Goodie Ghosts!

For children, halloween is simple.  You simply get dressed up and go from house to house trick or treating for candy.  But things get much more difficult once you become an adult and even more so once you become a parent.

Do you stay home and hand out candy to kids or escort your own kid around the block so that they can get candy?  Give or get?  ...Can you ever do both?  Well that is what I will attempt to do this year!  I can't be in two places at once... so I decided to make some little helpers!

Some Goodie Ghosts!

While I'm out with Buddy the Dragon collecting treats, these guys will be sitting on our porch ready to hand themselves out to the trick or treaters passing by.  Unlike just leaving a bowl of unsupervised candy out, each ghost contains an equal assortment of candies in a cute, single-serving sized package.  Hopefully these little guys will be large enough that the kids will be content with taking only one each.  And because the candy assortment is a "surprise" it will discourage the "picking and choosing" that leaves you with a bowl of unwanted milk duds and butterscotch dum-dums at the end of the night.

These little guys were also pretty easy to make!  Here's how to make your own Goodie Ghosts:

First, cut some white copy paper in half to make 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" sheets.  Also, cut some tissue paper into 12" squares, roughly.  Feel free to be approximate with the tissue paper and crinkle it thoroughly for best results!

Roll the copy paper sheets into tubes by wrapping them around a large dowel or an empty paper towel tube and use masking tape to secure the seam.

While the paper is still wrapped around your dowel or tube, fold over the top inch of the paper towards the center to close off one end.  Secure the folded end with some more masking tape.

Dilute some white Elmer's glue with water and paint onto the top half of your paper tube.

Now place your paper tube, closed end down, in the center of a square of tissue paper and crumple the tissue paper up around the tube.  Paint the top half of the tissue paper with more diluted glue to help smooth it onto to the paper tube and then let it dry completely.

Once your ghost is dry, draw a face on it with a sharpie marker.

Now for the fun part!  Turn your ghost over and fill it with candy!  Staples work well for closing the bottom end of the tube.

And there you have it!  An army of ghosts ready and waiting to evenly distribute candy to the little monsters!

Trick or Treat!