Healthy Halloween Treats for your Tricksters?
by Tammy Colter, Editor-In-Chief, OH Magazine
I was tricked!
"Trick or treat!" I would scream in my all time loudest voice. Just 15 minutes or less into my Happy Halloweens, my voice would become hoarse and I was more often than not reduced to a mere whisper. (A trait that would later haunt my cheerleading days.) My tiny voice and inability to shout or say thank you like the other tricksters got me more attention and even the extra "pity" candy. Yea! I was all for that...bring on the candy and the promised migraine shortly thereafter. I didn't mind that the adults all thought I was sick and that I wanted to trick or treat so bad that I was braving the forces! Yes, that was my secret "trick".
Looking back, I really cannot remember many of my Halloween costumes, except for the time I went as the Beetle Juice character, and I was an adult then! (Do we ever really grow up?) But I certainly can remember the haunted houses, the yummy treats I received, and the occasional trick bestowed upon me.
I remember this one Halloween in particular...the very first time I ever remember being "tricked". We lived on an Army base in Fort Hood, TX and the Kelley family on our block hosted a scary haunted house each year. I used to look forward to this special Halloween experience that included strategically placed items hidden behind black curtains and tombstones. I would squeal as my hand reached behind the dark curtain to feel, but not see, a large bowl of worms, (now known as spaghetti) or the insides of some spooky ghost (jell-o)..oh the fun! But the best part always came at the end of the haunted house tour...a very friendly ghost would greet us with a beautifully decorated Halloween grab bag. Inside this long awaited bag of treats would always be a silver dollar surrounded by a generous amount of my favorite candies. But on this particular Halloween, the world as I knew it fell apart. (Ok, so I was a little bit dramatic, but I was young!) After the infamous tour of the haunted house, I received my goodie bag and ran to the end of the driveway with such excitement and anticipation. The bag was much larger than usual and this fact was pleasing to my eyes. But then, as I unraveled the carefully tied bow, to my dismay, flew out an apple, an orange, and a banana. Yes, I am serious. My heart sank. I was on the verge of complete devastation. I had been tricked! I just could not believe how cruel the Kelley family could suddenly be! I was beside myself and carried my disappointment for days to come, complaining to anyone who would listen. Funny thing is, they all agreed with me! "Watch out for razor blades in the apples!" I was warned by many of the adults in my life. Needless to say, my goodie bag ended up in the trash can. Eat fruits VS candy? There was no way! After all, wasn't Halloween all about the candy, the real "treats"?
I remember this one Halloween in particular...the very first time I ever remember being "tricked". We lived on an Army base in Fort Hood, TX and the Kelley family on our block hosted a scary haunted house each year. I used to look forward to this special Halloween experience that included strategically placed items hidden behind black curtains and tombstones. I would squeal as my hand reached behind the dark curtain to feel, but not see, a large bowl of worms, (now known as spaghetti) or the insides of some spooky ghost (jell-o)..oh the fun! But the best part always came at the end of the haunted house tour...a very friendly ghost would greet us with a beautifully decorated Halloween grab bag. Inside this long awaited bag of treats would always be a silver dollar surrounded by a generous amount of my favorite candies. But on this particular Halloween, the world as I knew it fell apart. (Ok, so I was a little bit dramatic, but I was young!) After the infamous tour of the haunted house, I received my goodie bag and ran to the end of the driveway with such excitement and anticipation. The bag was much larger than usual and this fact was pleasing to my eyes. But then, as I unraveled the carefully tied bow, to my dismay, flew out an apple, an orange, and a banana. Yes, I am serious. My heart sank. I was on the verge of complete devastation. I had been tricked! I just could not believe how cruel the Kelley family could suddenly be! I was beside myself and carried my disappointment for days to come, complaining to anyone who would listen. Funny thing is, they all agreed with me! "Watch out for razor blades in the apples!" I was warned by many of the adults in my life. Needless to say, my goodie bag ended up in the trash can. Eat fruits VS candy? There was no way! After all, wasn't Halloween all about the candy, the real "treats"?
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DID YOU KNOW?
In Scotland, children are more likely to recite "The sky is blue, the grass is green, may we have our Halloween" instead of "trick or treat!". They visit neighbors in groups and must impress the members of the houses they visit with a song, poem, trick, joke or dance in order to earn their treats. Traditionally, nuts, oranges, apples and dried fruit were offered, though sometimes children would also earn a small amount of cash, usually a sixpence. Very small children often take part, for whom the experience of performing can be more terrifying than the ghosts outside.-Source: http://halloween.monstrous.com/trick-or-treat.htm
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I was treated!
So here I am, 30-40 something years later. (I refuse to remember or admit my exact age!) The world as I knew it then has dramatically changed. Obesity has become a worldwide epidemic and as an adult, I now understand the gift that the Kelley family tried to share with me and with all the Halloween tricksters that year and the years thereafter...the gift of healthy treats. Who knew? I had not been tricked after all! I was in the midst of a life lesson and didn't even know it.
I have often wondered what led the Kelley family to start a new Halloween tradition in the neighborhood. Had the Kelly family lost a loved one due to obesity or obesity related illnesses? I would never know. But I now know this: The Sweet Tarts, the Fun-Dips, the vast array of chocolates were not my friend, and indeed not my real Halloween "treats". My real treats turned out to be the personally hand crafted angels or notes that I found in my trick or treat basket throughout the years. And the party favor type of gifts such as whistles, removable tattoos, and Oh, the glow in the dark yo-yo! I was over the moon with that one. And of course, I came to appreciate the healthy fruits. Life lessons learned in my journey here on this earth are finally being appreciated in my older years.
I have often wondered what led the Kelley family to start a new Halloween tradition in the neighborhood. Had the Kelly family lost a loved one due to obesity or obesity related illnesses? I would never know. But I now know this: The Sweet Tarts, the Fun-Dips, the vast array of chocolates were not my friend, and indeed not my real Halloween "treats". My real treats turned out to be the personally hand crafted angels or notes that I found in my trick or treat basket throughout the years. And the party favor type of gifts such as whistles, removable tattoos, and Oh, the glow in the dark yo-yo! I was over the moon with that one. And of course, I came to appreciate the healthy fruits. Life lessons learned in my journey here on this earth are finally being appreciated in my older years.
Starting a New Halloween Tradition
Now that I am older and supposedly a little bit wiser, as the saying goes, I have decided to start a new Halloween tradition of my own this year. I have ruled out the idea of passing out fruits as the Kelley's did years ago. After all, I live in a neighborhood that has an abundance of apple, plum, and peach trees and those little trick or treaters would not be very impressed with my treats! So, I have been doing some research on the Internet and have come across some great ideas for healthier edible and non-edible treats to pass out.
Registered Dietician, Elesha Kelleher, shared a few of her ideas, "Sugarless gum, pre-packaged cheese and crackers, trail mix, nuts, corn nuts, granola bars, small bags of pretzels or popcorn, goldfish cracker packages, individual hot chocolate packages and raisins are a great alternative to chocolates and sugary snacks," she says.
I found other fun-filled treat ideas including: stickers, balloons, crayons, pencils, colored chalk, rubber spiders and worms. Cereal bars and even unfrosted toaster pastries also make better choices than a handful of candy. A recent visit to a party store to pick up decorations and favors for my girlfriend's son's first birthday party gave me some great ideas. Did you know that you can buy eight Halloween yo-yo's for just $1.99? And black and purple bat rings are just .99 cents for 30 of them? You will find a wide variety of treat alternatives at your local party store or online at partycity.com.
OH Member Cinn has a fun idea:
Registered Dietician, Elesha Kelleher, shared a few of her ideas, "Sugarless gum, pre-packaged cheese and crackers, trail mix, nuts, corn nuts, granola bars, small bags of pretzels or popcorn, goldfish cracker packages, individual hot chocolate packages and raisins are a great alternative to chocolates and sugary snacks," she says.
I found other fun-filled treat ideas including: stickers, balloons, crayons, pencils, colored chalk, rubber spiders and worms. Cereal bars and even unfrosted toaster pastries also make better choices than a handful of candy. A recent visit to a party store to pick up decorations and favors for my girlfriend's son's first birthday party gave me some great ideas. Did you know that you can buy eight Halloween yo-yo's for just $1.99? And black and purple bat rings are just .99 cents for 30 of them? You will find a wide variety of treat alternatives at your local party store or online at partycity.com.
OH Member Cinn has a fun idea:
"I had my surgery in September ('08) and didn't want all that candy in the house. So I started a new tradition of passing out non-food goodie bags. I make little loot bags with Halloween pencils, spider rings, tops, mini kaleidoscopes. You can load up at the dollar store or look in the party sections of stores where the kids loot bag items are."
What are some of your healthy Halloween treat ideas and traditions? Share your thoughts below and be sure to have a safe and happy, healthy Halloween!
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