Halloween Isn't Canceled! Creative Ways to Celebrate Safely at Home This Year

Halloween is just around the corner, which means we are all gearing up for our usual tricks and treats in this not-so-usual time. With the COVID-19 pandemic looming large, it can be hard to know how to celebrate. But just because this Halloween is going to look different doesn't mean that it has to be boring or lacking in any way. Talk to your kids about what they love about Halloween and get their input. From there, you can decide — together — what is going to be the most fun for them!

Need some ideas? From socially distant spooky activities to at-home fun for the whole family, we have compiled a list of fun ways to celebrate safely.

Turn Your Home into a (Temporary) Haunted House.

There's no time like the present to lean into outfitting your home for the holiday! By making it a fun activity for the family, you'll get everyone excited to spend time at home. You can even make your house a haunted house. The Amazon Alexa is a great tool for this: Just ask Alexa to play spooky sounds  and set your smart plug on a timer (so you can make the ambiance as spooky as possible). You can even do some ghost-busting — simply ask Alexa to "launch Ghost Detector."

Pick Out a Pumpkin and Have a Family Carving or Decorating Night

Heading to the pumpkin patch can be a safe outdoor activity to take part in with your little ones (just be sure to stay six feet from others and mask up!), but if you'd prefer, you can order your pumpkins and fall decor online this year! Baldor is offering home delivery for everything from gourds to corn stalks and bales of hay. That means you can autumn-ize your home without having to leave it! A win-win, if you ask us.

Bake Some Sweet Treats With Your Kiddo

Take a page out of Kylie Jenner's book and make memories by baking delicious Halloween treats. As Stormi Webster has shown us, sprinkles are not optional!

Find Alternate Routes to Deliver Candy

One Michigan man had a genius idea when it came to delivering sweet treats safely to the children in his neighborhood! He even added a beer caddy so that moms and dad could enjoy an adult beverage while out trick-or-treating.

Meanwhile, a dad in Cincinnati, Ohio set up a candy chute so that the neighborhood kids can have a "little extra distancing" while getting their Halloween candy.

Set up a trick-or-treat scavenger hunt.

We do it with Easter eggs, why not take the same concept and apply it to Halloween candy?! You can even involve neighbors, as long as you're socially distant and wearing masks.

Have a virtual costume contest.

Even if you can't show off your costume in real life, there is no reason to keep it to yourself! Hold a virtual Halloween costume contest so that you can show off your handiwork to your friends and family from afar.

Plan a spooky movie night in.

You can also go to a drive-in scary movie night, if that is more your speed!

Or gather around to tell some scary stories.

Grab some flashlights and have a family scary storytelling competition, you know, like in the old days before the internet.

And if you are going to trick-or-treat, consider these suggestions:

• Set out individual bags of candy on your front porch.
• Trick-or-treat within your child's school cohort if possible. These are the children your kids are spending time with anyway, so you're not expanding your bubble.
• Set clear guidelines for your kids (i.e. you will only go to houses with candy already out for children to take versus knocking on doors.
• Find fun masks that match your kid's Halloween costume. After all, this is the one day where masks are encouraged every year, so why not take advantage?
• Keep an eye on how busy it will be, and plan to go trick-or-treating earlier or at off times to avoid crowds.

Hit up a socially distant activity.

There are plenty of options to keep you safe while having a great time this Halloween, like going to a drive-thru jack-o-lantern display, or haunted house, or even rent a paranormal property! We've done you the favor of compiling a list here.

Happy (safe!) haunting, guys and ghouls!

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