The Switch Witch- What to do with Halloween candy
Have you heard about the Switch Witch? The Switch Witch is a great way to deal with all of that Halloween Candy.
The story goes like this: a child gets to eat all the candy they want up through Halloween night. On Halloween night, before the child goes to bed, s/he lays out all their candy for the Switch Witch. The Switch Witch comes when they are asleep and takes the candy and switches it for a toy. Ta da! Cavity-creating candy is gone and desirable new toy is there instead!
A few of my friends told me about it last year and said that their kids LOVED the idea of the Switch Witch and eagerly put out all the candy. Apparently, none of them even mentioned the candy again as they were so happy to have a new toy.
Our Birch is a stickler for details though, so here is how I am going to explain how the Switch Witch comes to our house. If your kid is the kind that asks for details too- this might help spark your own stories:
The Switch Witch lives in Hallow Heights which is a little island in the sky by the moon. The Switch Witch loves candy. All witches love candy, but the Switch Witch loves candy the most and she has the biggest candy stash of all the witches. Do you know how the Switch Witch gets her gigantic candy stash? The Switch Witch gathers most of her candy for herself and all the witches and cats on Halloween night. (Did you know that witches’ cats love candy too? They only eat milk chocolate though as it has delicious milk in it! –this is true only for witches’ cats though!). So, here is how the Switch Witch gets her candy: late Halloween night, when all the children are sleeping, she visits the houses of children who choose to switch their candy for a toy. How does she know which ones are switching their candy in? A child puts a piece of candy on the door (of their room or house) to let her know that they want to switch. The Switch Witch flies from building to building on her broom, with her black cat Corn (as in Candy Corn) on the back. They come in through a window. They fly in through the window with magic- the window does not need to be open. She takes all the candy the child puts out and puts it into a sac that Corn holds open for her in his mouth. Then she ties the candy bag to the end of the broom. She takes out a shiny black bag that is full of toys. She leaves one toy for the child to thank them for the candy. Then she leaves just as quickly as she came: on her broom, out to visit other children and perform more switches. By early morning, she and Corn return home to Hallow Heights where she sorts all the candy into large glass jars. That night, all the other witches come to visit and the Switch Witch doles out the candy they want. They eat their candy with her, share stories of Halloween, hear about what toys she brought to the children and come back night after night for a treat. You know how most pictures of witches are flying near the moon? That’s because they are on their way to Hallow Heights to visit the Switch Witch and share in her gigantic candy stash. By next Halloween, the Switch Witch has run out of candy and goes back out to do her switches.
Hooray for the Switch Witch. I guess toy stores like the Switch Witch too!
Related posts:
Hi Debbie
I am SO happy it worked for you. They eat so much that night that it seems they don’t mind giving it up! Birch was happy about it too- but when we woke up, he was “sad that the switch witch didn’t give him a flatbed”. Oh man! Way to knock the wind out of my sails. But, oh well- he got what he got- disappointment is part of life!
We did the switch witch last night and it worked beautifully! This was my 3yo’s first time trick-or-treating and we let him go wild the whole time–he ate his weight in candy before we even got home. Then we told him that whatever wasn’t eaten before bed that night would go to the switch witch, and he bought it completely. The first thing he said when he woke up this morning was, “Did the switch witch come yet?” He was THRILLED to get a toy in exchange for the candy. Thanks so much for the idea!
Hi Rich
I think doing the half/half is a good idea. Thanks for writing that in. We ended up doing something like that too. I couldn’t ask him to give up ALL his candy last night. He came down the stairs this morning with the empty halloween bucket and his present- screaming at the top of his lungs- “The switch witch was here!” He was thrilled. He hasn’t even asked for a piece of his halloween candy yet! (I have!)
I have been doing he switch witch for the past few years. My youngest is now 12 years old and still looks forward to the switch witch. We make him pick half of the candy that he gets and the other half goes to the switch witch. It always works out.
the switch witch sounds like a bitch.
poor kid, just let him eat the candy.
Here is a book that I published to help make the Switch legend/story real for your child.
The Switch Witch
By Charity A. O’Neill-O’Kane
Mrs. Switch is no ordinary witch. She has the power to create a healthier Halloween that boys and girls look forward to each year. Come and read how a little boy named Gavin learned about this special magic–the magic of the Switch Witch.
Read the legend/myth and create a Halloween tradition in your home. Your kids will love to see it in print and read the story over and over. The Switch Witch fosters creativity and healthier living.
Publication Date:
Aug 22 2009
ISBN/EAN13:
1448695880