How to Create a Healthy Halloween Your Kids Will Love

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Ever sit and wonder where holiday traditions came from? Or why we still continue to follow them? For the most part, I still have just as much fun dying eggs, carving pumpkins, decorating a tree, and reliving the nostalgia from my own childhood. Which is why I continue passing traditions on from my childhood, to my children.While I’ve also always enjoyed Halloween, now as a parent I find myself torn over the holiday. I love the corn mazes, haunted houses, getting to see my kids dress up in their favorite costume and go trick-or-treating. However, as a parent, I cringe seeing the bags full of candy return home. I watch the sugar pile up on our table as my husband starts to sort through and throw out any potentially unsafe candies. With obesity taking over the nation, and now infiltrating the population of our youth; I have a guilty conscience allowing my kids to take in so many empty calories all in the name of a holiday. Yet at the same time I can’t imagine my kids not being able to go trick-or-treating and being able to celebrate Halloween. Not to mention, I have a four year old who has come to tears when her request for candy has been denied on non-Halloween related days. So if I get that much resistance saying no to candy; I thought I can only imagine saying no to a holiday built around candy, right? Wrong!Surprisingly, I’ve finally found a graceful way to introduce a new tradition, while keeping a lot of the old ones too. It’s a new book called Switch Witch and the Magic of Switchcraft. I found my copy at our local Target, but you can buy it online as well. It comes with an actual plush toy of the Switch Witch, herself also which my daughter and I have enjoyed. This book is about these Switch Witches who come and pick up your candy, and in exchange leave you with a toy. I won’t give you too many other details, but it’s been a hit to my little candy loving monster. If she can HAPPILY convert, excitedly and willingly to want to give up her candy in exchange for a toy, I’m pretty sure any child can. I was so surprised to see how anxious she was to get her Switch Witch & start a new family tradition! That was magic for me in itself! Also, I love that their website has information on how to help recycle any extra candy the Switch Witches cannot use. Are you not fully ready to ditch the candy altogether? You can tweak the tradition however you like. You're child can keep their favorite 5 or 10 candies, or whatever amount you desire. They can give it all up, or half. You can even range the type of gift that is switched out depending on how many candies they donate. It's a brilliant idea to introducing a healthier Halloween to your kids and empowering them with making healthier decisions!  Check out their website and start your new Healthy Happy Halloween traditions this year!http://switchwitches.com/?gclid=CNHCk8rWwsgCFQMFaQodQa0MFA