen is about honoring our passed on relatives during the year, and celebrating the new year coming in, it is about the death of the old year and the rebirth of the new, kind of like getting off of SAD foods and getting into raw foods. COOL

also, in America Halloween is about kids having fun and tricking people and the people trying to bribe them NOT to trick them, that is where "trick or treat" came into being

basically it is all about the mafia, LOL

the kids say, trick or treat, which means, I won't trick you, if you give me a treat, just this one time of the year, and I'll let you off the proverbial hook.

the kids would get a treat, and the people wouldn't have to turn back up out houses, and put signs back up or refill water barrels etc.

it was all done in fun and jest, and is a way of celebrating after the long hard work of the fall harvest and finally settling in to the cold bleakness of winter.

but, remember, trick OR treat, that is what this holiday is about in America.

in pagan culture, it is an honoring of the passed on loved ones and a very sacred day indeed.

trust me, I've got big plans for tonight, as I've laid to rest a very special loved one this past year. tonight will indeed be an honoring of the DEAD, at least in my mind he is.

[fruit]

Im taking my kids trick or treating But they are only gonna be able to keep a few candies then we are going to donate the rest to thier school,Every year there school takes candy donations the day after halloween so they can give treats out to the needy with there meals on holidays.

[rawpriestess]

ALSO,

one year when my granddaughters and son lived with me, they went trick or treating and they had so much candy, and my son wanted them to learn values that would suit them in their life, so we all sat down after Halloween, and each girl could pick what they wanted to keep and what they wanted to give away, as much or as little as they wanted, they could eat themselves into a sugar coma if they wanted, or they could give it all away.

Each girl decided to keep quite a bit of candy, but they wanted to give away some of the not so good stuff, like the little cheap candies, so we took them each with their bags to keep and to give away of candy to the local Nursing home.

we talked with the staff, and they said it was fine to do this, so each girl went from room to room reverse trick or treating, they gave out candy to the people who were in the Nursing home, when my granddaughters had given out all the candy they wanted to give out, they each in turn went and got their bags with the candy they had originally wanted to keep and started handing that out.

they each ended up keeping one or two small candy bars, and they gave away everything else to the nursing home people.

they said it was their best Halloween ever, they still talk about it to this day, that was 10 years ago.

They have been doing this every year since, it is the tradition that we started here in Washington, and they've taken it with them where ever they live.

I had forgotten aobut this, but I just got a call from my son, who reminded me that it was the reverse Halloween day tomorrow. LOL

He is such a good son.

[juliebove]

We give out toys and stationary things like erasers, pencils, notepads, stickers, etc. Leftovers can either be used throughout the year (stationary things) or saved till the next year. I always try to buy some non-Halloween things and these can be used for other things like birthday parties if we have any left. We usually don't have much left because once the kids find out what we have they tell others to come see us. Teens seem to really love what we give out. The most favorite things we give out are rubber ducks and small stuffed animals. I'm always looking for new ones. This year we also have assorted bouncy balls with lights in them and hacky sacks woven to look like bees and lady bugs. For added excitement, my daughter chose a couple of prize grabbers. These are long handled devices that the child can use to attempt to grab their "prize" withj. We put everything in a treasure chest. It's actually a faux wicker basket with hinged lid on it in a very dark brown (almost black) color. We've attached a huge purple and black spider to the top of the box. The box also gets re-used and each year it is decorated differently.

We came up with this idea after living on a military base in NY. The housing there was apartments, stacked three high. Because of all the doors and stairs, and because it was usually still warm this time of year, most people opted to sit outside to pass out treats to save the kids some walking. The kids could just walk up and down the street and not have to go in and out the doors and up and down the flights of steps. People went all out, setting out card tables and putting up lots of decorations. There was always music and it was great fun.

What we are doing this year is decorating our garage. We hung some drapes some feet back from the big door to set aside that area. We then put up decorations and the treasure chest is sitting on a little table in that area. We get enough groups of kids that it is very annoying to have to keep opening the door, especially while hoisting a large treasure chest. Heh! Last year, I moved the chest to the back of my van that I parked at the edge of the driveway. It was obviously a makeshift setup so I planned it out this year we'll see how it goes. I need to go buy a little heater because it's supposed to be below freezing this year. Last year it was warm.

My daughter does not go trick or treating any more. The main reason is she has a lot of food allergies and is unable to eat most candy because of that. I have a bag of treats for her so she won't feel as left out. But really I think she prefers handing the treats out to going trick or treating, even if she could eat the treats.

[RawTruth]

trust me, I've got big plans for tonight, as I've laid to rest a very special loved one this past year. tonight will indeed be an honoring of the DEAD, at least in my mind he is.I'm joining you in this one, RP.

[rawpriestess]

RT, this is the ONLY way I can look at this, as the man I loved, would never have done any of the things he did, LOL

the man I loved, MUST have died, and some pod person took over his lifeless body. LOL

So, tonight is the night, cauldron stirring, pointed hat and all, this is the night, that I gave him to come to his senses and to be who he really is, with no judgement, no questions asked, no anger, no fear, no nothing!

He was, my beloved warrior God, my one true soulmate, my other half, my split apart, my twin flame. I know in my heart that this was his chance to make it right this life, but he chose to continue on his path of drugs and destruction, his choice, I honor his choices, and I will now continue on in my path and my life.

I will not replay this in another life, there will be no more chances to fix this.

I have a new beloved waiting in the wings, who has patiently waited until tonight.

midnight, that is it. no more wishing and hopeing for reprieve, at midnight tonight, he is dead.

[Sharon in Colorado]

We don't trick or treat cause I never got inot teaching my kiddos to beg from strangers one night a year and then be leary of them the other 364.

I only know a few of my neighbors in passing and none of their children and it still amazes me that folks let their kids knock on doors. We've even had car loads of kids from other neighborhood dropped off on our block.

Can you imagine?!?!?!?

I think the difference here is that the parents are with the children, and the other 364 days the children are alone when they shouldn't be talking to strangers (although I never let my children alone any time of the year).

When I was young, I usually went with my friends without supervision because it seemed safer back then.

We live out on a rural area on a large acreage, so we are off the hook about giving junk out.

I would say just turn your light off if you don't want to do anything, it beats spending money on candy that you dont' want to give out, or may even get into yourself, and you'll save money. Most kids coming to your door aren't expecting non-candy items and may not eat something healthy anyway.

My kids do like the door-to-door thing, not particularly for the candy element (well, that's a part of it) but for the fun of knocking on strangers' doors. I guess it's a strange sense of mystery and excitement for them.

This year however we are taking them to the large church for "Hallelujah Night"...it's indoors, safe, warm, fun, no evil stuff, and all age appropriate. However there's still the candy element. I love RP's story about the reverse Halloween night, I may suggest that, but we usually hold their candy they'll have 1 a day or so and it'll last for several months.

[luckitri]

This holiday has always been a dilemma for me. Here in Arizona it is also the Mexican Day of the Dead - along the historical lines RP was writing of. Some of the tribal people that I have known tell me that when they are on the reservation - on this night it is known that spirits walk the earth - they just stay in the house with the doors and windows shut.

As a young child my son didn't even like this holiday. Once we were in the childrens section of the library and his shrill little voice resonated through-out - "Mama, why do these put all these nasty things up to scare little kids with?" At that age he still could see real ghosts/spirits/angels - and can still sense them today. But he wants to be a normal kid so I let him.

I hate handing out the candy but this year we will. I am too ill to go anywhere and we are afraid of vandalism if we do not partake as expected. Crazy huh?

My son suddenly matured about the candy in the last couple of years. The less of a deal I make out of it - the less attached to it he is. Now he sorts out the candy on his own and gets rid of most of it. Or we might put it in a candy jar for when kids come over - they ARE kids - and they are just as likely to leave it if it is not taboo. In another year or so he will want to stand at the door and hand it out as he will feel too big to run around.

[Queen Shelley]

Merry Meet-merry Part-merry Meet Again! :) (it's A Little Pumpkin Face!)

[mershwista]

Commercialism kills the meaning of all holidays...I'd just as soon avoid the whole mess.

[star1919]

What is a gift... is that we can all choose what is best for us and our families. And, great that we can all be honored in that...

I love the idea of little toys... and may try more of that in the future. As for tonight... we're giving out candy and boxes of raisins. We have a huge basket and just let the kids take what they want. To my surprise, many have been taking the boxes of raisins.

For us it is such a joy... we live near a grade school and have lots of kids coming by. Many come with parents... not all. There are so many bright little faces... full of smiles and darling costumes.

Sometimes it is enough that it is light hearted and fun... and for those that feel this way... the tradition goes on. :p

[mershwista]

That's awesome the kids are taking the raisins...I always liked raisins as a kid, but none of my brothers share that love...or my sister. I remember back in high school when I made a batch of raisin bran muffins, and the kids loved them untiil they discovered that they contained raisins. Then again, these are also kids who will not eat anything green unless it is artificially colored that way...in cases such as Kool-aid. blah.

[Conscious Midwife]

I think the difference here is that the parents are with the children, and the other 364 days the children are alone when they shouldn't be talking to strangers (although I never let my children alone any time of the year).

When I was young, I usually went with my friends without supervision because it seemed safer back then.



That's just it the parents haven't been with the kiddos in the past and I'm talking about folks under 12. Anyway we skipped the lurking and giving this year which is occassionally something we've done in the past, look at the cool costumes and give assorted treats, just to be neighborly. Tonight it's damp and chilly and I wasn't in the mood. I can still hear kids outside now. :)

Just rembered one year I gave away colored pencils and pencil boxes. Semed to go over well.

Hope they are safe and having fun.

I will help my teenager pull together a recipe for her spanish classes "Day of the Dead" celebration. Something about having a contest where each class is judged on an alter presentation, food prep and other historical points.

[luckitri]

Some enterprising raw person needs to make up little bags of trail mix and the like for us to buy and give. For so many years there have been stories of poison apples and tampered with candy. After 9/11 there were reports of Middle Eastern men buying whole flats of candy at Costco and due to the Anthrax scare people feared that with a little needle they could add to the powdered sugar on the candy, return it to the store stating that they had purchased too much - and at this point the question became - will the store put this returned candy back on the shelf? Even the schools refuse to allow any homemade items in for birthdays or any other celebration. I was taught to sort my sons candy for any items that could be tampered with - anything that could be opened and shut, unwrapped and rewrapped - it all goes in the trash. I would love to make little bags of trail mix and give it to the kids. Those days are long gone. I need to be able to purchase the little bags that have factory type sealed packages. Dried fruit is very sweet and sugary - even the health food stores have sugar added to their dried fruits (not all) so to me it would be very similar to giving the candy - just a little healthier.

[mershwista]

Yeah, that's scary stuff...I grew up in Washington, DC, and I remember my parents actually FINDING needles in some of my trick-or-treat candy that I had collected.

[Raw Magwene]

Needles! That's crazy...I thought that was just an urban legend, part of the hysteria of our times...I'm even sadder to find out that is not.

I have decided to "play dead" to the outside world tonight and make grawnola for myself.

I love that everyone had so many positive and creative ways to handle this... I think next year the colored pencils or crayons or toys will be the route I take.

[RawTruth]

The 3-yr. old ended up giving out little bottles of bubbles (ya know, the ones that have the ring inside the cap and you blow bubbles through it?). It went over well. One big kid even wanted two.

[raw-siobhan]

Tonight I gave out little miniature things of play-doh. I bought it at the local Frys food store and there were 20 miniature tubs of the stuff per pack. The big kids looked at me a bit weird, but the little kids just LOVED the idea of getting a toy. So, I definitely will be pursuing the same idea of giving out like trinkets of sorts next Halloween. In fact, I just had this great idea. You can totally order party supplies and little novelty toys from the Oriental Trading Company on line. It is inexpensive and convenient...and a great way to avoid the candy thing altogether.

As far as the receiving of the candy...my three girls came back tonight with a boat load of the candy. My dad, who always comes down here to Arizona from Wyoming to spend the holiday and some birthdays with us, he inspects the candies. He, being a retired police officer, is a great "inspector of candies" but lots of the candies get the boot. Now, here is the trick for eliminating the bulk of the candy...we have a rule: The "inspector" gets his cut of the candy...then mom gets her cut of the candy (which I must say I did tonight). THEN, over the next week or so I sneak into each of the girls' candy baskets and take 2 or 3 candies per night and chuck them in the dumpster. Is it sneaky and underhanded? Yup. Is it one of those things that moms are allowed to do??? ABSOLUTELY! :) I figure, some day when my girls are moms they will understand why I did what I did and probably come to me for all of my sneaky, underhanded tips!

[star1919]

Thanks for the great ideas! :D

Love the idea of bubbles, colored pencils and all!

And, the Oriental Trading Company is such a great resource for things to give!
Thanks, Raw-Siobhan

I used to receive their catalogues... and that is a perfect place to order inexpensive things to give out for halloween!

Count us in... for next year! Here is the link for others that may be interested. They have a variety of little toys, fun party supplies, crafts for kids, and ornaments etc. You can order a free catalogue... which is easier to look through than online site.

http://www.orientaltrading.com/