Halloween falls on a Saturday this year AND there’s a full moon (a blue moon, in fact). With the coronavirus pandemic still affecting people around the world, it almost seems like the biggest trick and not-at-all a treat to adults and children alike. Despite the unique circumstances of the holiday, our communities have come together to figure out how to celebrate with extra distance and precautions in place. While traditional trick-or-treating and large gatherings may not be in the tarot cards this year, that doesn’t mean Halloween is canceled!
Socially Distanced Halloween Ideas for 2020
1. Throw a Zoom Costume Party or Pumpkin Carving Contest — Many of us have gotten used to Zoom virtual meetups with friends and family during the quarantine. This Halloween, gather your friends for a themed costume or dance party, complete with a spooktacular playlist. Show off your costumes and offer prizes for the winners. Use Zoom so everyone can carve pumpkins safely from their own homes, and tell scary stories. Virtual meetups can be used for gatherings for both children and adults. Don’t forget the Halloween Zoom backgrounds!
2. Decorate Themed Face Masks — When you walk around the grocery store these days, it already seems like Halloween because of the creative masks people wear. Halloween gives you free rein – you have to wear the mask anyway, why not get creative? Help kids decorate masks to match their costumes, or create a mask to be your own costume. Animal faces, traditional jack-o-lantern teeth or creepy smiles are a good place to start.
3. Have a Spooky Movie Marathon — Halloween movies range from family-friendly classics like “Hocus Pocus” to horror films like “Nightmare on Elm Street.” No matter where you fall on the Halloween movie spectrum, there are plenty of great flicks streaming and available to rent this spooky season.
4. Spread Socially Distanced Cheer by Ghosting — No, we’re not talking about the kind of ghosting done when you don’t want to pursue a second date with someone. Ghosting is a sweet way to spread the Halloween spirit in a socially distanced way. Create a bag of goodies for a friend or neighbor and then leave it on their doorstep with a note inside encouraging them to pay it forward. This is a great contact-free way to celebrate the holiday.
5. Organize a Halloween Scavenger Hunt — An in-home scavenger hunt offers a great alternative to trick-or-treating. Decorate rooms throughout your home and hide candy, toys and prizes. Send the kids on a scavenger hunt for the hidden treats. Don’t worry, you don’t have to think of clues on your own if you don’t want to. There are plenty of Halloween scavenger hunt clues and other ideas online!
7. Participate in a Socially Distanced Bike Parade — We’ve heard about a variety of unique ways to make trick-or-treating safer and socially distanced this year. Some local neighborhoods are hosting Halloween parades where costumed participants decorate bikes, wagons and golf carts while showing off their attire. Others have plans for drive-by trick-or-treating or reverse trick-or-treating where kids stay in their yard and adults drop off treats from their cars.
8. Deck Out Your Home with Spooky Decor — Bust out the orange and black lights, spiderwebs and inflatable witches! Just because you won’t be welcoming trick-or-treaters or having a big party doesn’t mean you can’t get in the Halloween spirit with spooky decor throughout your home.
Celebrate Halloween From Home
We love Halloween and spooky season at Security Public Storage. It may look different this year, but we can still enjoy many of the best parts about the holiday — scary movies, candy, pumpkin carving and time spent with friends and family, albeit digitally.
Remember to stay safe and practice social distancing while celebrating Halloween this year. It’s the perfect time to wear a mask — get creative!