2020 has been quite the ride. With concerns over Covid-19 causing many changes to our everyday lives, many of our favorite activities and festivities have been altered or cancelled altogether.
With Halloween just around the corner, many of the familiar staples of the spooky holiday, such as haunted houses and big costume parties, are in jeopardy this year.
It’s very disappointing, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to get into the Halloween spirit.
Here are some ways to still enjoy the haunted holiday while minimizing risk*.
Low Risk Ideas
- Carve or decorate pumpkins with members of your household, or outside following safety guidelines with neighbors or friends.
- Put together a spooky in/and around your home Halloween Hunt for your household members. This is a great kids activity, but make sure if treats are involved that no food is left within reach of a pet (we don’t want any doggie bellyaches.)
- Decorate your home or apartment. Few things scream holiday spirit like a decorated atmosphere. Avoid decorations that could be a fire or safety hazard.
Keep in mind decorating your home may indicate that you intend to handout candy. If you want to avoid visitors, either put out a sign that says you are not handing out candy, or forgo decorating altogether.
- Have a movie night with the family. Pop some popcorn and gather around for a fun Halloween double feature. If you’ve got kids in the house, start with a more lighthearted Halloween classic (lookup “Family Friendly Halloween Movies” for ideas) and then when the kids go to bed put on a scary horror flick.
- Host a virtual movie night and costume party. There are a number of apps these days that let you stream movies simultaneously with your friends. Spice up the movie experience by encouraging everyone to dress up too!
- Listen to a scary story podcast or audiobook. There are many free horror podcasts online. If horror stories aren't your thing, look for educational podcasts about the history of Halloween instead.
- Or, just make up your own stories. This is a good way to get the kids involved. Have them make up a spooky story and then have them draw their favorite character or scene from the story. Family friendly story prompts could include a friendly witch who needs to get her broom fixed or a vampire who craves apple cider instead of blood. If you prefer, you can skip the story and just print off some Halloween coloring pages for the kids.
Moderate Risk Ideas
- Attend or host a small outdoor costume party that follows CDC guidelines (masks, social distancing, and such).
- Visit a pumpkin patch/apple orchard or participate in similar socially distanced outdoor fall activities.
- The CDC recommends “one-way trick-or-treating where individually wrapped goodie bags are lined up for families to grab and go while continuing to social distance (such as at the end of a driveway or at the edge of a yard)”.
Be sure to check rules set by local officials to ensure that trick-or-treating and other Halloween festivities haven't been cancelled or postponed in your area. It’s important to stay up-to-date as conditions and guidelines may change.
Have Fun and Stay Safe!
We hope these ideas get your creative juices flowing on how to make the most of this Halloween. If you have other good low-risk Halloween ideas, leave them in the comments below!
*Risk assessment based off of the CDC coronavirus guidelines.
This blog post is not medical advice and was not written by a medical professional. The author(s) of this blog and their affiliated companies are in no way responsible for the health, activities, and actions of readers responding or reacting to the content. This blog post is not intended to convey any political, moral, or medical assertions.