A Parent’s Solution to the Halloween Candy Hangover October 22, 2012 14:12
Halloween is so much more fun with your own kids than it ever was as a child or single adult. There is so much magic in every little thing leading up to Halloween night. Finding a costume, decorating, crafts, pumpkin picking and carving, school and community activities, hay mazes, the smell of candy corn, the fall leaves and crisp autumn evenings. It is spellbinding for adults and kids alike, and makes it a little easier to say goodbye to summer.
When my oldest child was big enough to understand the concept of trick-or-treating for the first time, my husband and I were so excited and amused watching him hold out his little felt bag and say those adorable words. We tramped up and down our neighborhood street crunching on the fall leaves and loving every minute – completely oblivious to the fact that we were going to have to deal with the issue of way too much candy the following morning.
Being a somewhat strict family when it comes to sugar indulgence, we subtly started siphoning our son’s loot, and implemented a daily ration, until a month later the candy was finally gone and forgotten (just in time to be replaced by Thanksgiving pies and Christmas cookies!). For me, the whole thing put a bad taste in my mouth and took some of the fun out of Halloween. Just another thing to regulate. And then I met my new best friend, the Sugar Fairy.
The Sugar Fairy loves candy. And
although she must brush her teeth dozens of times a day to fight off the candy
cavities, she is very pretty, and very sweet and will do just about anything to
get her hands on more treats. So, on Halloween night, after all the children
have finished their trick-or-treating, and set aside a few of their favorite
treats for later, the Sugar Fairy begins to make her rounds. Any child that
agrees to leave most of his Halloween candy out on the front steps for the
Sugar Fairy to gobble up, will awake the next morning to find that in exchange,
this little fairy has left behind a special toy he has been wanting.
It’s genius. Not only does it solve the candy hangover, but it adds even more fun, magic and anticipation to Halloween.
I have no idea who thought it up, but I fell in love with the Sugar Fairy as soon as my close friend told me about her. The Sugar Fairy made her first visit to our house last Halloween, and was welcomed with open arms by my sons. She is eagerly awaited by us all again this year.
-Ashley