Doctor-approved ideas for Thanksgiving, Halloween
No need to cancel Halloween, experts say, but scaling back is good
Thanksgiving might be this weekend in Canada, but my mind is already on Halloween, which is by far my favourite holiday.
All the others seem to come with stressors, such as gift-buying, or making people feel lonely (Valentine’s Day). But Halloween? Free candy and dressing up? What’s not to love?
Growing up, it was the holiday that was most accessible to my immigrant family in suburban Vancouver; all the elements of a successful celebration can be found at a mall or dollar store.
However, in the age of the pandemic, the usually carefree holiday is fraught with anxiety just like everything else this year. Is trick-or-treating OK? How about Halloween parties?
I decided I wanted to host a small pre-Halloween party with family, close friends and their children over the Thanksgiving weekend and did some research.
Some devotees are hatching creative schemes to celebrate at a distance, such as making “candy chutes” to deliver candy to trick-or-treaters through a tube or pipe.
Briefly, I considered crafting a candy slingshot or bazooka to increase the fun factor (for me).
“Um, no. Do not chuck candy at the children,” Dr. Srinivas Murthy admonished over the phone. “There’s probably more risk of injury from throwing candy at a child than getting COVID-19 or transmitting the virus to a trick-or-treater,” said Murthy, critical care physician at B.C. Children’s Hospital and pediatric infection diseases specialist.
In Ontario, which is experiencing a second wave of coronavirus cases, Premier Doug Ford and Toronto Mayor John Tory have already tried to curb expectations. Tory said he “won’t hesitate” to cancel trickor-treating if public health officials decide it’s too risky, while last month Ford suggested that parents make alternative plans given a rise in cases.
But experts say Halloween doesn’t have to be cancelled — even if trick-or-treating may have to be scaled back in some places, such as apartment buildings.
I’m lucky to live in a town in B.C. where homes tend to have plenty of outdoor yard space for physical distancing. Before sending out the invitations to my “Hallo-giving” party, I read the B.C. Centre for Disease Control’s detailed guidelines for safer celebrations, and called doctors for advice.
“Indoor parties are problematic because activities such as eating and drinking compromise our ability to wear masks,” said Dr. Ilan Schwartz, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alberta. “The safest way is to do it outside with a small group and ensure adequate spacing between individuals,” he said.
That sounded like common sense. I decided to order pizza and make pies people can eat with their household groups, so there’s no need for common serving utensils. I would ask guests to wear costumes that include masks.
“Non-medical masks are safe even for infants. You can make it fun by decorating them,” Schwartz added.
My friend Mike came up with the idea of having a turkey hunt and I gave him carte blanche. He dressed my husband in a turkey suit and gave the kids a plastic bow and arrow to shoot the turkey … at a safe distance.
It was a hit! The kids were so preoccupied with chasing the “turkey” around the yard, they didn’t fight over the candy. And they admired each other’s costumes from afar.
One of the families came as Goldilocks and the Three Bears, sporting bear snouts over their brown face masks. Goldilocks had terrific aim with the bow and arrow, and the turkey didn’t stand a chance.
After the main event, we took turns grabbing pizza slices, and ate around a campfire. We decided that “Hallo-Giving,” a cross between Halloween and Thanksgiving, will become a new tradition.
At a time of so much uncertainty, it felt great to enjoy the festivities.
My party plan sounded manageable to Schwartz. He is more concerned about parties with loud music where people imbibe a lot of alcohol, which can make it difficult to maintain COVID-19 protocols.
Trick-or-treating guidelines during COVID-19
Ontario’s Health Ministry currently recommends the following trick-or-treating guidelines. Consult your provincial guidelines prior to going out on Halloween.
› Stay home if you feel ill or if you have mild symptoms.
› Only go out with members of your direct household.
› Only trick or treat outside.
› Both trick or treaters and people handing out candy should wear face coverings.
› A costume mask is not a substitute for a face covering and should not be worn over a face covering as it may make it difficult to breathe.
› Consider building your face covering into the costume.
› Do not congregate or linger at doorsteps. Line up two metres apart if waiting.
› Avoid high-touch surfaces and objects.
› Whether collecting or handing out treats, wash your hands often and thoroughly or use hand sanitizer.
› Do not leave treats in a bucket or bowl for children to grab.
› Consider using tongs, or other similar tools to hand out treats.