HOW TO CELEBRATE A PANDEMIC HALLOWEEN
BOBBING FOR APPLES IS OUT, BUT HERE’S A FEW WAYS TO SAFELY CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN THIS YEAR
Very little is the same as it was the previous year given that the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly caused a shift in the way we live our lives. Now we wear masks everywhere, maintain a safe social distance and now introverts have an unquestionable excuse as to why they can’t meet up with their friends in person “sorry, I don’t want to risk catching Covid.”
This Halloween will also be a bit different this year as gatherings are still limited to 25 people indoors and 150 people outside and bobbing for apples is most certainly off the table. While the state isn’t banning trick or treating outright, the Connecticut Department of Health has suggested skipping the tradition of wandering door-todoor to ask strangers for candy, but that doesn’t mean all things Halloween has to be cancelled.
Get into the Halloween spirit by visiting a pumpkin patch and carving up a sweet or spooky jack o’lantern. Once the pumpkins are carved (or painted if you want to avoid rotting pumpkins) bust out your decorations or get creative and make your own.
Parents with small children can still give their young children the chance to trick or treat at home by pretending each door is a different house they can trick or treat at.
For those who want to help the kids burn off a little sugar, parents can pull together a game of treat and seek (basically a candy scavenger hunt) in their home to keep the kids occupied. Parents feel free to get creative, hide those fun sized bars on door frames or behind nonbreakable (we don’t want to destroy any heirlooms here) items on shelves. Maybe place a few treats near the vacuum cleaner or broom in the hopes of inspiring the kids to do a chore or too.
Those who feel comfortable trick or treating might want to coordinate a controlled Trunk or Treat event within their neighborhood or among their friends or family to provide their kids with a socially distranced trick or treating experience featuring gloved hands and individually wrapped treats going straight from the grocery sealed bag to a youngster’s candy bucket.
Children (and adults) can incorporate masks into their costume idea so the safety measure doesn’t clash with their outfit choice. I foresee a number of people dressing as doctors, nurses, hazmat teams, or as bandits this year. Folks can also make or decorate masks to go with their costumes, or even lean all the way into the idea of costumed masks and wear something that conceals their entire face (with a proper face mask beneath it) and let the socially distanced good times roll. For those who want to incorporate a little local fun in their costumes, we’ve provided a quick how-to guide for Nutmeggers.
If trick or treating is off the table, make your own treats at home to snack on while watching a spooky film or reading a creepy book. You can design spooky cookies or make your own Halloween bark, caramel apples and popcorn treats at home. Those handy in the kitchen can try their hand at making fudge, or fun Halloween inspired dishes from our sister publication “Delish.”
Spooky movies and books are absolutely boundless this time of year and streaming platforms are rife with new and old classics for viewers to enjoy. Netflix, Amazon (it has “Clue” in case you’re wondering what this writer will be watching) and Hulu all have plenty of movies for kids and adults to have a Halloween movie night.
For those looking to do something a little more pandemic social, you can have a virtual Halloween party by hopping on Zoom or your preferred video chatting platform in costume and dance around to a fun Halloween playlist of your own creation (with the requisite “Monster Mash” and “I Put A Spell on You” numbers of course).
However you choose to celebrate this season, please keep the pandemic safety guidelines in mind and prepare yourself for the onslaught of Christmas marketing that will be rolling on on Nov. 1.