We have quite a bit of leftover Halloween candy at our house, and I'd rather it didn't end up as extra baggage somewhere on my body -- say, my hips. Also, I'd rather the girls not eat every single piece they received. (I am a mean mama.) So I did a bit of research on things to do with pounds of candy -- besides eat it all right away.
Donate It
I was glad to learn about two nonprofits that accept candy donations to send to our troops. Mailed donations need to be sent by December 1, 2012:
Operation Gratitude/California Army National Guard
Halloween Candy
17330 Victory Blvd.
Van Nuys, CA 91406
Attn: Rich Hernandez
Operation Shoebox
8360 E. Highway 25
Belleview, FL 34420
(Scroll down the page for Operation Shoebox's Halloween candy donation info.)
For other possibilities closer to home, check with your church, your local food pantry, or area American Legion posts.
Craft with It
Advent will soon be here. Use some of your kids' leftover Halloween candy in an Advent calendar or construction paper chain that counts down days til Christmas. Just glue or tape a candy piece to each paper link (for the chain) or behind each "door" of the Advent calendar. For more crafty ideas, here are some links:
How to Make a Candy Garland
Homemade Advent Calendars
Advent Crafts for Kids
Advent Calendar Activities
Cook with It
Lots of your kids' candy is great for cooking! Chop up those chocolate bars, even the ones with nuts or filling, and add to cookie dough. You could even get a jump on some baking by whipping up a few batches and freezing the dough.
Here's the results page for a Google search I ran, "cooking with leftover Halloween candy." Lots of great ideas are here!
If you have any other ideas, I'd love to hear about them!
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These are some wonderful ideas. My son does not trick-or-treat, but this is a great way to give to others. Blessings, and thanks for continuing to link up with us at NOBH.
ReplyDeleteThose are great ideas. Better than my first thought, upon reading your post title, which was "Throw it all in the bin"! (Wasteful. And I would never do that, at least not until a few months had elapsed.)
ReplyDeleteHow I wish I had thought of those when our girls were little! I never thought of putting the candy in cookie dough. It would have been perfect for our cookie swap!
ReplyDeleteAs it was, we would take most of the bootie into work, where all of us would still continue to eat it. Ugh!