Christmas Candy Repurpose: Don’t Toss It – Transform It!
Lucky in Love (and Leftovers): How to Repurpose Leftover Christmas Candy for Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day.
You know the candy. The red and green stuff left over from Christmas that’s been quietly judging you from the pantry since December 26th.
Apparently I always panic-buy Christmas candy like it might disappear forever. I stock up like I’m preparing for a sugar apocalypse! If you are anything like me, you look in the pantry in January and – boom – there it is. Bags of red and green M&Ms. Peppermint Hershey Kisses. Candy Canes. Gumdrops. Red and green sprinkles from baking sugar cookies. Random red and green wrapped candies. That one bag you definitely bought with good intentions. In my case this year it was mostly red and green M&Ms staring back at me – I found a huge container along with a brand new bag of those tasty little fellas in my pantry as well as half a bag of red and green Hershey Kisses! I guess I had high hopes for the M&Ms this Christmas.
The good news is that your leftover Christmas candy is not expired – it’s just seasonally confused. Instead of letting it sit there until next December (or stress-eating it on a random Tuesday 😅), I wanted to share a trick I use to rebrand Christmas candy into festive treats for Valentines Day and St. Patrick’s Day.
The trick: Red = Valentine’s Day and Green = St. Patrick’s Day. I simply separate the red candy from the green candy and use the red candy in my candy dishes for Valentine’s Day and save the green candy to use in my candy dishes for St. Patrick’s Day. Kids will be happy to help with this project! They won’t care where the candy came from. They will only care that it exists.
Below are some other creative ways to utilize Christmas candy for those two holidays in February and March.
Christmas Candy’s Valentine’s Day Glow-Up
Easy Valentine Gift Ideas Using Christmas Candy:
- ❤️ Red M&Ms – “Be Mine” candy bags heart
- ❤️ Red foil chocolates – Toss them in a mason jar, tie with twine, add a cute tag for a rustic romantic feel
- ❤️ Peppermint anything – Package nicely with a tag/label that states, “You’re Mint to Be Mine” (perfect for any mint lover).
TIP: Context is everything – No one needs to know this candy once sat next to an inflatable Santa.
Valentine Dessert Ideas Using Christmas Candy:
- Valentine’s Chocolate Bark
Melt white or dark chocolate, spread it on parchment paper, and sprinkle:
- Red M&M’s
- Crushed Candy Canes
- Red Sprinkles
Let it set and break into pieces.
2. Candy Cane Brownie Hearts
Crush leftover candy canes and fold them into brownie batter. Use a heart cookie cutter after baking for an easy Valentine’s upgrade. Drizzle melted chocolate on top to hide any uneven cuts.
3. Red Candy Trail Mix Packs
Mix pretzels, popcorn, red candies (like M&Ms), and mini marshmallows to make a festive trail mix for Valentine’s Day. Package the mix in clear treat bags with a cute “You’re Sweet!” tag to give out at Valentine’s exchanges.
4. Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries (Shortcut Version)
Roll chocolate-dipped strawberries in crushed red candy or sprinkles. It looks intentional and definitely not like it started as Christmas candy.
Christmas Candy’s St. Patrick’s Day Lucky Glow-Up
Easy Festive St. Patrick’s Day Gifts/Displays Using Christmas Candy
☘️ Green M&Ms – “Have an ‘M&M’azing St. Patrick’s Day” candy bags
☘️ Green foil chocolates – Place in a candy dish with a gold ribbon and a “Lucky Treats” label
☘️ Green/Gold Wrapped Hard Candies – Toss in a bowl for a “Pot of Gold” display
*If you have leftover foil-wrapped chocolate coins, they work perfect for St. Patrick’s Day “gold.”
St. Patrick’s Day Dessert Ideas Using Christmas Candy:
- St. Patrick’s Day Chocolate Bark
Melt white or dark chocolate, spread it on parchment paper, and sprinkle:
- Green M&M’s
- Crushed mint chocolates
- Green Sprinkles
*You could even add gold sprinkles for a “pot of gold” vibe.
Let it set and break into pieces.
2. Leprechaun Snack Mix/“Leprechaun Bait”
Mix Lucky Charms cereal, pretzels, green candies (like M&Ms), popcorn, and then drizzle with white chocolate to make a festive trail mix for St. Patrick’s Day. Package the mix in clear treat bags with a cute “Leprechaun Bait!” tag to give out as party favors or classroom treats.
3. Minty Milkshakes
Blend vanilla ice cream with crushed green mint chocolates, a splash of milk, a drop of green food coloring (if needed). Then top with whipped cream and green candy bits. “You’re Sweet!” tag to give out at Valentine’s exchanges.
4. Green Candy Cupcake Toppers
Bake your favorite cupcakes. Frost them with white icing. Then top with green candy and gold sprinkles.
If you have heart or shamrock molds, you could even melt leftover Christmas chocolate and pour into the heart molds for a “lovely” treat and/or into the shamrock molds for a “lucky” treat.
I hope my trick of repurposing Christmas candy has helped you save money, reduce pantry clutter, and inspired you to create festive displays, gifts, and treats of your own using leftover holiday candy. 🍭
Repurposing candy might be the sweetest life hack of all.
