Week No. 5: Bringing Halloween Home

All of the mounting hubbub about Wall Street occupation and protesting only seems to drive home my initial point in starting this blog: that John and Jane Doe cannot wait for anyone to bail them out. We have to do this at a grass roots level by patronizing our own country's businesses. It may be a little more expensive at times, but then buy less and buy better.

For instance, Halloween is approaching. You could go to the local superstore and pick up a bag of crap to distribute. You could do that, yes. It would be cheap and easy. It would also be thoughtless.

Look -- no one needs to pick up as much candy as they used to because Halloween has long ceased being a holiday where children (like I was once upon a time) stampeded the entire neighborhood, and far beyond, completely unchaperoned. There was a delightful spookiness in knocking on the door of a house whose occupants you knew nothing about, all part of an avaricious quest to overfill your bag with enough loot to last until the following year.

The times, they have long a'changed. Children now only venture out to the homes of well- acquainted neighbors, under the watchful eye of their parents. Or, they bring treats to share with classmates at school. You therefore don't need the endless supply of sweets required in days of old to take care of your share of trick and treaters. Hence, a golden opportunity to buy less but buy better.

Here's what I discovered. Natural Candy Store is a business opened and operated by two sisters and their mom in Concord, California, offering healthy treats for any child or child at heart. The candies are organized into categories so that you can ensure that your selections exactly match your specific needs and wants. If you want candy made in the U.S., you've got it. Gluten or allergen free, check! Candy that can be safely given to children with ADHD, check! Vegan, kosher, fair trade, organic ... it's all there. And for the record, none of the candies contain artificial ingredients, so there's no reason for anyone to feel left out of the holiday fun.

And, while the prices may not be bargain basement priced, the candy is top of the line and at a sufficiently low cost to feed a classroom for under $20.00. The variety is unsurpassed, from fudge to licorice to hard candy to popcorn balls, and then some. There are also baking decorations, natural food colorings, and dessert toppings.

Here's the website: http://www.naturalcandystore.com/