Tauryn
When all the Halloween hype is over and you’re left with pounds of candy, how do you get rid of excess candy and take away the temptation for kids to overindulge? We, at AICR, have found some thoughtful and creative ways to rid your pantry of the excess candy Halloween leaves behind:
- Donate leftover candy to programs like Operation Shoebox, which take candy donations and send them overseas to deployed troops. I’m sure a trick-or-treat bag would really brighten the days of some of our hardworking soldiers.
- Your local dentist may be participating in Operation Gratitude’s Halloween Candy Buy Back Program. Dentists hold events where cash, coupons, toothbrushes, services or creative exchanges are options for candy buy backs.
- Also think about your students. Toss a couple pieces of candy among other things in a box and send it to your stressed college student to let them know you are thinking about them. Being that I am only a year out of college myself, I understand the appreciation for this gesture. In college, there is nothing like receiving an unexpected package with goodies and reminders of home!
- Consider using leftover candy for art projects such as gingerbread houses, Christmas is quickly approaching, as well as other holiday arts and crafts.
- For those of you with family members who have birthdays around this time of year, throw a couple pieces of leftover Halloween candy in party favor bags instead of buying new. You could also use it to fill a piñata.
- Throw leftover M&M’s into homemade trail mix for a sweet component.
- Lastly, for you parents, after all the Halloween hysteria dies down and candy has been dealt with, grab those dark-chocolate pieces the kids won’t eat – you too deserve a small treat after all of your hard work.
Happy Trick-or-Treating!!
