Have a green Halloween

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Cindy Parker

It’s not just another greeting card holiday – it’s a tradition. So what can we do to have a green Halloween? Plenty! From costumes to collecting treats, to edible decorations, you can help put the green in the ‘ween.

Costumes
Everyone knows it’s more fun to make your own costume. After figuring out some general “creature” or theme for the dress-up event, the fun begins with the search for the gear that will bring off a night of successful trick-or-treating. Besides, remember how much those “store bought” costumes itch?

An easy place to start the search is in your own home. What can be scavenged from a myriad of things; old stuffed toys, compact discs and electronic parts, the rag bag, even the re-cycle bin may have “just the thing” to make the perfect outfit. The recycle bin itself, may even be a good costume theme. A lot can be done with boxes, foil and bubble-wrap. Next of course, the second-hand stores have plenty of treasures to sort through for the basic theme pieces or the finishing touches. Even using old costumes for new themes is more fun than just making a costume selection at a big box store. Face paints, funny glasses, hats and glitter can be much more comfortable than masks that kids can’t breathe through or see out of through the eye cutouts.

Decorations
Halloween, harvest and autumn decorations offer a host of edible options. With the many varieties of squash, including pumpkins and gourds – there are lots of ways to utilize the decorations when the decorating is over. Roasted squash with brown sugar, pumpkin pie, steamed spaghetti squash with butter and parmesan cheese - no trick to these treats.

Pumpkin and squash seeds are great for snacking. Using just salt or a combination of spices, these seeds can be oven dried, prepared in big batches and kept for many weeks; but they usually disappear quickly – it’s Halloween magic.

Those odd shaped decorative gourds that are great to use as table centerpieces also make great birdhouses if they’re dried properly. If you master the drying technique for these gourds, you can pack them away and use them again for next year’s decorations.

As a reminder while vampires are on your mind, don’t forget to use those power strips to turn off your electronics. The phantom loads can really be scary!