It is our position that the ritual of trick-or-treating on Halloween night is transforming. It seems evenings of canvassing the neighborhood for hours with the goal of filling pillowcases full of candy treasures is slowly coming to an end. These days, the First Lady’s Healthy Food Initiative coupled with a growing number of children with food allergies has jump-started a new healthy Halloween ritual known as Green Halloween. Organic agave sticks, dried veggie chips, grass chocolate and herbal tea bags are taking favor over milk chocolate, taffy, lollipops, and pixie sticks in the candy dishes of those who are concerned about healthy eating habits.
Once upon a time, the “toothbrush” house risked being the target of an old-fashioned toilet-papering or egg throwing. Now, the carrot house is considered the “cool” house. Somehow the vision of children spreading out their stashes of green goodies to trade a temporary tattoo for a granola bar doesn’t quite compare to the throw-back image of sugar-buzzed kids trading twenty pieces of bite-sized candy for a full-sized chocolate bar.
Whether the Green Halloween trend is a trick or a treat, one thing we can all agree on is the safety of our youngsters on Halloween night.