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October 3, 2007 | Print

The Candy Fairy, the Switch Witch and how to get your kids excited about NOT eating candy

A few Halloweens ago, a friend introduced our small town to the Switch Witch. The Switch Witch gathers candy and replaces it with a present that’s even better than the candy.

Witches fascinate Wyatt, but frighten Amelia. So we modified the concept, changing her name to the Candy Fairy.

Our Candy Fairy works Halloween, Valentines Day, birthday parties and other candy related events. If possible, I’ve found it most helpful to introduce the Candy Fairy concept before the I get to eat all the candy I want on Halloween belief system takes hold.

A few things I’ve learned about the Candy Fairy:

• Set candy out for the Candy Fairy in the kitchen or family room, not the bedroom. There’s only so much temptation a child can take.

• Beware of the Santa Claus effect. Leaving candy out at night may lead to waking at the crack of dawn (or earlier) to look for the Candy Fairy’s gift. Our Candy Fairy works during the day and sleeps at night.

• For awhile Amelia gathered candy wherever she could find it. The Candy Fairy was uncertain whether a restaurant mint merited a present. I decided to get small presents and large presents for flexibility. A coloring book is a small present that keeps the kids busy on a long Sunday, so I haven’t created any Candy Fairy guidelines excluding mints. Yet.

• During one of these high volume periods, the Candy Fairy stopped wrapping the presents. I use brown paper tote bags. The kids don’t seem to care.

• For birthday parties and Halloween, we’ve moved from the eat no candy rule to an eat one piece of candy dynamic. (Which means I usually find 2 candy wrappers in Amelia’s party favor bag. I don’t say anything. If I found more wrappers I would.) The idea is forbidding (or over-discussing) the Tootsie Pop could create a candy fanatic.

• When Amelia goes to a birthday party, only Amelia has the candy to get the Candy Fairy gift. So far, Wyatt doesn’t see this situation as unfair. Older children may have a different perspective. My solution would depend on the kids and the sibling dynamic.

Possibilities: The birthday party-goer gives one candy to the other child, who then gets a smaller gift. The fairness is that when the other child gets the birthday candy, he reciprocates. Another idea is to stick with the program, when you have birthday party candy, then you’ll have candy for the Candy Fairy.

• Stock up on Candy Fairy presents, and hide them well. I never know when a candy moment may arise. I like activity toys–candle making, little cars or trains, art supplies, paper dolls, etc. Lately, Magic Cabin is my Candy Fairy goodie source.

• When the kids ask me Candy Fairy specifics, I wonder with them. Did you see her? No, did you? How does she get into the house? I don’t know, do you think she can open the front door? No mommy, it’s locked. The Candy Fairy’s very small. She flies in through the window cracks, then opens the front door to bring in the presents. She’s very small and very strong.

Just like a kid. Makes sense to me.

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