Goody bag free

For the first time ever my son's birthday party -- a Star Wars bash in honor of his seventh birthday -- did not come complete with a goody bag. My husband and I have always been annoyed by the mountain of crappy trinkets and sugary candies that end up clogging the vacuum cleaner and our children's teeth. They just ate cake and ice cream, do they honestly need more sugar?

I'm already a self-proclaimed soccer snack grouch, guess I can add goody bags to the list. Trust me, this was a big step for me. I was actually nervous kids would whine when they didn't walk with the popular parting gift.

In place of goody bags, we invested our money in lightweight foam rollers and colored duct tape so each Jedi could make their own soft light saber. Then they marched outside to the driveway for Battle Training moves led by my good sport husband in his navy blue Jedi bathrobe. In an effort to keep them moving and active, we designed a Jedi-Training Obstacle Course, facilitated a couple more outside games, offered cake/ice cream, open playtime and then handed kids an official Jedi Knight certificate signed by Yoda upon departure. Not one Jedi filed a goody bag complaint.

The best part? One parent even made a point to tell me today she noticed and appreciated that her kids did not receive a goody bag full of junk. Wow! I'm permanently goody bag free. If you're a fan of goody bags, here's an interesting article highlighting a couple compromise bags with healthier offerings.