Green your HALLOWEEN!

Photo credit: Mrs. Hart (Flickr)

It's almost here - my favorite holiday!  I love it not because of the candy, but because I get to make costumes.  I love to dress up and I especially love to get creative and make something fun for Halloween.  But lately Halloween has become another cause for concern for moms.  The number of Nestle products, candy containing high fructose corn syrup, and lack of fun, healthy alternatives is frustrating.

In the spirit of transparency, my son will be eating candy on Halloween and I will be, too.  However, I appreciate that not all families do eat candy, and many moms feel required to turn off the porch light rather than hand out apples to kids.  Not to mention that apples are expensive and homemade is out.  A lot of other green Halloween guides suggest pencils or small toys or crayons, but as a reader pointed out the other day many of the cheap toys contain parabens and plastics she doesn't want to hand out either.  What's a holistic mom to do?


So I put on my thinking cap.  How can you have a green Halloween inexpensively and still keep everyone at your door in the spirit of things?  And then I came up with it!  It's green, costs nothing, and is a heck of a lot of fun!

Set up a fortune telling booth.  No really!  By gathering items up from around your house and investing your time rather than your money, you can create an unforgettable Halloween experience!

All you need is a small table, a couple of old tablecloths and scarves, a rounded dome from a light (check your closet), and a bowl full of silly written out fortunes.

- Remember to wrap a scarf around your head and throw on your most eccentric clothes and jewelry.  Or use a towel and bathroom instead for cheesy, gypsy garb.

- Willing to invest some money?  Grab a small thing of dry ice to create a foggy effect in your crystal ball.

- Don't have a dome light?  You can pick one up at the hardware store for less than $5.  These are great because they can stand on their base.

- Try googling fortune cookie fortunes for ideas.

Just think a Halloween with no waste, no chemicals or unhealthy sugars, but lots and lots of spooky fun!