Though it seems like we only just celebrated New Year’s, 2020 is quickly coming to an end and 2021 is fast approaching. With Halloween just around the corner and COVID-19 unfortunately still in all our lives, you might wonder how to celebrate this fall.
We collected some tips and ideas on how you can make this year’s Halloween special.
Photo by Александар Цветановић from Pexels
Socially-distanced celebrations
- Throw a virtual/socially-distanced Halloween party
You can celebrate with an online dinner party, and stage contests for the scariest looking food, the best costume, or the best house decorations. You could also have a pumpkin-carving competition or decide on a scary movie to watch simultaneously.
Or, if your driveway or garden is big enough, invite some friends over and watch a movie from the comfort of your own cars.
- Drive-through haunted houses
Though not technically a house, Orlando’s newest Halloween attraction guarantees contactless horror. Florida’s new “Haunted Road” comes in both a normal and a family-friendly version and is a definite must this October for anyone living in Central Florida.
- Drive-in movie theatres
Of course, if you don’t live in Florida and you still want to feel scared while enjoying the comfort of your own car, consider seeing a movie at a drive-in theatre this Halloween. Whether you are based in the US, Canada, or Australia, here you can find a list of drive-ins near you.
Photo by Sudan Ouyang on Unsplash
Celebrating with children
Understanding why Halloween is different than usual can be hard, especially for smaller children. If you are not going trick-or-treating this year, here are a few ideas for some scary-looking food or DIY decorations to make with your children.
Halloween food to make with kids
Though technically pizza bites, this snack is ideal for creative kids. The recipe video shows you how to make pizza bites looking like bones, coffins, or pumpkins – but especially with tomato sauce looking like blood, kids can get as creative as they want.
With one of its main ingredients being vodka, this punch is technically ideal for the parents. However, the vodka can just be substituted, and what really makes this recipe great is that it comes with instructions on how to make scary-looking ice cubes.
These chocolate-flavoured cookies are perfect for making with kids, as they are easy and fun to make. The orange M&Ms on top can also be substituted with other colours or the children can form scary figures rather than round cookies.
This recipe is very easy and quick to make, though you will need a mold resembling a brain. Though it can be fun making it with kids, the true highlight of the jello brain is eating it.
Though this recipe looks difficult, it is relatively easy to replicate. As a lot of knife-cutting is involved, however, this food is better prepared with older children.
The final result is definitely worth the effort.
Halloween DIY decorations to make with kids
Primarily made from glue, this slime is easy to make and perfect for younger kids. The slime can also be used to decorate things like glass containers or pumpkins.
These floating candles à la Harry Potter are surprisingly easy to make and mostly require material you already have at home. Especially when using electric candles, they can be hung up around the entire home and simulate at least a little of that Hogwarts energy.
Because there are hundreds of different craft ideas out there, have a look at this Youtube video to get some more ideas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAKdz-QfvoQ
Photo by Artie Siegel from Pexels
Socially-distanced trick or treating
If you want people to come over to your house for trick-or-treating, here are some ideas on how to make it safe and still enjoyable for the children. Rather than packing up candy into individual plastic bags and adding to environmental pollution, consider these fun ideas instead:
- Set up a candy graveyard
Instead of handing out the candy, consider hiding it in your yard. You can either build and set up gravestones and crosses, or you can decorate it in whatever spooky way you want.
Having the children go look for the candy amongst scary decorations might potentially even be more fun than the traditional trick-or-treating.
- Make trick-or-treating a game
If you prefer something a little more low-key, you might want to consider throwing the candy and having the children catch it. If you still want to pack up the candy into individual bags, make sure to use paper bags or even decorated glass jars instead.
You can also store the candy in a hollowed-out pumpkin at the end of your driveway, or hide a few pumpkins in your yard for the kids to find.
- Create a candy chute
Follow in the footsteps of a parent from Cincinnati, who created a fun candy chute to ensure socially distanced trick-or-treating. You can use a variety of materials and colours when creating the chute, and it will not only look great in your yard, but the children will definitely love it.
Photo by Ylanite Koppens from Pexels
Conclusion
Though Halloween will definitely be different this year, it doesn’t have to be any less fun.
Whether you are celebrating with your close family at home, going on a contactless trick-or-treating tour of the neighbourhood, or creating fun crafts and food with your kids, there are a lot of ways to enjoy this year’s Halloween.
If you are celebrating without family this year and spending Halloween on your own, consider throwing a virtual party via Zoom, or treat yourself to a midnight movie at a drive-in.
And with November fast approaching, remember to vote and make your voice heard!
Written by Samira Rauner, blogger at Safe Harbor International Ministries. For more articles, visit our blog page at https://safeharborim.com/articles/.
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