You know what I was thinking this morning as I was staring at all our leftover Halloween candy? How come candy never really loses it’s appeal, even after we’ve had too much of it. When I go out with friends and have a few too many drinks (a distant memory of mine these days, with a newborn and all…), I always want to swear off alcohol for a month. But, too many snickers on Monday night does not equal swearing off candy the rest of the week. Hence, the Halloween dilemma.

Of course, I bought way too much candy this year…again. For some reason, I always expect about 50 more trick-or-treaters than we get, apparently.  And I’ll admit it, I’m not devastated when Halloween ends and there are a few peanut butter cups left in the house! But it’s just downright dangerous to have so many treats sitting around, especially when other holidays are right around the corner. So, this year, I’ve looked into some other ways to get rid of the leftover candy in our house, and you might consider doing the same with your kids’ (our your) candy:

*drop off the leftovers at a local soup kitchen, food pantry, shelter or children’s hospital.
*use candy to fill up goodie bags or pinatas for an upcoming party you might be hosting.
*with the winter holidays around the corner, why not put some aside to decorate a gingerbread house?
*there are a few great organizations that ship gift boxes to soldiers overseas, and they accept some candy: Operation Gratitude and Operation Shoebox are two that I know of.
* look up local buyback programs in your area. I know my niece’s orthodontist offers $1 for every pound of candy exchanged in his office, and I’ve heard of other dentists doing similar programs.

Whatever you do, don’t let one time Halloween hangover turn into a month long binge. Grab one more of your favorites and get those extra candies out the door stat!

I hope those who celebrated had a wonderful Halloween. I can’t wait til my little pumpkin is old enough to celebrate next year!