Halloween Candy: The Aftermath

Now that the children have a bag full of candy and bags under their eyes, it's time to figure out where to go from here.  Parents have packed up the face paint and costumes and on the counter sits the leftover candy as well as the stash the kids collected.  What to do?  What to do?

For families who just want to get rid of the loot here are are several options:  

The Buy Back

The Buy Back is a program that many area dentists and/or toy stores have set up.  Magic Beans in Cambridge, Brookline, Wellesley and Hingham has a buy back program.  Bring in 1 pound of candy between November 1st and November 7th and you will get a 20% off coupon for the kids.  Another version of the buy back is done just up the road in Lexington at the Lexington Smile Studio.  Dr. Rosenberg asks families to bring in candy and get $1 per pound.  Last year over 1, 500 lbs of candy were collected and sent to US troops in Iraq along with toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, mouthwash and letters from local school children.

The Switch Witch

Many families, including Arlington mom and blogger Jenny B., have welcomed the Switch Witch as a part of their Halloween tradition.  The switch witch takes the Halloween candy and leaves a gift.  You can read more about Jenny's switch witch at the pieces of my life.  The candy that "the witch" collects is then donated or sent to troops abroad.  

Send it Away

Operation Gratitude and Any Soldier are programs that help you send your candy away to soldiers abroad.  At the 4th graders collected candy at morning drop off the Monday after Halloween to send to US Marine Corps and US Army troops.  Arlington Dentist D.M.D. Barbara Lawnicki is also collecting candy for operation gratitude. 

So whether you plan to enjoy the sweet treats until the sugar rush the holidays, or create a new tradition of switch witches and trading treats for toys, your candy need not end up in the trash.