It's Halloween time, and if you know me
well, you’ll be surprised to hear that I was once terrified of what eventually became one
of my favorite holidays. I used to hide under my family’s kitchen table every
time the doorbell rang. I’m not kidding; it really was that bad. That was long
ago, though, and by the time I was in first grade, I ventured out in my Jasmine
costume and faced the world of trick-or-treating, which has, since then, become
a lot more realistic and spooky.
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| My peacock costume Halloween 2011 |
I’d like everyone to give my mama a big round of applause,
because nearly twenty years ago, she was ahead of the game, making Halloween a reuse and recycle kind of holiday. My Jasmine costume was ribbon wound around the legs of old baggy
sweatpants paired with the matching boat-neck sweatshirt. A few years later,
she made me Piglet ears using scraps of poster board and a headband. This has
rubbed off on me, and never, in my entire life, have I purchased a Halloween
costume nor have I used anything but a spare pillowcase to carry my candy.
Sure, I bought a pair of cat ears here and a pair of wings there when I was in a time
crunch, but for the most part, I LOVE making my Halloween costumes and in
recent years my costumes have only become bigger and more extravagant art
projects (see pictures) using things around the house or a few small findings
at a fabric store.
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| Making Pebbles and Bamm- Bamm costumes in 2012. Yes, I used real chicken bones. |
DIY costumes are one way to cut down on waste and consumerism, especially if
you’re using old clothes and things around the house. If you’re not the sewing
type, however, costume
swaps have gained tons of momentum around the country. Throw a costume swap
party with a bunch of your friends… you’re bound to find something you like or
something you can easily turn into this year's Halloween costume of your dreams! Making your own face paint is a good way to be green, too,
not to mention a good way to avoid carcinogens and chemicals. As long as you look into natural
food coloring or make your own (to prevent any potential allergic
reactions), you can just add a few drops to unscented lotion or pure cocoa
butter (found at your local health food store) and you’ve got face paint!
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| Sugar-free, useful AND fun! Photo Source: ebay.com |
I’m pretty sure candy and Halloween treats are the hardest
thing to give up. Personally, I can’t resist a Snickers or Reese’s
Peanut Butter Cup. However, there are ways to make your Halloween healthier
while simultaneously indulging yourself a little bit. Plus, you'll cut down on the number of wrappers going into a landfill this year. Our old SJVCEO coworker, Maureen, has
a clever approach: she buys candy she doesn’t like so she’s not tempted to eat
it all. Once my sister and I both left for college, my mom only bought two or
three bags, set aside a few pieces for my dad, and closed up shop once
the bags were empty. Another good idea is a combination of both of the above:
buy a limited amount of candy that you won’t crave, get rid of it Halloween
night and makesome funky AND healthy treats to keep around the house. School supplies,
like fun pencils, are another sugar- and wrapper-free alternative. Or if you, like me, are a dark
chocolate fiend, you can just get dark chocolate in bulk. It’s healthy so you
don’t have to feel bad about sneaking some for yourself OR dishing it out to
the neighborhood.
Here’s to a safe, fun and GREEN Halloween!