My 8-year-old is crazy excited for Halloween. She’s got her costume picked out, her plastic pumpkin’s ready to be filled, heck, she’s even created a list of “Most Wanted Candy,” with estimations on how long her stash of free sweets will last if she devours four/five/six pieces per day. Like mother, like daughter. Meanwhile, my neighbor’s two children are at that “in-between” stage in regards to All Hallows’ Eve. They love the idea of getting mountains of candy, but are not as enthused about going door-to-door to gather it. They’d much prefer having it delivered to them a la the … Continue reading →

A couple of years ago I blogged the question: How old is too old to trick-or-treat? If you are not fond of handing out treats to six-foot-tall kids dressed as killer tomatoes on Halloween, then you might consider moving to the St. Louis suburb of Belleville, Illinois, or any of other town in this candy-laden country of ours where teen trick-or-treaters have been officially banned from the streets on October 31st. Belleville Mayor Mark Eckert is a straight shooter, who doesn’t mince words when it comes to explaining why his community put the kibosh on teen trick-or-treaters: “When I was … Continue reading →

I’m all for healthy lifestyles, exercise, eating right, eliminating childhood obesity, yada, yada, yada, but when it comes to consuming candy on Halloween, I don’t mess with tradition. Moderation. Everything in moderation. I wonder if the folks at Bolthouse Farms understand this concept and its relation to Halloween candy. I’m thinking not, considering the intense nature of its massive ad campaign and cult-like obsession with replacing traditional Halloween candy with its new SCARROTS treats. For those of you who don’t watch TV, read newspapers, flip through magazines, surf the web, listen to the radio or look up at billboards while … Continue reading →

The problem with buying reduced priced Halloween candy so early in October (you know, so you can cross it off your to-do list) is that you end up eating chocolate bars for breakfast. So much for being healthy… or green. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), my sugar-coated purchase is not doing a thing to help the planet… or my waistline. This year the EWG is encouraging parents across the nation to add some green to the black and orange Halloween mix by following some simple tips, including: Make Your Own Costume: The EWG discourages purchasing new Halloween getups … Continue reading →