By Janet Kearney, Guest Contributor
Halloween is fast approaching, and if you’re the same kind of parent as me, you’ll be running around Party City in the wee hours of Hallows Eve, trying to convince your four-year-old that Superman was cool last year and the unknown, ”We aren’t really sure what that costume is, Ma’am,” is the one he really wants to wear.
And in the midst of costume planning, the candy is something that comes last in figuring out Halloween. Last year, we made it easy and opted for the Teal Pumpkin Project. We handed out sticker cards and coloring books, but I forgot that we’d have to swap the kids’ collected candy for something of equal value. For my four-year-old, one sticker book did not equate to an entire bucket of chocolate. Needless to say, the trade-off wasn’t as peaceful as we’d hoped.
This year, we’re a little more prepared because, never mind the kids’ disappointment, my partner and I realized that we won’t have any candy to eat when they go to bed. Raise Vegan has an extensive list of vegan candies that are readily available.
That being said, the real problem arises when you are sitting with a lot of candy that no one chooses to—or can’t—eat. Fortunately, there are some great programs out there, like Soldiers’ Angels Treats for Troops, where kids and parents can donate their unwanted candy to troops and veterans.
If you don’t want to take the candy in the first place, there are some great ideas that we picked up in the Vegan Parenting Facebook Group. A few ideas include holding your own ghostly ghouls block party and showing everyone that being vegan can be ladled with all kinds of great alternatives. Or you can give small packets of treats to households you’re familiar with and ask if they can give that candy to your Little Monsters when they come crashing down the door.
Final tip—make sure to have the Dandies vegan marshmallows on hand to roast on the fire and indulge in when after kids have crashed.
Happy Halloween, Everybody!
Not being a parent, I hadn’t thought about the Halloween problem. In addition to the fact that eating nonvegan food hurts animals, it just would bother me too. With kids, maybe one option would be to let them eat the nonvegan Halloween candy. I wonder whether this would make them want to eat nonvegan things at other times? How much candy would they be eating? I wonder how difficult it is to make Halloween vegan? That’s a difficult one.
Mambas are vegan too and are a great alternative to starbursts!
Those in the Portland, Oregon area can join us for a vegan Halloween party at Out to Pasture on Saturday, October 28! https://www.facebook.com/events/1960112674232855/
One idea would be to set up a vegan parents group where they all have candy spaced out at an event and the kids all have to run to the different places. They don’t have to be all parents helping to make stations, it could be family members and friends and fellow vegans pitching in. I would totally do this.