How to Avoid a Halloween Candy Binge
Halloween is almost over—soon you’ll put away the costumes and decorations, and then you’ll have to deal with what’s leftover: a mega-haul of candy accompanied by the inevitable hyperactive behavior, sugar crashes, and serious temptation to raid your kiddos’ stash. Here’s our advice: save a few of your favorite candies, replenish your secret stash, and get rid of the rest. Luckily there are lots of people who can make better use of your Halloween candy, and while you’re at it you can make it a lesson in giving to others.
Switch Witch
The Switch Witch is a great place to start to get your kids excited about getting rid of some of their candy. The story tells about a friendly witch interested in trading a special gift for your Halloween loot. She can explore your house Elf on the Shelf style, then leave for the year with your kids’ candy in tow. It’s also a great option for making Halloween fun for kids with food allergies.
Halloween Candy Donation
Once you’ve corralled all the candy in the house you’ll want to send it away so you’re not tempted to eat it all yourself. There are numerous programs that put together care packages including Halloween candy to send to troops overseas. These programs are win-win: you get rid of your heaps of candy without any waste and faraway troops get a special treat and comfort from home.
Operation Stars and Stripes Just send your box to the address listed on the Operation Stars and Stripes website. For extra large donations, contact them to discuss other options. Consider including critically-needed items such as postage stamps, Ziploc bags, coffee, and new DVDs along with your Halloween candy.
Operation Shoebox Simply mail your candy donation to the address on the Operation Shoebox website.
Any Soldier Through Any Soldier you can make sure that a care package arrives to a soldier who doesn’t usually receive much mail. Just add the line Attn: Any Soldier to your package. Any Soldier also loves to receive things like card games (to help pass the time) and Beanie Babies (believe it or not- these are perfect for passing out to local kids).
Halloween Candy Buyback
If your kids are having trouble letting go, maybe some monetary compensation is what they need. Many local dentists will pay kids cash or give them a prize in exchange for their Halloween candy. Search for your zip code on Halloween Candy Buyback to find a participating location convenient for you!
Rachel Mast is a writer, event coordinator, and community manager at Pearachute.
