Farewell, Halloween!

Ahh, the week after Halloween. All the pressure of coming up with the perfect costume is behind us.  The scary music has ended. And, hopefully, the practical jokes are all cleaned up. But before you rush off to prepare for Thanksgiving, take a moment to put Halloween away right.

The CANDY!
It’s a safe bet that if your kids went trick-or-treating last week, they came home with enough cavity-inducing treats to send your dentist off on a month-long vacation to the Bahamas.  Did they bring home any treats they don't actually care for? It may not be much, but even kids with an enormous sweet tooth can come up with a few goodiesthey do not consider treats. (I always balked at Mary Janes and Sugar Daddys-Ugh!  My Moody Judy avoids Sweet Tarts and Tootsie Rolls.) Pick out any of the less desirable treats and set them aside.

Now pick out all the candy you do not want them to eat, and no, it's not fair to keep it for yourself!  Maybe your kids have braces or medical conditions that prohibit certain varieties. Or, maybe you are concerned that they will need to seek medical attention if they end up cracking their teeth on some of that rock-hard candy. If you have very little ones, this may include weeding out all the choking hazards that you may have collected during your hunt. 

Now, before you start to feel guilty for throwing out all that perfectly sugary candy, here are some simple recycling ideas for how to re-purpose the unwanted stash, as well as the enormous stockpile of treats they do like:

1. Stash away candy to decorate your holiday gingerbread house. Whether you make one from scratch or decorate a pre-made version, your kids may feel better about losing some of their treats if they know theywill re-surface for this seasonal project.  Last year, we decorated not only a gingerbread house but also a gingerbread train with leftover Halloween treats and baking decorations.  Sure, it makes a one-of-a-kind, rather "interestingg" masterpiece, especially when the kids are in charge of the details.  But, we eliminated the chore of shopping for candy decorations during an already hectic time of the year, and we avoided bringing even more junk into the house.

2. Turn an average cookie recipe into “Monster Cookies!”  This doesn't work with the candy you and your children don't want anyway, but you can re-purpose your leftover stash by adding chopped up bits and pieces to a batch of cookie dough.  Freeze the cookies for a later date (maybe even as a start to your holiday goodies), since they obviously have enough treats right now.  You could even simplify things further by just rolling the batter into logs, sealing them with freezer wrap, and now you have slice and bake candy cookies whenever you’d like!

3. Get crafty!  Re-furbish a worn picture frame, or splurge on a new one at the dollar store, and adhere either wrapped or unwrapped candy around the outside of the frame. You can even use the discarded wrappers to create a mosaic effect (a much better option if you plan to use the frame from year to year, or if you have curious pets or toddlers who may try to nibble on your creation.)    As soon as you develop your Halloween pictures, you will be ready with a unique space to display them. 

The Perfect Time to Purge! 
As you put away your ghostly decorations for next October, take advantage of this opportunity to inspect the quality of your decorations and your true fondness for them.  If some of the decorations are dated, worn, or in disrepair, it's a good time to toss them.  If you don't really love a certain item, it's not worth your storage space to hold on to it for another season.  If some of the decorations did not even make it out of your boxes when you set up your Halloween décor this year, there is no point in hanging on to them any longer, either.   Once you cull your collection, be sure to pack everything away with care, especially if you have breakable items.  If you have been using cardboard boxes, I strongly recommend investing in plastic, lidded totes.  They are much better for the life of your decorations. If you keep your eyes open, or search the Internet for stores near you, you can even find them in orange and black.  A good clue for your hubby when you ask him to pull out the decorations next year.

I hope your Halloween was safe and enjoyable and I wish you luck with a productive clean up and a creative solution to candy-overload! And to all my international readers, be glad you have one less holiday to have to clean up after!

Simply yours, 

Comments

[Pattie]

I just found your blog from my friend Dana (thinkpinkdana.blogspot.com). We lucked out with the candy. The candy we won't eat, we took to the orthodontists' office, who buys back candy from all the kids who can't eat it (with braces, etc). They in turn send it to soldiers overseas. So poof, it's gone!

[Debbie Jordan Kravitz (Virtually Organized)]

So glad you found me, Pattie. I've heard about orthodontists buying back candy. And what a great cause, too!

I've also heard of "The Switch Witch." Like the Tooth Fairy, if you leave her candy on Halloween night, she'll exchange it for non-food treats while you sleep. The problem there, however, is accumulating unnecessary "stuff." And then, what do you do with all the candy?