Halloween Tricks to Make it a Treat
Written by: Kandi Traxel
Web Site:   The Country Marketplace General Store

If you are like me, you don�t want little ghosties and goblins, door to door visits to turn into a visit by the tooth fairy! Or worse, a visit to the emergency room of your local hospital!

Here are some healthier alternatives to giving out candy, and some tips for being safe on Halloween night. Use your imaginations and I am sure that you can come up with tons more!

Halloween Pencils
Spider Rings
Character Erasers
Bookmarkers
Apples & Oranges
Stickers
Fruit Snack Packets
Raisin Packs
Children�s Flavored Lip Balms
Store Brand Juice Drinks (Less Expensive that Name Brand)
Plastic Cups (Character cups from Wal-Mart with Jack-o-lantern Faces, Bat Faces, etc. are 5/$1)
Small Fun Pads (With coloring pages & puzzles)
Character-Themed Notepads
Temporary tattoos

Scour the local dollar stores and the clearance bins at Wal-Mart and K-Mart and you can find some very good deals. One year I gave away small storybooks that I had gotten from a Wal-Mart sale bin for 10 cents each. They were The Ugly Duckling, The 3 Bears, and some other titles. (Give these to the younger kids and save the pencils and temporary tattoos for older kids.)

Whatever you do decide to give out, make sure that it is pre-packaged, tightly wrapped and safety sealed, (with the exception of fruit of course!) Gone are the days when you could find a couple of popcorn balls in your bag when you dumped out your loot on the living room floor!

Stay in neighborhoods that you are familiar with! Visit the home of relatives, church members and friends! Many stores and malls give out candy as well, so those are also a safe bet!

Many Churches have alternative parties on Halloween Night. Most will advertise ahead of time, so be on the look out for those. They are a safer alternative to more �traditional� activities.

Carry a flashlight at all times!

Use face paint rather than masks. (Masks can be difficult to see thru)

If your child has a dark-colored costume, using some glow-in-the-dark paint, spray stripes on the back and front of the costume. It will be invisible in the light, but glow brightly outside in the dark! You may also use white or glow-in-the-dark tape.

Drive slowly down city streets! Small children DO NOT look both ways!

Discourage older kids playing pranks, �egging� houses and cars, and DO NOT buy them silly string! It is flammable and almost impossible to remove once it has been sprayed! Entire towns have outlawed it due to the damage it can cause!

After the fun, dump the candy and inspect each piece for signs of tampering. Throw away any loose candy, badly wrapped candy or anything that looks suspicious. Check fruit carefully for any suspicious marks. Cut it up and check for any type of discoloration or unusual odors. Wash and peel it when you can.

Have a fun and safe Halloween!

Kandi Traxel is a stay at home mom and the owner of The Country Marketplace Web Mall and General Store http://marketplace.countrymoms.com
You may email her at mailto:marketplace@countrymoms.com.