Last week I received an e-mail from a friend who is a dentist Syracuse NY who started a candy exchange program…

For 25 years he’s been buying candy back from trick-or-treaters for $1 a pound, a free toothbrush, Steel Bite Pro and an entry into a contest for the chance to win a new bike and helmet. (At the buy back event, kids also get to meet The Tooth Fairy and play on an inflatable slide.)

The first year his program began, he raked in 14 lbs. Today, he averages 1300 to 1500 lbs, although one year kids returned nearly 2000 lbs.

That’s 2000 pounds of candy that wasn’t consumed by kids. Amazing.

Here is what the Dr. has to say about his event, “Each year is a little different but we normally see 3-400 kids in 4 hours. The date is always Nov. 1st ( Yes, even on weekends). We encourage kids and parents to select & keep their favorite candies so that we have better participation. The best part of the event is the kids have to empty their bags into the back of a full sized garbage truck. The visual is amazing… Many dentists have now adopted this program in their practices.”

… Now if only the candy were going into the truck of a composting company!

I came across this website today: ThreadBanger.com. It’s to DIY for.

They’ve got wonderfully creative ideas (with an emphasis on “green” materials) with easy-to-follow pictures, too.

Now I’m all for letting our kids make their own costumes – when they can – but helping them with the process can be a cherished experience – one that will likely be remembered even more than the costume itself. So if you’re looking for some ideas and direction for what to make and how to make it, I’d say ThreadBanger is a great place to start.

Here are a few of my other favorites:

• Knitty.com’s knitted wig
• About.com’s DIY fashion
• Budget101.com (“frightening ideas that won’t hurt your wallet”)
• AllFreeCrafts.com

Of course, our new book, Celebrate Green! also has great DIY ideas, including a recipe for making your own face paints!

I’ve been so excited to hear about all of the people organizing costume swaps. Everywhere I turn, I’m told that neighborhoods, churches, organizations, schools and groups of friends are finding ways to put “Reduce, Reuse & Recycle” into Halloween action.

High-five to everyone.

But it suddenly struck me: Halloween is the second biggest holiday (after Christmas) for consumer spending on decorative items (in 2008 Americans are expected to spend 1.58 billion on decor alone). That’s almost as much as we spend on costumes (2.1 billion). We should be having decor swaps as well!

What do you think of this idea?

Have you done something like this in the past?

Share your opinions about it here (free AND zero-waste).

Pumpkin carving, like anything else, can be an art-form.

But you don’t have to be an artist to create aesthetically pleasing pumpkins.

Look for inspiration in unexpected places such as in jewelry, wallpaper, even your hubby’s tattoo!

Check out this article on MSN for more gorgeous pumpkin pics.

 

Apropos of a previous entry (see “Gifts for the ‘ol Switcheroo”) I thought you might like to read the following, contributed by Sonya Bingaman, owner of one of my favorite online boutiques, A Toy Garden.

Remember that it doesn’t matter who you invite to “recycle” your child’s candy (be it the Halloween Fairy, Great Pumpkin or Sugar Sprite), or what stories surrounding this magical moment that you tell to your child. The magic is in the telling, and in the surprise of finding something new where something else once was, and of course, in the believing.

As the weather becomes colder, the Sugar Sprite requires more sugar to keep warm than she needs in the summer months. So, on Halloween, children dress up in costumes and go to their friends’ and neighbors’ houses to collect candy for the needy sprite. Although they do sample some candy along the way while walking around in the cold night air, Sugar Sprite children place their candy at the foot of their beds (or outside the front door, etc.) before going to sleep. During the night, the friendly Sugar Sprite comes in, takes the candy and leaves a gift of thanks. The Sugar Sprite knows what all children like, but sometimes the children write letters or make pictures for the sprite about a week before Halloween so she doesn’t get confused (she has to visit a lot of children to collect enough sugar for the coming winter!)

We’re  eager to hear your stories of the Season, be they magical, entirely real or some combination of the two. E-mail us today.