In the grand scheme of things, Halloween is a pretty minor holiday. No question, kids love it because they can get dressed up, knock on strangers’ doors, and bring back their weight in candy. And plenty of adults love it too, in part because they get to wear costumes to work and put bowls of candy on their desk. But fun as it is, Halloween isn’t a holiday that many families celebrate together, and on November 1, it’s all over but the chocolate. This week we take a look at a few items that your whole family can enjoy for longer than a day, and that can also help make Halloween more of a family experience.

 

Spot It! (Blue Orange Games)

Spot It! is a Halloween-themed matching game for the whole family. Like some of Blue Orange’s other games, this one consists of a deck of cards (in this case, they’re round), each of which has a number of images (in this case, they’re kind of spooky: ghosts, goblins, witches, frogs, bones, voodoo dolls, zombies, etc.). Using some mathematical hocus-pocus, any two cards in the deck will have one—and only one—matching image. There are five game variations that involve matching and either getting rid of all your cards or collecting more than anyone else does. All you need is a sharp eye and quick reflexes. Be warned: kids are better at these games than adults. A fun game that you’ll enjoy long after all your candy is gone. For 2-8 players, ages 7+. http://www.blueorangegames.com/

 

Krusteaz baking mixes (Krusteaz)

Krusteaz has a huge line of cookie-, muffin-, and cake mixes. For Halloween, they’ve added one for Pumpkin Spice cookies. But there are plenty of others, including yum-inducing blueberry muffins, triple chocolate chip cookies, and delicious pancake batter. Some are even gluten free. Whichever one(s) you choose, they’re very easy to prepare–in most cases, all you’ll need to provide is an egg, some oil, and some water—which makes them a great family activity. For kids 3 and up (with your supervision, of course). http://www.krusteaz.com/

 

Delicious foods (Sprouts Farmers Market)

Sprouts has a dizzying array of foods that goes way beyond what you’d expect from a company with “farmers market” in its name. These include seafood, dairy, meat, and more. Many of their selections also offer healthy alternatives such as vegan, organic, gluten-free, dairy-free, and whole grains. We had a chance to sample some of their cereals, cookies, granola, soup, and kale chips. All had a Halloween-y, pumpkin-y feel and taste, and all were delicious. A nice way to add some non-candy items to your Halloween meals. https://www.sprouts.com

 

Rockport shoes (Rockport)

Chances are, you’re going to be doing a lot of trick-or-treat walking, which means you’ll need comfortable shoes. You can’t do better than Rockport. We put a pair of Walk 360s through their paces (literally) for a month, and they’ve been wonderful since their first moment out of the box. Rockport has a huge selection of dress and/or casual shoes for men and women. Whichever ones you pick, they’ll get you where you need to go in comfort and style. http://www.rockport.com/

 

Teeth Fairies book and doll set (Teeth Fairies)

This book-doll combo offers a new twist on the age-old family tradition. Turns out, there are too many lost teeth for one fairy to handle. So she rounded up some help. The rhyming story is cute and kids of baby-tooth-losing age will love it. For parents (and the reason we’re mentioning it here), there’s some nice, subtle messaging about brushing teeth and dental hygiene. http://teethfairies.com/