Jana Pollack agrees with me about the childhood highlight of Halloween: “I was a full-on candy monster as a kid, always keeping a stash of the stuff in my room and spending my allowance on bulk gummies. So Halloween? It was kind of my Oscars (I was also a theater kid). I viewed it as an opportunity to pull in some major supply that would last me well into the long, cold winter.”

But now she’s all grown up, and a lot of the stuff she ate as a kid is downright dangerous to her son. So what’s a mom to do? Here’s how she’s tackling it.

— Kelly Faircloth, Executive Editor

Ok, everybody loves Hocus Pocus. But today, Samantha Darby is making a case for a classic: “You don't have to sell me on the allure of Jack Skellington and Sally, either, and when I hear the theme to Halloweentown, my heart skips a few beats. But nothing beats the absolute magic and nostalgia of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” She’ll have you queuing up an old favorite.