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Ghouls, Goblins and Gobs of Candy

Ideas for Doling Out Those Hard-earned Treats

By Alice Patenaude

But, what do real parents do with all that Halloween candy?

"We let our kids keep about a quarter of the candy, and the rest of it goes in the freezer in the garage," says Patty Craig, an Elmhurst, Ill. mother of three. "By mid-summer, we remember about it and then we throw it away because it has freezer burn."

Michelle Peterson of Glen Ellyn, Ill. says her kids love trick-or-treating.

"But they are really not big candy eaters," she says. "So I take the candy to one of the children's church choirs I work with. I put a big bowl of it out and tell the kids that they are welcome to the candy if they are good. Of course, they always are."

For the Zajac family of Glendale Heights, Ill., Halloween represents more than just a ghoulish event.

"Halloween is our daughter's birthday! So there's always plenty of candy to go around," says Richard Zajac, father of two. "We start trick-or-treating in the neighborhood, and the kids usually poop out before I do. Then, after checking all the treats, we let them have at it. It's usually gone by Easter."

Linda Adamik of Glen Ellyn, Ill. says her kids like to savor the candy as long as possible.

"When my kids were younger, we let them take what they wanted when we first came home from trick-or-treating. Then we put the rest away and doled it out a little at a time to make it last longer," she says.