Outside of school, most parents look at me with bemusement when I tell them about the Halloween Fairy. I can almost hear their thoughts:
Yeah, that's really cute. That may work in your Waldorf la-la land, but the Halloween Fairy would never fly with my kid.
These are the same parents whose kids faithfully put out stockings for Santa Claus long after they've discovered that there is no toe-monster, carrots do not make their hair curly and the Electoral College does not reflect the popular vote. They're gung-ho about the Easter Bunny and think the Tooth Fairy is great as long as the cash keeps coming. The Halloween Fairy deserves a chance, too.
Last year was the first time Lucia went trick-or-treating with friends. She enjoyed the pageantry of the costumes, liked the idea of getting lots of sweets, but was fine with putting out her stash for the Halloween Fairy. The next morning, she received a rhinestone tiara
November 2, 2009 update: Here is a photo that has the wooden mushrooms and doll made by MrsBeccijo of theenchantedcupboard along with a hand-dyed silk by BeneathTheRowanTree that the Halloween Fairy left for my daughter in exchange for her candy:
Other items pictured from the NaturalKids team are the needle-felted mushroom girl by Nushkie, a wooden squirrel and crow by Mamakopp, and stitched dolls by me, Alkelda.
12 comments:
Oh, wow. How interesting that to Lu, the point is the costumes, not the candy. I hope you can keep that up a long time.
We weren't allowed to Trick or Treat -- and my Mom's best friend made her sons split their candy with us every year. We were humiliated by the whole thing, and I'm pretty sure they hated us for it, but the mother felt virtuous, I guess.
Then my mother took the candy we got and put it in a big jar and parceled it out for the rest of the year.
I don't think it's Waldorf la-la land to try and disallow your child to consume all the sweets they want one night a year. Not with diabetes and obesity a daily fight for most Americans...
I'm the Halloween fairy and I don't give presents - I just steal candy.
I don't really care if they get all hopped up on sugar for a couple of nights - just so long as they are over 3 and that isn't their regular diet. We only go up and down our own street and a connecting block and only to the folks we know - nothing too crazy.
LSM: You are an impish sort of Halloween fairy! I know for a fact that you do give presents like the Halloween fairy does-- just not in exchange for sweets. :)
Tanita: Your mom is hard-core. I'm surprised that I ever got to go trick-or-treating, though I'm guessing my parents thought as LSM does. I tended to be a hoarder, as that candy had to last a long, long time. I was able to convince my brothers to trade a few of their "good" wrapped chocolate for lots of my boiled-sweets. Even then, it was about quality.
The neighborhood in which Lucia will go trick-or-treating takes Halloween very, very seriously. (I'm sure that a house would be ostracized for months if someone had the audacity to give out raisins or Tootsie rolls.) I don't understand the point of the fog machines or the fake cobwebs. (1) Fog machines make the houses look as if they're catching fire (2) My basement has enough of the real ones.
I love the idea of a Halloween Fairy! My kids were ALL about the costumes and the romping through the night with friends from house to house, and never seemed to realize that most of their candy went missing quickly. Fairies have always worked well here...can't imagine why :)...of course they're all grown up now so it may have to wait for grandkids.
FairiesNest: Well done! I'm going to have to ask my mom if the Halloween Fairy ever came through our house. I was pretty good at hiding my stash, but one never knows....
More power to you! Love the idea.
I love it--sorry that my girls are too big to try it. Though JR still seems to believe in Santa and I've told her sister to keep her lips zipped unless she doesn't want HER "Santa" gift!
The candy here goes in plastic bags in the pantry. We weed out what the girls don't want and take it to our office, but the rest is theirs and they are allowed to have a few pieces per day. Pretty soon they return to other desserts(my baking helps with that!) and often I find half a bag of candy left over later in the year!
Lucas doesn't like chocolate candy (I don't normally reveal this--it's like the family's dirty little secret), so I always very generously offer to take the Butterfingers he accumulates. We always trick-or-treat in my neighborhood and only go so far as I know the people by sight, so it doesn't wind up being too, too much candy.
For me, the costumes were always the point. I still love dressing up.
My eldest in almost nine, and still delights in waking up Nov. 1st to see what the Halloween gnomes have left her. Imagine the pressure they are under collecting their year's supply of food all in one night! I suspect she will continue to "believe" long after she "knows better" because we foster a love of magic, mystery, and well...believing.
So what does the Halloween fairy bring to your houses? The kids seem really into this idea, just trying to figure a manageable gift that is neither too large nor too small. Thanks!
Felt Mama: The Halloween Fairy brings a nice little gift that is not expensive but is in keeping with the values of the household. This year's gift is a little bag of painted wooden mushrooms that comes from Beccijo of The Enchanted Cupboard (She has an Etsy shop: http://theenchantedcupboard.etsy.com). Last year's gift was a rhinestone tiara found at a local tea-shop (i.e. not plastic, but not a higher-end bridal headpiece). Let me know what the Halloween Fairy comes up with for your house!
What a cool tradition.
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