Candy or Play do ?

While going through the boy's candy bags last night I was sort of surprised at some of the contents. In addition to Reese's cups, Milky Way, Snickers and the usual cheap off brand candies that seem to always find their way into the trash can after all the rest of the candy is gone and for some strange reason the kids have had their fill of candy. Of course there were the couple pamphlets from near by church groups trying to convert our young children to their religion, but there were also things such as small containers of play do, Halloween pencils, small plastic puzzles , stickers , and the such. As I went through these things my mind wandered off. Were these things better than candy or a waste of money? Of course because we are happy with our religion, the religious recruiting pamphlets were thrown out, the pencils could be used by school age kids but what about preschoolers? The ironic part is that so many complain that the kids who are trick or treating are too old and that Trick or Treating is for the preschooler age group. This age group would surely like the Play Do but parents of this age group usually are not really fond of that messy stuff. How about the small toys? Around here they also hit the trash can . Preschoolers could choke on these things ,though I guess that some families may appreciate them. How do you find the perfect treat? Too much candy is really bad for kids so is that a good treat? Are Potato chips better? How about peanut butter crackers or raisins? As a mother I can affirm that Chips are OK for my kids but crackers or raisins will surely put you in the skip that house next year list. What is a person to do? I have tried to buy different things but that can cost quite a bit and asking every kid what they want can take awhile then you have mind changing, it just becomes a mess. I guess that is just the nature of Trick or Treat. People have different ideas of what constitutes treats and sometimes you get your idea of good stuff and sometimes you get stuff that you wish that the person hadn't wasted their money on. What to do? It would be awfully rude to refuse a treat offered to you but isn't wasting a bad thing too? Maybe you could pass the rejected treats on to another. Maybe families should host a trade party. Johnie trades his chips for tootsie pops. Julie gets Play do for her Snickers bar. Of course the off brand stuff would still be unclaimed but I guess that is just how it goes.