With another Halloween poking its spooky head around the corner, you’re probably itching for some way to celebrate this year. Last year’s Halloween was likely a little tamer than you’re used to, but you might not feel comfortable donning your mask and cape for a crowded Halloween party just yet. When you want to celebrate, but you can’t get together the way you did before, what can you do? With a little bit of flexibility, planning, and ingenuity, this year’s Halloween festivities can be just as fun and memorable as years past.
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Send Out Decorations
One way to connect with your friends and family is to send out or drop off new or matching decorations for their house. A simple garland, black-and-orange table confetti, or a new Halloween-themed tablecloth are excellent additions to anyone’s regular decorations, and they make the recipient feel loved and remembered. Sending out decorations is another way to help friends and family members who are extremely busy get into the spirit and enjoy the season.
Have Treats Delivered
Perhaps the best part of Trick-or-Treating is getting to eat all of the Halloween goodies, but when you live far away from loved ones, it can be hard to satisfy that sweet tooth. One exciting way to get your sweet fix is to do a Round-Robin treat exchange with your family and friends. Each household has to send a box of goodies in the mail to another household, and if you want to make things even more fun, you could create an unboxing video once your family’s treats arrive. Everyone appreciates gifts by mail, but few things beat a fresh cookie delivery right on Halloween.
Hold a Virtual Costume Party (With Prizes!)
Hosting a virtual costume party through a video conferencing website like Zoom or Facebook Messenger is a fantastic way to connect with your loved ones at Halloween. Start by having each household do a fashion show of each person’s costume set to their own spooky music. For added fun, each person can show off their costume using their very own dance moves, and the viewers can rate each performance. Once everyone has shown off their looks, award prizes for Most Original, Scariest, Most Clever, Spookiest, Best Makeup, Funniest Costume, Best Dancing, and anything else you can think of. Everyone will have a good laugh as they enjoy everyone else’s silly antics.
Play Online Games Together
There are a ton of different online game venues that you and your loved ones can log into and play together from a distance. You can ramp up the fun by holding mini-Halloween trivia sessions between rounds and awarding fun prizes for winning households. Of course, everyone should be wearing their costumes and eating fun snacks at the same time, too!
Move the Festivities Outdoors
Sometimes you live close to some friends and family and far from others, but that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate with everyone. For the friends and family who live too far away, you can set up a video camera and computer monitor so that you can see them, and they can see you. Having a camera set up can be a fun way for them to mingle with a lot of friends and family from a distance.
For the people who live close enough to attend your soiree, try moving the festivities outdoors so that everyone feels safe and can socially distance. For in-person guests, it’s also important to set clear guidelines regarding the types of foods and behaviors you expect in your home. Whenever possible, provide individually wrapped foods and utensils, and wipe down objects that people handle frequently. Halloween is also the perfect time to encourage masks both indoors and outdoors – you could even hold a contest for wearing a mask in a creative way!
If your neighborhood usually does a trick-or-treating event, but you’re worried about socially distancing, you might propose the idea of an outdoor Trunk-or-Treat event. Each household decorates the trunk of one vehicle and parks it at the end of the driveway. The treats sit inside the trunk, and the owners sit on the lawn, so kids can approach and interact safely as they make their way around the neighborhood. Combining that crisp October air with deliberate sanitary measures will ensure that everyone has a blast.
Halloween is the first celebration to usher in the holiday season, and it can be hard to spend it far away from your loved ones. It doesn’t have to be impossible, though, and there are some great ways to celebrate from a distance. Everybody loves receiving gift packages, and a Halloween-themed box stuffed with decorations and other treats is sure to bring a grin to anyone’s face. Figuring out new ways to get together virtually or safely in person will also make this Halloween a memorable event for years to come.
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