Candy Strategies for Adults Who Love to Celebrate Halloween

Halloween was my favorite holiday to celebrate as a kid. I loved dressing up in costumes, knocking on neighbor's doors to say, "Trick or treat?" and, of course, eat piles and piles of candy. As an adult I tend to look at candy through the spectrum of cavities and extra calories. I know. Boo! Be afraid of ghosts and goblins – not junk food. Here are some strategies for dealing with all the candy around the house.

Give trick or treaters non-candy.

You don't have to give out candy to still be giving. You can give stickers, pencils or those little toys they sell for goody bags. This is also a nice gesture to kids in the neighborhood who have food allergies and feel left out of celebrations, and chances are high that you won't be tempted to eat stickers.

Buy candy you don't personally like.

Chocolate is my kryptonite and if it's sitting in front of me long enough, I will eat it. But licorice or any coconut-adjacent candy? Yuck! I will gladly give away every last piece of it and not be tempted to snack on it. This is a win-win.

Get rid of the candy after two weeks.

I have one child who will eat every lollipop within three days of Halloween. My other child would horde his candy until the following Easter if I'd let him. I don't want to look at uneaten candy for months on end, so for him I made a rule: You have two weeks to eat whatever you want from your bowl, but after that we will donate the leftovers to the local food bank. Some dentists offer candy buyback programs to promote clean teeth, and fire fighters often accept Halloween candy too, just call first to see the local rules.

Happy Halloween!