Does anyone give Halloween related items besides candy? Here's why I ask

**pumpkin1** · 10-26-2009,05:24 PM

Two families in our neighborhood have kids with diabetes. So I make sure that at least half our treats are either sugar free or items like Halloween pencils, Halloween planes (in plastic, simple and easy to use) or perhaps mini bags of pretzels.

When I was a kid, I actually loved getting small Halloween themed books, pencils, notebooks, erasers and miniature yo-yos. How do people feel about this? Mix candy and non candy items ......or just go or candy? Oh, and ignore that annoying Digg button. A year ago, I put it up and could never get it down.

**the_great_gazoo** · 10-26-2009,05:27 PM

If you can mixed items are great my mother in law and I go half anf half buying for our bags she often picks up pencils and thelike I think they are well recived

**propmistress** · 10-26-2009,05:40 PM

I am too busy this year.. but usually I buy items in bulk from Oriental Trading Company or I buy the Halloween favor packs from Target and place them in favor bags I buy from the 99 cent store. It takes more time to create the favor bags but since candy is so expensive where I live it costs about the same. Usually I include items like spider rings, sticky eyeballs, stickers, pencils, erasers, and 1 to 2 pieces of candy.

The benefits to giving items instead of candy is I am not tempted to eat all of the candy before the TOTs come and since the number of TOTs vary from year to year I am not left with a lot of extra candy. And whatever I don't give away one year, I can give away another year.

**pumpkin1** · 10-26-2009,05:45 PM

I forgot about Oriental Trading Company. Too late to get anything from them before Halloween but our local CVS had the coolest (and inexpensive) Halloween pencils, complete with large erasers. I got some Halloween glider planes, too. That way, the kids will have something to play with the next day (if they don't eat too much candy the night before)

**propmistress** · 10-26-2009,06:30 PM

I think it is more memorable and the kids are able to have it for longer.

My grandpa is a coin collector and he has given away lucky pennies, state quartes, wheat pennies, buffalo nickels, silver dollars, and other coins.

**CaliforniaMelanie** · 10-26-2009,06:34 PM

I give gifts along with the candy. This year I got pencils, but I still have glo-necklaces and miniature Play-Doh canisters so I may mix it up.

**theicewitch** · 10-26-2009,06:42 PM

I have given squirt guns, popping eyes, witch hat spinners...fangs are a favorite. This year -glow in the dark shoe laces, vampire fangs and pixie sticks... for babies I have rubber duckies in costume.

**propmistress** · 10-26-2009,07:04 PM

Theicewitch you are AMAZING! I never thought to vary the prizes I give by age. What a great idea. I usually just give candy to their parents, I never thought to get a goodie the babies could actually enjoy,

**devilangel** · 10-27-2009,02:44 AM

we are making up treat bags too
we have pencils, fangs, spider, skull or bat rings and glow stickes and candy for bigger kids, mixing up

small frisbees, bubbles, play duh , and story book, fun straws, ring pops, pretzels and fruit snacks for the smaller ones

stuffed animal for the babies-last year was ghosts,this year little monsters from target