Halloween in our house, like many others, is full of excitement – from carving pumpkins, decorating, and picking costumes, it’s a time of year both my daughter and I look forward too. I’ve always wanted to show my daughter that Halloween is much more than ‘trick-or-treating’ and getting bags full of candy. It’s great to see communities come together and get in the Halloween spirit. The neighborhood we enjoy visiting on Halloween is truly incredible, all the houses are decorated, people are on their steps passing out candy, and often times there is apple cider! While my daughter is focused on getting lots of candy, she is also able to experience Halloween on an elevated level and enjoys seeing her friends and appreciates the time and effort that goes into creating a special Halloween.

And of course when we get home its candy sorting time. I don’t know about you, but in my top cabinet is our Halloween basket from last year, and it’s full of candy! We are not a family that eats candy often – we have a sweet tooth, but candy is not usually what we go for. After the candy has been inspected by me (and a few Almond Joys are stashed for safe keeping) I immediately set aside some to bring to work, and my daughter gets to go through and pick and choose candy she’d like to hold on to. Trick-or-treating for up to two hours can produce quite a lot of candy and we always have a lot of extra candy I don’t really like to keep around and be forgotten about.

Halloween is a great opportunity to teach kids about giving back. There is no way we could eat all the candy we collect on Halloween – nor would I want us too! I want to ensure my daughter eats a balanced diet and consumes nutritious food that will nourish her growing body, and of course candy now and then is ok, consuming unhealthy foods on a regular basis isn’t beneficial to us.

Luckily there are several ways to donate some of your Halloween candy for a good cause:

1. Trade candy in at your local dentist office or toy store for toys, discounts or coupons.
2. Donate candy to a family shelter – items like candy corn, licorice, and M&Ms can be used to create and decorate stick houses, and other crafts to those who may not access to these supplies.
3. Mail extra candy to troops in service. Organizations like Operation Gratitude, Operation Shoebox, and Soldier's Angels create Halloween care packages for soldiers.

Hopefully these tips help you and your family manage the post-Halloween candy craziness!

This blog is a part of the MomsRising and CSPI #HealthyHalloween Blog Carnival