Trick-or-Treat Giveaways

Candy, candy, and more candy.  That's what trick-or-treating is all about, right?

My kids get inundated with candy.  They cannot possibly eat all that Halloween candy before we get inundated with Christmas candy.  And we still have Easter candy in the candy jar.  It's October 5th.  The only reason there isn't Valentine candy in there still is because I weeded some out just before the Easter candy came in.

I'm not anti-candy.  I love me some Reese Peanut Butter Cups and Kit Kats.  I've been known to steal those from the candy stash.  And chocolate.  Maybe Nestle Crackles will get stolen not be eaten by my kids.  I may have been distracted by my favorite candy, back on track now.  My kids often get 1 treat a day, either a piece of candy or something else, depends on the day and what's going on.  Some days we have "Candy Free Days."

We've established that there's lots of candy.  With trick-or-treating coming up, I've noticed that my kids enjoy seeing the stuff in their trick-or-treat collection that ISN'T candy.  As a kid, I liked getting pennies in my bag (except we used a pillow case because it was huge and carried everything, unlike those plastic pumpkins).  I did not like getting toothbrushes (how many dentists could have lived in my neighborhood?).  My kids have gotten juice boxes, stuffed animals, rubber snakes, bags of popcorn, glow sticks (except they're always already snapped by the time we get home and therefore useless), plastic jewelry, bouncy balls.

Seeing my kids' enjoyment, I've started in on the "non-candy treats" to give out to trick-or-treaters.

Enter Oriental Trading.  There is tons of stuff that works great for this purpose and the prices are great.  This year, we're giving out little bottles of bubbles.

Some people may say that not every kid enjoys non-candy treats.  I'm ok with that.  Because not every kid like Smarties.  Or Laffy Taffy.  Or other flavored Tootsie Rolls.  Or chocolate (gasp!!).  You can't please everyone.  I don't pretend to do so.

Knowing my kids cannot possibly eat all the Halloween candy that they'll get in the next few weeks, I've got a couple ways to move it along.

1. Our church does a Trunk-or-Treat for the community.  The candy I know that won't get eaten from our Halloween Camping trip gets donated to the first car there when we take our kids to the event.
2. Halloween candy still hanging around when we decorate ginger bread house(s) is free game for decorations.  I always buy gingerbread house kits because I'm kinda lazy about something that will just end up trashed anyway.  Halloween candy adds a way to individualize the houses we've made without buying more candy.

Candy is great and all, we certainly enjoy it.  But there are other ideas, other ways for trick-or-treating and what to do with the candy.