The Switch Witch

One night in mid-November last year, I heard the same question I'd heard EVERY night since October 31st: "Momma, can I have a piece of Halloween candy?" But instead of obliging, I lied. I told my kids I couldn't find it. Thankfully, they didn't search the garbage. Just call me the Grinch who stole Halloween.

Now, here's the thing. I LOVE Halloween: the costumes, the decorations, carving pumpkins. I love that everyone is out and about in the fresh air. And I LOVE the feeling of a progressively heavier bag. It feels so satisfying - as satisfying now as it did when I was little. I'm the one egging my kids on to run to the next house to get as much candy as they possibly can, comparing their bags to other kids' bags. Totally perverse when I'm the same one tossing that candy in the garbage two weeks later.

So this year, the Switch Witch is paying a visit to the Kain house on Friday night while we sleep. She is a good witch, and she looooooves candy. She trades you your candy for the toy of your choice. Simple, brilliant concept I cannot believe I'd not heard of (or thought of!) until now.

The question becomes whether or not your kids will fall for it. When I told Frank about her, he nearly fell off his seat. "Really, Momma?! She exists?! Are you sure?! Do you think she knows Hawk Man?!" Yes, indeed, she knows Hawk Man. And she knows Batman too, Maggie's toy of choice. Bet you she knows the toy your kid's been begging for too.

Frank's totally cool with giving up his candy as long as he can have three pieces on Thursday night and three on Friday. (I felt that was a fair negotiation for a six year old.) Maggie seems down with it too though I'm pretty certain she has absolutely no idea what she's agreed to and when she discovers only Batman in her candy bag on Saturday morning there will be hell to pay. But it's worth a try! Because I would much prefer being a good witch to a grinch.