How To Celebrate Halloween In Quarantine
"Halloween Kills - 2020" by monstersforsale is marked with CC PDM 1.0
Unfortunately, it looks like Halloween will probably be constrained due to COVID. But never fear! There are still tons of great ways to celebrate the best holiday of the year (one that is a 365 day event for some of us).
Boo/Ghost Your Friends
“Booing” your friends means making Halloween care packages or baskets for them. These baskets usually include candy and Halloween-themed knick-knacks. You then leave them at your friend’s doorstep and ding-dong ditch. There are tons of Boo templates online that you can put in the basket too!
Trunk Or Treating
Many towns will put on “trunk or treats” where families will decorate the trunk of their car and give out candy. This can totally be done in a Covid-friendly way as long as everyone stays socially distanced and wears masks. Check your local news to see if there’s one in your neighborhood, or organize one yourself! Similarly, some neighborhoods have organized for people to drive by houses and give out candy from their cars.
Drive-ins
Many haunted houses have now created a drive-thru option. This is not only more kid-friendly, but you can be scared from the safety of your car. If you happen to live near a local haunted attraction, see if they’re offering a drive-thru experience. If you want to try out haunting yourself, why not put together a haunted drive-thru of your own? Get some fog, some friends, and head to an empty parking lot to do something awesome for your community!
You could also go to a drive-in double feature! More drive-ins have been popping up all over since COVID, they’re a great way to support a local theatre and enjoy horror movies while social distancing! Some theatres are even doing horror marathons all throughout October. And, if you don’t live near a drive-in you can totally make your own! All you need is a projector, projection screen, Bluetooth speakers (or an audio antenna that can connect to the other cars), and a laptop.
Socially Distanced Trick or Treating
Many are concerned about Trick or Treating this year, but there’s actually a way to trick or treat while socially distancing. Obviously, individually wrapped candy is the way to go (none of that giving out apples crap). You can set up tables and lay out candy so kids don’t have to sift through a bowl. Thankfully, Halloween is the best day of the year to wear a mask, gloves, and a pair of glasses. There’s a multitude of COVID-friendly Halloween costumes (especially those inflatable dinosaurs) available this year. As long as you put out candy with gloves on (and preferably a mask as well, don’t breathe on the candy) and stay six feet away from the table, safe Trick or Treating is definitely possible! You can also use decorations to measure out six-foot distances from the table so that kids can have a place to wait their turn for candy.
Mars Wrigley is also starting an online Trick or Treating simulation.“Treat Town” is an online map where you can decorate a door and avatar and knock on other people’s doors. You’ll get virtual candy points which can be used to get real Mars candy from stores. Be on the lookout for other upcoming virtual experiences from other brands.
Zoom Halloween Party
Believe it or not, you can totally have a fun Halloween party over Zoom! You and your friends can wear costumes, watch horror movies, tell scary stories, play online party games, and eat way too much candy. Murder mystery parties are also a possibility. I wouldn’t recommend doing a Zoom seance though, Host proved that that is not the best idea.
Scavenger Hunt
You can also arrange a socially distanced candy scavenger hunt. As long as everyone is socially distancing and in masks, you can send each person with different instructions so they’re never all in the same place. This can be done at home with just your family, or with friends all over town.
And of course, decorate!
If there were ever a perfect year to go all-out with your Halloween decor, it’s 2020! You can have a ton of fun decorating and even have a competition with your neighbors. You can also drive around nearby neighborhoods to look at the decorations.
I hope you have a safe and spooky Halloween season! Remember Sam’s rules of Halloween:
Always wear a costume
Always pass out treats
Never blow out a Jack O’Lantern before midnight
Always check your candy
Happy Spooky Season!
