The Pumpkin Fairy Is Coming To Town...

Oct. 30, 2008 - PRLog -- Five years ago I ran into a serious dilemma.  I had to choose between the lesser of two evils - to either let my toddlers join the ranks of sugar-drugged children on Halloween night or to keep them home missing all of the fun.  Either option seemed limiting so I did what I do with all of my problems - I set an intention for an answer to come to me, then I released it and did something fun.

Later that evening I was searching the internet for costume ideas for our Halloween party.  I entered “mythical Halloween costumes” into Google and the first listing that came up was a site that had a picture of a “Pumpkin Fairy” on the front page.  Since my kids were really into fairies I sat there for a moment and thought about the idea of a Pumpkin Fairy.  Then it hit me like a ton of bricks!  The Pumpkin Fairy was the answer to my concerns with Halloween’s unhealthy candy.

Who is the Pumpkin Fairy?

The Pumpkin Fairy has a special mission in life to help children become healthier and happier.  She does this by calling on selected children to help her reduce the amount of unhealthy candy consumption in the world.  She asks the children to collect as much unhealthy candy as they can on Halloween night and then to leave it in a basket near the front door of their house.  Late at night after everyone has gone to bed the Pumpkin Fairy visits each house to retrieve the baskets of candy.  She then leaves a special gift and a healthy treat for them to discover in the morning in appreciation for their help (a book or a toy and a healthy treat).

Our kids love this idea and so do we.  They are happy because they get to connect with their friends in the celebration of Halloween.  And they feel empowered by contributing to an excellent cause - reducing junk food consumption and improving their own health and the health of others.  And we are happy because we don’t have to worry about them consuming a bunch of junk food and getting sick from it!

How can you introduce the Pumpkin Fairy to your family?

   * First, get them excited about the mission!  Tell them who the Pumpkin Fairy is and what she does.

   * Let them know that they have been specially selected by the Pumpkin Fairy for this mission.

   * Explain to them that they are to collect as much unhealthy candy as possible.  They’ll love this!

   * Buy or make them some healthy treats and a surprise gift from the Pumpkin Fairy (health food stores sell lots of healthy candies).

   * Feed them a healthy meal and dessert so they feel full and satisfied before Trick or Treating.

We also tell our kids that they do not have to share their special mission with their friends - only with the ones who ask.  It is a true honor and a privilege for them to be chosen to work with the Pumpkin Fairy!  This is very important socially because they can feel connected without feeling too “different” from their peer groups.

When we are home sifting through the mountains of candy we surprise them with some banana chips, cacao nibs or sesame-honey candies (all of which can be bought at a health food store near you).  We also look through their collections for any healthy snacks or treats.  Over the years we are finding that some of our neighbors are handing out healthy candies in the mix.  Our kids get to keep those!

Last year we added an additional component to the experience.  Now that our kids are getting older we discussed how the candy is packaged and marketed by the manufacturers.  We talked about the effective hypnotic marketing strategies that the companies are employing - not from a negative stance, but from a positive one.  We asked them to tell us why they think the companies use the colorful, bright wrapping, shapes and names.  I was amazed at how much my 5 and 7 year-old kids could understand about marketing.  Now they are using the same ideas to create their own businesses and websites!  They are turning into future entrepreneurs!

The Pumpkin Fairy is our savior.  Could she be yours?  We get to allow our kids to have fun, to empower them through contribution, and to teach them some important life lessons. Invite the Pumpkin Fairy into your life!

Additional healthy ideas can be found in my new book Beyond Illness: The Secret To Being Healthy Forever.  Escape disease, live free and join the New Healthy!

Happy Halloween!

Dr. Jack Ricci

http://www.drjackricci.com

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