Halloween treats are something of a trick for eco-friendly people, thanks to their excess packaging, high fructose corn syrup and artificial preservatives. 

I happen to think that a few treats are mandatory (what would Halloween be without handful of candy corn or a bite-size Snickers bar?), and but there are a lot of ways to tweak the holiday to better reflect a green lifestyle.

A little poking around the Internet revealed a lot of great ways to have a fun and creative Hallo-green. Here are some of my favorites:

• Before it became a candy corn bonzana, Halloween's Celtic origins served as a way to celebrate the end of the harvest and the change of season. Grist's Ask Umbra suggests honoring the holiday's true roots by enjoying the brisk autumn air. And who knows? Maybe it'll spark some new traditions in your family that don't revolve around high fructose corn syrup.

• Umbra also suggests skipping pre-packaged sweet treats altogether. Instead, dole out quarters, dimes or bags of pennies. Other creative options include seed packets (which hark back to the holiday's history) and recyclable toothbrushes.

• Treehugger has published a comprehensive holiday guide to all things Hallo-green, including links to sites on making eco-friendly masks, costumes and spooky embellishments for the house. My personal favorite are these super cute, homemade halloween treat bags.

• Consider doling out fair trade and/or organic chocolate treats this year. Several companies have come out with organic treats. Check out Treehugger's list of organic Halloween candy.

• Check out GreenHalloween.org, a grassroots group focused on helping parents and schools go green.

• Of course, you could always turn off the lights and sit in the dark. You might manage to conserve some energy... but it's definitely bad for the spirit.