Halloween seemed to go on for weeks this year, what with the marketing at stores, spooktastic billboards and  celebrations at city schools . Now that the costumes can finally be put away and the fake graveyards are beginning to disappear from your neighbors’ front yards, the question is what to do with all that candy the kids collected. One option is to dole it out a little at a time until it eventually becomes hard and tasteless months later. You can stick it in the freezer to make it last longer. Meanwhile, adults have a dangerous sweet tooth and nobody to tell them when to stop. Despite the best of intentions, I’m going to raid that candy bag. The kids don’t even like the Hershey’s Special Dark chocolates, so I’m doing them a favor, right? Perhaps take some of the candy to your office and put it out for co-workers. This strategy works if you want to see your work buddies (and non-buddies) gain weight, so long as you have enough discipline to not eat too much yourself. A better alternative that several of my friends use is the “switch witch.” Think of her as the tooth fairy for Halloween. She shows up the night after Halloween, takes all the kids’ candy and replaces it with a toy. I’ve heard of other friends having a “store” where their children “buy” things they want in exchange for the candy, like gummy erasers or plastic bracelets. This allows the kids to feel that they are in control of the process of trading away their candy. It’s good for their math skills too. You could also save the candy for a future party and use it to stuff a piñata. It takes a lot of candy to fill one of those things. Last year, I gratefully took all my children’s candy to a friend who was collecting for a program called  Operation Gratitude  that sends care packages—including candy—to U.S. service members who are deployed overseas. The organization also asks for letters and kids’ drawings, as well as toothbrushes and toothpaste, to go along with the candy. Dentists around the country participate in this program and many act as collection sites for the treats. Check with your dentist to find out if he or she is participating. The real fun of Halloween is running around at night in costume and being bold enough to knock on strangers’ doors and demand tribute. For kids who are usually not allowed to go anywhere without their parents and are taught to be wary of strangers, that’s an incredibly powerful reversal of norms. As for the candy? While most youngsters like it, they are usually not too sad to give it up a few days—and bellyaches—after the holiday. Be sure to follow Beverly Hills Patch on  Twitter  and “Like” us on  Facebook . Here is the original post: Halloween Hangover in the Hills