Halloween holds a variety of wonderful traditions: from uniting the whole family in the work of putting together costumes to calling upon neighbors on the trick-or-treating route. It is a very social and creative holiday, and we enjoy it immensely. However there is one tradition that I would not mind reconsidering, and that would be candies.

The number of sweets a little trick-or-treater gets on Halloween night is one truly frightening thing about this holiday. As a result, parents have to come up with elaborate strategies on how to prevent their offspring from consuming the whole loot in one sitting. Even then, children usually end up eating more sugary treats than on any other day of the year.

We are by no means a sugar-free family. We enjoy baking as a family past-time, and we never hesitate to treat our son with a cookie or share an ice-cream cone with him. We fill piñatas with candies, and there are always sweets in the Christmas stockings. I would not think to ban candies from any of these holidays, but it is nice to have a variety, and so we like to prepare non-candy gifts for trick-or-treaters.

Here are a few alternatives that can be popular with children, yet have little to no sugar:

1. Little boxes of savory snacks: raisins, mixed nuts, pretzels and crackers.
2. Bottles and packs with juice or water: to refresh mouths before trying a new delicacy.
3. Glow sticks or glow bracelets: their dim glow will light up the way home where children can enjoy them before going to bed.
4. Cans of play-doh: to continue the creativity of Halloween in the days to follow.
5. Halloween-themed stickers or tattoos: what child could not put a new pack of stickers to use?
6. Stationary items: pencils, erasers and sharpeners always get lost, so one or two more would be handy!
7. Postcards: children like to get mail, and with a postcard of their own they will have an opportunity to mail something to their friend or relative.
8. Little balls: marbles or bouncing balls, and it is a bonus if they happen glow in the dark.
9. Balloons: watching my son chasing a balloon around and giggling, I never cease to be amazed at how much fun children can have with such a simple toy.
10. Bottles with bubbles: bubbles is another fun that never seems to get old.

We are thinking about giving away glow sticks and crackers this year. What about you?

Related Article: Halloween Treats

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