Here's What You Can Hand Out At Halloween Besides Candy

Halloween may be about dressing up as your favorite character, creature, or any other source of inspiration, but it's also about having the best time within your community. You can dress up in a cute couples' costume or even opt for a pet and owner costume combo to parade around the neighborhood in — as long as you're having fun and making memories. 

For many, Halloween is also all about candy. Trick-or-treaters go door to door receiving candy from everyone in their neighborhoods, and adults sneak pieces between door rings. And let's not forget about the super candy sales stores offer the day after Halloween. (We can't be the only ones that stock up for a while on that day, right?)

However, sometimes people don't want to hand out candy. Some deem the distribution of candy to be an unhealthy practice, and others simply want to hand out something that's more practical and useful for children. But just what are the right items to hand out if you don't want to go the sweet, traditional route?

Candy is wonderful, but if children receive candy at every home they visit, they'll have too much to eat. Sometimes, it's nice to diversify trick-or-treating handouts with practical gifts and even healthier foods. 

According to Woman's Day, for example, bookmarks make excellent handouts. You can never have too many of them, and you can either purchase them or make DIY ones. In addition to bookmarks, you could opt for mini water bottles, as Holidappy suggests. If kids are walking all evening, they'll need to stay hydrated. Who wouldn't want to be the house that kept them going?

Other handout options include glow sticks and temporary tattoos. These are more fun options that can keep kids entertained and out of their parents' hair. Food-wise, you could hand out local honey sticks, apple cider packets, or natural fruit leather if you want to offer kids healthier options (via Wellness Mama). Wellness Mama also advocates for mini-notebooks, themed pens, and bubbles. The latter can be fun for young kids, while the former two options are practical for homework and many other tasks.

All of these handout options provide new ways to view Halloween, and a lot of them are just as affordable — if not cheaper — than purchasing large quantities of Halloween candy. So, which handouts do you want to try this year?