Our local Mother’s Club does the costume swap each year – really great idea. Used costumes can also be found on freecycle.org, which was created to keep stuff out of the landfill by giving it away for free.

Another idea I wanted to mention is that many Waldorf Schools offer a green “alternative” to Halloween, called “Sprite’s Night”. Parents and children transform each classroom into a stage, and storybook tales are acted out to the delight of the audience. A “spirit guide” takes groups of parents and children around to each classroom, where they will see the creative skits and children receive a trinket related to the story (for example, children may receive a little mini pumpkin after hearing a story about a pumpkin, or receive some seeds after hearing a story about a farmer). These events are usually in the late afternoon/early evening, and the school campuses have been transformed with bales of hay, cornstalks, and lit pumpkins along a path ~ it’s really magical (especially for young children). Hot apple cider and homemade soups and bread might be served as well. And generally, everyone dresses in costume!