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Every year around Halloween, some people get squeamish about the idea of handing out giant buckets of candy to other people's children. As someone who has completely reformed their diet in the last ten months, I totally get it. Sugar is really bad, and frankly I've come around to the theory that it's an addictive substance not unlike caffeine or alcohol.

But you know what? Those kids who knock at the door, they're not your kids. You're not designing a school lunch program, you're handing out candy one night a year.

It's up to the parents to decide what happens to that candy. Some parents just let their kids have at it, others make their kids choose a certain number of pieces to keep, still others dole out a certain number of pieces a day. The point is, it's not your choice, it's theirs.

There are very few exceptions to the "just hand out candy and try not to overthink it" rule. There are an increasing number of pre-packaged non-candy items for sale at Halloween. One person on Chowhound reported that their Target was selling mini bags of goldfish crackers, pretzels, Cheez-its, and other non-candy items. Whether these are really better for you than a Snickers bar is up to you to decide.

Another exception is if you're handing out truly fun toys. Plastic spider rings? Borderline. How about Halloween-themed squirt guns, whistles, stickers, or temporary tattoos? You know, things that kids actually want.

Keep in mind that if you try to hand out something lame like floss, toothbrushes, or raisins, it's a waste of your time and money. The kids are just going to throw that stuff away. A lot of them will throw it on your yard, and you'll have to clean it up the next day.

If you're not willing to take the time and effort to order some great stuff, and you can't bring yourself to hand out actual candy, just do everyone a favor and pretend you're not home. It's a perfectly valid option!

Image courtesy Flickr/CarrieLu