Halloween candy - Boston Moms Blog

October 31 is here! And this means most people with young children will be amassing huge quantities of Halloween candy tonight. Whether it’s candy you picked up trick-or-treating, or candy you bought in excess for fear of being that neighbor who runs out by 7 p.m., odds are you will wake up tomorrow to candy heaven — or candy hell, depending on how you look at it.

This will be my daughter’s first year trick-or-treating, and I’ve been thinking about ways to get rid of the excess candy. Sure, I could do the good ol’ “bring it to work and leave it in the kitchen” trick, but I don’t think my preschooler will appreciate that. So, I’ll try be more creative. Have you heard of the Halloween Fairy?!

The Halloween Fairy is the cousin of the Pacifier Fairy. The Paci Fairy came to our house when my daughter was 3 and gave me money to take my daughter to Build-a-Bear in exchange for all her pacifiers. Yes, readers, it worked — and the Paci Fairy is a miracle fairy!

Well, her cousin, the Halloween Fairy is coming to my house tonight. My daughter will give me all her candy, except two pieces, which she will be able to keep. The Halloween Fairy will give me a present in exchange for the candy. On November 1, my daughter will be the proud recipient of a brand new Frozen blanket, courtesy of the Halloween fairy (shh… don’t tell — it’s a surprise!).

I may still give the candy away at work and be Office Hero for the day, but my daughter will be none the wiser.

Of course, there are other ways to get rid of the candy, fairy included or not. When my daughter’s older, I plan to involve her in some of these:

Operation Gratitude is a great way to send your candy to U.S. troops overseas. Kids are welcome to include letters and pictures along with the candy and go that extra mile to thank them for their service.

Another way to get candy to our troops is to give your candy to your local Halloween candy buy-back program, and someone else will send the candy to Operation Gratitude for you. They are also partnering with Soldier’s Angels this year, which gives to troops and veterans. Bonus: Some of the dental offices give incentives for drop-offs, too!

Ronald McDonald House also accepts donations of Halloween candy. For kids who are far away from home and undergoing treatment for serious illnesses, that mini Snickers you donate could put a smile on their faces.

If you still don’t know where you want to send the candy, ask your kids. Make it a family community project to think of who they know who would be cheered up by unexpected candy. Maybe the local senior center or nursing home? Or what about their teachers? Maybe you package it up into little bags and give out as random acts of kindness?

Regardless of what you do, or if you decide to keep all the Halloween candy in the house (that was what we did growing up!), have a happy Halloween!

Lindsay Goldberg
Lindsay Goldberg is a working mom who then comes home and works there, too. She loves finding quick, healthy recipes to make for her family and lives for her Sunday morning escape to the gym. She has given up on trying to find balance, and is, instead focused on surviving and being Good Enough. Likes- books, family dance parties, morning snuggles, and drinking coffee when it's still hot. Dislikes- recipes with more than 10 ingredients or 10 steps, winter, and deadlines