No need to skip the holiday fun due to the pandemic with these creative ideas.
Traditional trick-or-treating and indoor costume parties are on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s list of high-risk holiday activities this year. But there’s no need to skip the spooky fun because of COVID-19. Just make a few changes to your usual traditions to keep the fun factor high while keeping the risk level low.
Here are 6 fun and ghoulish ways to enjoy the holiday more safely.
Get creative with candy distribution.
Ringing doorbells may be out this year, but you can still welcome trick-or-treaters with unique socially distant candy distribution ideas. Decorate a table and place individual bags of candy on it. Or make a candy “hedge” by stretching a large sheet between two posts, adding artificial garland and using clothes pins or clips to attach candy packages so trick-or-treaters can grab their own bag.
Want to get even more creative? Make a candy chute that’s sure to be popular with the ghosts and vampires in your neighborhood. Decorate a long cardboard shipping tube or PVC pipe, attach it to a handrail and send candy flying into the bags of wide-eyed trick-or-treaters from a distance. Speaking of flying, you can also create a ghostly zipline to deliver treats from your front door to the sidewalk.
If your children will be going trick-or-treating, have them use Halloween-themed grabbers. The plastic tong-like tools offer a low-contact way for kids to pick up treats and can add an element of fun.
Decorate, decorate, decorate.
Don’t let the kids feel bad about missing out on holiday parties or trick-or-treating expeditions with the gang. Instead, go all out on Halloween decorations this year or organize a neighborly contest with prizes for the most creative, spooky and creepy decorations.
Find outdoor or drive-through experiences.
Many areas have fun outdoor events planned, like pumpkin patches, corn mazes, drive-through haunted trails and socially distanced trunk-or-treating. Check local websites for safe Halloween activities in your town. “Outdoor activities like pumpkin picking and corn mazes are great things to do and are probably lower risk than other types of indoor activities as long as masks are used and social distancing is adhered to,” Michelle Barron, MD, told Real Simple. Dr. Barron is the medical director for infection prevention and control at UCHealth in Aurora, CO.
Create a scavenger hunt.
One fun way for little ones to enjoy Halloween festivities without going door to door is to plan your own Halloween-themed scavenger hunt. Just hide candy around your yard or provide clues that send kids looking for treats in the most unexpected places.
Host a small gathering for your pod.
Depending on restrictions in your area, you may be able to host a small outdoor Halloween party. Limit the guest list to family members or people you see regularly, such as those in your social pod. Try to remain six feet apart during the gathering and wear masks when you can’t social distance. Costume masks don’t provide protection so consider giving out Halloween-themed cloth masks for all attendees – they’ll keep everyone safer and make for great party favors, too. Although bobbing for apples may not be a good idea, you can still have plenty of fun at your party. Show a scary movie, decorate pumpkins or play socially-distant games outside.
Plan an online party.
If you don’t want to get together in person, do it online. Halloween fun is meant to be shared with friends and thanks to Zoom and other video-conferencing software, you can still have a Halloween costume contest or dance party with as many friends as you would like.
This Halloween may be a little different, but it’s bound to be just as enjoyable as ever. In fact, some of the activities you try this year may become cherished new holiday traditions.
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Date Last Reviewed: September 24, 2020
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