How to Make Halloween Magic, Buy Candy, and What to Do With It (with Maria)

BoldLittleMinds MomCast Ep. 12

Oct 28, 2024

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It’s the week that so many of us wait for all October long, the week of Halloween! If you’re like me, you’ve saved the best of your Halloween activities for this past weekend and the coming week. Some of you may have already used all of your Halloween fun and you’re ready to move on to the next holiday. Either way, this week is full of excitement and anticipation for costumes and the big day.

This week I had the pleasure of co-hosting our Halloween special with our official Celebration Correspondent, Maria from PrideandJoyLife. We talked all things Halloween, from our own childhood memories to our favorite ways to make magic with our own kids.

Main Episode:

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-24:11

Bonus Episode:

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-21:37

Childhood Halloweens: A Trip Down Memory Lane

Maria and I had a great time reliving our childhood Halloween memories. Maria walked around her neighborhood door-to-door with her friends while I remember running to and from the car as we drove along the dark streets of my hometown, hoping that the next house would have its lights on. Even though our traditions were different, we both fondly remember filling our pillowcases with as much candy as possible.

Halloween as a Parent: Creating New Traditions

Now that we’re parents, we both enjoy making the magic for our own kids and experiencing the joy of Halloween through them. Maria shares with us the magic of going around her neighborhood with her family and all of their friends. They branch off after starting together as some of the kids sprint off and others need more time to get from house to house. We both live in neighborhoods and love how this day feels straight out of a movie. In fact, this was so important to Maria that this was part of her decision making process when house hunting. Now that’s dedication to the Halloween spirit.

Safety and Fun

Even though Maria shared that her family enjoys the relaxed environment of her neighborhood and I live on a very low-traffic road, we both shared their tips for kipping our kids safe. I put blinking bike lights on the back of my kids to help cars see their erratic movements if they dart towards the road. Maria’s strategy is to load each kid up with a bunch of glow sticks before they get started down the road. Nowadays, there’s a Trunk or Treat practically every weekend day of the month, giving families a safe option, but when the kids are little or with a busy calendar, it’s hard to make room.

Where To Get Your Candy

Maria and I have both thought long and hard about the candy purchasing aspect of Halloween. Maria typically shops online for her candy whereas I go to the store. We both realized we have a problem determining how much candy we’ll actually need and always over buy, which doesn’t help the leftover candy situation. We also agree that there is so much filler candy in each of the mixes. Who is eating all of the Whoppers? Because that’s all that’s left in our candy bowls when we get home.

What To Do With All The Candy?

I shared a story from a listener about an eventful Halloween taking her niblings trick or treating. The listener loaded the kids up with candy, taking trips to the car to lighten the load throughout. The months and months worth of candy was not a welcome surprise when the kids got home to their parents. Maria and I were stunned by the story and decided they would need time to process this when they got home.

My extra candy ends up in a coat closet, but my 3 year old now has a good enough memory to know this. Whenever we play Trick-or-Treat, he does straight to this closet. I may need to find another spot this year. Maria’s family has a fun tradition of emptying out the bags to sort through their hauls. They do a trade situation and then pick away at their candy for a few weeks until it enters a communal candy bin.

The Switch Witch: A Creative Halloween Tradition

Mary from The Modern Ramona and Laurel Tree & Me (she was the guest on episode 9) introduced us to the concept of the "Switch Witch." In this fun tradition, Mary’s kids eat some candy and pick out their favorites, but then they leave the rest of their candy out for the “Switch Witch” who takes the candy and leaves presents in its place. She loves this tradition as it brings even more magic to Halloween - and takes care of some of the excess sugar while they’re at it!

Simple Traditions: Creating the Magic Without Overwhelm

Maria is an advocate for low-maintenance family traditions. Her favorite event is family movie night. Recently she added a new celebration night to the mix where they do a few low key games, decorating, and snacking. The magic can be as simple as one jack-o-lantern and some orange string lights. I use my kids Halloween Jack-o-Lantern buckets as decor and toy storage during October to triple up on the uses.

Rapid Fire Questions: Favorite Halloween Moments

We had a rapid-fire question round where we talked about all things Halloween, from our opinions on Haunted Houses (pass) to our favorite scary movies (pre-kids of course.) We also talked about how we love the idea of homemade Halloween costumes, but with kids a costume from a store helps to reduce the stress.

Embrace Simplicity: A Halloween Message

As we wrapped up this spooky episode, Maria left us with a profound piece of advice: don’t overcomplicate Halloween. The magic lies in simplicity—whether it's stringing up a few orange lights, carving a single jack-o-lantern, or snuggling with family during a cozy movie night. By leaning into these uncomplicated moments, families can create lasting memories that reverberate through generations.

Join us for our upcoming Thanksgiving episode where Maria will return to share more about family traditions and festive cheer. You can find Maria on Instagram @prideandjoylife If you’d like to contribute your own stories or need inspiration, you can email us at boldlittleminds@gmail.com or find us on Instagram. Connect with me:

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Connect with Maria:

https://www.instagram.com/prideandjoylife/

Watch or Listen to Maria's Story - Episode 3 of the BoldLittleMinds MomCast: