Be Green for Halloween

When I was little my parents didn’t buy Halloween costumes, we created them; it was so fun.  Believe it or not, it wasn’t until I became a mother that I realized the overwhelming choices in commercialized costumes and decorations.

Driving through semi-rural, semi-suburban southern Rhode Island, I have noticed the abundance of gorgeously colored fallen leaves contrasted with plastic Halloween decorations. I have been in the checkout line at the discount store where many are purchasing stringy, plastic, scarecrows that will undoubtedly end up in a landfill in three weeks, if not torn apart and carried away by the wind.

I like a homemade Halloween; in second grade I was a tree. I took real leaves and pinned them on a brown outfit, it was remarkably fun to gather the leaves, and then decorate myself and I could do it (with a little guidance) by myself. In fifth grade I dressed as a skyscraper; I got a refrigerator box, cut holes for my face, arms and legs then painted on windows.  It was fun; though it rained and I was a little flimsy, I could take full credit for it. As a third grade teacher, I had my class dress up as Greek Gods and Goddesses (that was what we were studying at that time) and we had a feast of grapes and apples, cheese and crackers. This was both educational and fun.  The children HAD TO make their costumes because Wal-Mart didn’t have these kinds of items in stock.

 I have a Halloween secret I will share; each year I buy a few bags of candy corn and hide them, then late at night when no one is awake I devour the tasty morels.  Every year I vow to stay away from this unhealthy addiction but then there they are at the check out counter and I fall prey to my habits. Now that my son is old enough to understand candy comes at Halloween, I have a new problem… and a great solution. I am going to buy organic lollipops and carob earth ball candies this year. That’s what we’ll give out and it’s what he’ll get; and we all know what I’ll have hiding in the pantry.

 As for his costume, I am headed to the closet this weekend to mix and match and create.  I don’t sew, so making something is out of the question, and I won’t buy a new something or other, but I will enjoy co-creating and re-creating something spectacular, easy, recyclable, and fun with my little man.  Last year he was a green bean; I will try to do better this year.

 Be green for Halloween; find something old to reuse or learn about a historical time and mimic that type of dress; be a flower fairy, or a tree, or a gypsy. Make a scarecrow out of old clothes, a couple of sticks and some straw; use old sheets to make ghosts to hang in the trees.  Make a leaf pile, visit a corn maze, carve a pumpkin (bake the seeds for snacks), create lanterns for a candlelight walk, and read Edgar Allen Poe ghost stories around an open fire.

 Let the process be fun, safe, healthy… and green, we really don’t need scarecrows in our landfills.

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