Halloween is another casualty of the COVID pandemic. Social media campaigns started early by asking people to “save Halloween” by wearing a mask. Retail stores began filling up with candy in July, and consumers are still buying their favorite treats, decorations, and costumes.
But the rules are going to change this year, and Halloween is going to be different.
Certain areas have canceled trick-or-treating, with some locations canceling:
- Door-to-door activities
- Car-to-car activities
Large events and parties are still banned in many places, and it can be expected that most locations will follow the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
So, how can you still have fun without door-to-door knocking?
Bring Your Decorations to the Next Level
Parents want their kids to have fun, and a lot of these parents are pulling out all of the stops. Decorating will be taken to the next level to allow all of the neighborhood kids, and your own, to have a blast on Halloween.
Exterior decorations include:
- Pumpkin
- Fog machines
- Scarecrows
- Animated decorations
- Lights
- Spooky music
If you have a long driveway, chalk can be used to decorate the space and make it spookier.
Driveway-to-Driveway Candy Pickup
You probably don’t want kids knocking on your door. Greeting kids is a lot of fun, but you need to keep your distance this year. Leaving candy buckets outside isn’t a smart idea either because kids will crowd around the bowl.
Instead, think social distancing with driveway pickup.
Bag treats individually, place them more than six feet apart, and let kids grab them. You can still stand on your porch or on your lawn to see the costumes kids have on. As kids pick up all of the candy, make sure to replenish the treats that have been taken.
While this may not be as fun as the usual “trick or treat” and door knocking, it will be a safer way to trick-or-treat this year.
Put Treats on Your Fence
Dangling treats is a smart choice. A group of shop owners in Los Angeles are choosing to hang or dangle their candy from fences so that kids can grab while walking by. You can use this same tactic in your home.
Tape or attach candy bags to:
- Fences
- Garages
Be creative!
Family Only Trick-or-Treating Indoors
Mom and dad can make the night more fun even if there’s no outdoor trick-or-treating. One brilliant idea that one person had was to hide candy all around the house and shut off the lights.
Kids will have to scour the house to find the goodies.
You can make it a little spookier by having glow lights and scary decorations scattered about. If you have more than one child or have a close friend that can come, this will make the event more fun.
Spookier treats, such as “dirt” with worms, are a fun way to scare the kids and make the night more memorable. Ghost cookies, bloody cupcakes, Jell-O brains, spider cakes, and other scary foods can be made.
While the traditional Halloween may be canceled this year in many cities, it makes way for new Halloween traditions to be made.