When I was a kid, Halloween was one of our favorite holidays. But Halloween today doesn’t feel a lot like it did way back in the day (ha!).
Back then, I dressed up in homemade costumes like Cousin It (do you know how long it takes to thread hundreds of strands of tan yarn through the mesh of a trucker hat?!) while my step-brother chose uber creative costumes like the Energizer Bunny, which let him “keep going and going and going” back for more candy at each house!
My mom threw the best Halloween parties, with bobbing for apples and an occasional scary character (but nothing like the ones lining the store aisles these days).
And every year we’d celebrate big at the Montessori school I attended: dressing up as famous historical figures and giving speeches for the Halloween parade and then enjoying a campout on the 26-acre campus, complete with our own version of stone soup, a trail lighted by sand candles and plenty of tame ghost stories.
Honestly, these days Halloween feels just gross. I’m tired of the gruesome costumes, and equally tired of the slutty costumes for even the youngest girls. I’m frustrated that I have to distract my children as we drive by gory decorations and that even the most family friendly store feels the need to participate with huge blow up decorations and inappropriate costumes.
So pretty much we’ve checked out, opting for a “harvest” celebration instead.
If you’re fed up too — or just looking for ways to balance some of the scarier aspects of Halloween — here are 7 non-gory ways to celebrate this fall without taking away all of the fun:
Pumpkin Rolling | Spoonful.com
Pumpkin Rice Krispies Treats | Food, Family & Finds
Scarecrow Crunch | The Grubery
Pumpkin Dip | North Carolina Charm
Pop Goes the Pumpkin | Martha Stewart
Chocolate Acorn Treats | Chickenville
Pumpkin Pretzels | Super Coupon Lady
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of MyPoints. The opinions and text are all mine.