What to do with all that Halloween candy in Champaign-Urbana
It’s the day after Halloween in Champaign-Urbana. And you’re wondering — what do we do with all that candy? We looked around for some creative ideas on how to manage the sack of sugar our kids collect on Halloween night. Of course, there is the fun of letting the kids eat it; we’re not saying that kids shouldn’t be able to indulge a little bit. But often there is way too much brought home, and not everyone likes every type of candy.
Looking for Halloween events to get all that candy? We have a list here. There’s also a list of area Trick or Treat times for you to reference.
Chambanamoms thanks All Smiles Family Dentistry for presenting this article.
The Halloween Candy Buy Back starts Nov. 1 and ends Nov. 15. They are offering $1 per pound (up to 5 pounds.) Bring them over to the All Smiles office. They can’t wait to see you.
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Here are some of the best ideas we’ve found for getting rid of or creatively using that Halloween candy collection:
- Freeze it. This is a great way to get more mileage from Halloween candy — your kids will get a kick out of eating it later on. After you pick out any hard candies you don’t want your little ones to have, throw candy in the freezer for up to one year. Too much chocolate? Freeze it. Jelly beans? Yep, those go in the freezer too. For a guide to candies and their freeze time, click here.
- Bake with it. This is a second way to get mileage from freezing it – you can always use those M&Ms or Snickers in your holiday baking projects. We can vouch for the deliciousness and ease of this Leftover Candy Cake.
- Save it for gingerbread houses. We have 100 percent pulled candy aside for future gingerbread house projects. No shame. Speaking of the holidays …
- Share it. You know their favorites — maybe grandma loves Hershey bars or Tootsie Rolls, and grandpa enjoys Skittles and Laffy Taffy. Have the kids sort out their loved ones’ favorites and send or deliver it to them.
- Call on “The Switch Witch.” We saw this idea mentioned in several places. The Switch Witch is sort of like the tooth fairy. On Halloween night (or whenever you want), kids go to sleep and leave out their leftover candy for the Switch Witch. She takes it, and leaves a brand new toy behind in its wake. More on the Switch Witch tradition here.
- Create a Thanksgiving countdown calendar. Sort of like an Advent calendar, devote one piece of candy for every day between now and Thanksgiving. A great way to meter out candy without so obviously metering out candy.
- Take it to a Halloween buy back program. All Smiles Family Dentistry is hosting a candy buy back event Nov. 1-15. They are offering $1 per pound (up to 5 pounds). Bring the candy into the office during open hours.
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