The American holiday, Halloween, is one of my favorite celebrations, mostly for the costumes rather than the candy (Okay, I admit it. I do eat a few Snickers bars).

As long as trick-or-treaters follow precautions for their safety – and sugar consumption – Halloween is a harmless celebration that affords numerous possibilities for creativity in decorating, costumes and party activities. But there is a dark side to Halloween and I’m not talking about little gremlins. It’s the cost for all that candy and decorations which, according to a USA Today survey conducted last year, totaled U.S. $3.29 billion, or an average of $50 per household in the U.S.

That $50 is one third of a poor Nepalese family’s entire annual income. And the total figure — $3 billion – could provide $375 each to Nepal’s 8 million people who live below the poverty line. For a typical Nepalese family of six, this adds up to $2,250 – enough to last the family for 15 years at their current income level.

Do I want to abolish Halloween? No. It’s too much fun. But maybe we could manage with less expensive decorations and costumes – in fact, it would spark our children’s creative thinking to make them together. And perhaps we can ask the little goblins, pumpkins and witches to accept donations for a charity in lieu of some (not all) goodies. Raising a small amount for a good cause – even as little as $5, encourages even the smallest children to become socially conscious citizens. Now, that’s sweet stuff.