This year Halloween is focused on home and family, and lots of folks will be figuring out new and different ways to celebrate.
The disappointment of kids who won’t be able to trick-or-treat due to our current circumstances really is a bummer. But there are lots of ways that you can turn that disappointment around and transform Halloween into something new and fun.
Adults who usually throw Halloween parties with lots of friends are instead being smart and sticking to social distancing and are finding new, fun ways to celebrate the holiday.
Here are some of my best ideas for celebrating this Halloween!
• Don’t be afraid to do something different. Don’t be afraid to change a tradition or create a new one. I love tradition and family celebrations and consider them to be an important part of our family’s life. It can be scary to think about changing a tradition into something new and different. I have found though, that new traditions can be just as joyous and important as the ones we’ve always been used to in the past. Starting a new tradition is simple, it only takes effort and enthusiasm. You just have to have faith and give it a try. You may be pleasantly surprised.
• Make a Halloween themed dinner. Weather permitting, have it outdoors. There are all types of recipes on Pinterest for Halloween-themed party foods. You can adapt some of those recipes to suit your taste and incorporate them into your own family dinner. Or, If you’re not interested in making spooky Halloween themed food, just make it a Halloween celebration dinner and serve foods that aren’t Halloween related. Either way, getting together and celebrating the holiday is what is important. Give your kids construction paper, age-appropriate scissors and tape and have them create the decorations.
*Consider cooking extra and delivering platters to family and friends that you can’t be with in person this year.
• There can be fun alternatives to trick-or-treating. Even though most of us won’t be going trick-or-treating door to door this year we can still dress up and have fun. Have a contest where you create costumes out of household items or recycled items. Have a contest where you have to guess what each other is dressed up as. Have a small fun prize for the winners. Think creatively!
• Have a scavenger hunt for kids at home. Make it so that when they follow a clue that leads to the answer hidden somewhere in your home they find a treat there too. If you have more than one kid be sure to give them different clues for different things to look for to make it fair.
• Paint or carve pumpkins. Carving a pumpkin into a jack-o’-lantern traditional-style requires adult supervision but is basically a right of passage of childhood! Take photos!
• For those who prefer to paint, acrylic craft paint available from any of the chain craft stores are perfect for painting pumpkins with. All you need are some inexpensive brushes and some newspaper to cover your workspace. Wash and dry the pumpkins and then get to work! Spray finished designs with acrylic aerosol craft sealant or paint on with mod podge to extend the life of your artwork if displaying outdoors.
• Don’t forget to bake the pumpkin seeds! Put fresh seeds into a colander, wash them well then blot them dry with paper towels. Arrange the seeds on a cookie sheet or on a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with a little bit of salt and bake at a low temperature until done. Experiment with different salts and seasonings!
• Get together and cook or bake something very special. Make it an all day ordeal. Make homemade pierogies (check out my recipe here!), can tomatoes, make jam or fruit preserves, make homemade pasta, bake homemade pumpkin or apple pies. You get the picture!
• If cooking isn’t your thing, why not create some special craft project that you’ve never tried before but always wanted to do. Make papier-mâché masks and then once they’re dry, paint them with acrylic paint.
• Have a moody outdoor Halloween costume photo shoot. If you have a knack for photography, have family dress up in the scariest Halloween costumes & makeup and then snap some outdoor photos. Don’t forget Jack O’Lanterns and other objects to use as props!
• Fill a small plastic trick-or-treating jack-o’-lantern with some hand-picked treats for the kids who are upset about not being able to go trick-or-treating in person. If I were nine-years-old again, I would be one of those kids! You don’t have to go overboard with this. A few special pieces of candy from the dollar store works great. If you have a lot of kids, you may want to go in with another parent on this and you can each buy a different bag of candy and then split it between all of your kids for greater variety.
• Plan a family game night or scary movie night complete with spooky themed snacks.
• Do for others. Bake a couple batches of sugar cookies and use a Halloween themed cookie cutter. Don’t have one? If you have a star and or crescent Moon cookie cutter that’s good enough! Decorate with a drizzle of white royal icing and decorating sugar. Wrap them nicely and deliver to friends & family.
• Make homemade candy apples and caramel apples!
• Make homemade granola with your pumpkin seeds and then package it in Mason jars for friends.
• Have a Halloween themed bonfire with lots of space for social distancing. Have a contest where you tell spooky stories. Easy things for snacks that you can cook over a bonfire include hotdogs, pepperoni, spam, marshmallows, and hot cider. Don’t forget the graham crackers and Hershey’s chocolate bar for s’mores!
No matter how you decide to celebrate hope you have a great Halloween and stay safe!
Laura
