How to Have Fabulous Halloween During a Pandemic
Once again, this Jumanji of a year is threatening to bring more misery by putting a damper on Halloween. Come cities/towns have decided to cancel trick-or-treating while others have decided to proceed. In the places that will host it, many parents are concerned with how to best keep their children and others safe from contracting or possibly spreading the virus. DISCLAIMER: This post is not about politics. What one chooses to believe about the COVID virus is a personal choice. Therefore, please do not leave any hate on this post. However, if you are a reader who does not believe that COVID is a real virus, then this is not a post for you. This article will assume that COVID is a genuine virus that has affected the entire world. The world can’t be wrong. The numbers can be wrong. The symptoms and severity can be argued. The treatment can be debated. How to stop the spread can be argued. But this post accepts COVID as being a valid medical condition identified by scientists and physicians and that people have died from this condition. Again, this post is not slanted to be a political debate. That being said, let’s get on with it.
Some parents have serious concerns about community trick or treating during the pandemic. The following are some super fun activities that can be done on Halloween that maintains social distancing, limits contact with surfaces, and still allows for socialization. Of course, if COVID isn’t a concern for you or your family, you still may find these activities enjoyable.
Photo/Video Scavenger Hunt. This game is simple and can be played in large groups without having physical contact with persons who do not reside in the same household. To play, have someone make a list of objects to find around town in public areas and give each team a copy of this list. Set a time limit for how long the scavenger hunt will last. Depending the players and how soon one wants the game to end, the items on the list can be simple to find or difficult. Some people use very specific items whole others use general descriptions [e.g., the mailbox in town square (specific) or something blue, made of metal, has a door, and is located between Main Street and Cherry Street (abstract)]. Instead of loading found items in a sack, members of the team must take a selfie with the item. The team who locates the most items wins. If more than one team find all the items or there is a tie, the time stamp of the last item found by each can be used to determine the winner. Whichever team found the most items or all the items in the shortest amount of time would be the winner. To avoid teams splitting up to find multiple items at the same time, a requirement could be that all team members must be in the photo/video. Teams could travel by car, foot, or bike and the photos results uploaded shown on Zoom or Facetime.Halloween Egg Hunt. This is something that younger children may enjoy. Instead of hunting for Easter eggs, buy plastic eggs and decorate them in Halloween colors or with Halloween stickers. Place candy inside and hide them in the backyard or different rooms in the house.Tick or Treat Grab Bags. This will require a bit of an honor system. Set up a table on your front porch of sidewalk and fill small sandwich bags with candy. Space the bags so that they do not touch each other. Place a note of the table to request that each trick-or-treater only take one bag of candy (or however may you would like them to have). Also place a sign requesting that they participate in social distancing. NOTE : Before participating in this activity, ask yourself how important following the instructions are to you. Some people will disregard your signs or even verbal request. Some people will attempt to take more than the designated bags of candy (and I don’t just mean children). Others will huddle around the table, ignoring social distancing rules. If these things are extremely important to you, this may not be an appropriate activity to host. If it’s not that important, then go for it.Hayrides. I never was a big fan of this, but if you have some hay (or straw) lying around, throw it in the back of a pickup and head out into the woods. Kids love it. Just remember not to drive too fast, use rural roads, and have the children sit on the bed of the truck with an adult there to monitor. Be aware that some cities/towns will ticket riders in the flatbed of a truck.Scary movies. For older trick-or-treaters (a.k.a., the Peter Pans who never grew up) watch scary movies on Hulu or Nexflix. The best part about this is that you can watch while Zooming with friends in different locations. Or it can be made a family event or a very small gathering. It doesn’t even have to be scary movies. There are plenty of romance and action/adventure movies that are set during the Halloween season.Baking. This is a fun activity for all ages. It may not be as enjoyable as going door-to-door for candy, but baking Halloween cookies or a cake and then decorating it can be just as yummy and satisfying.Cosplay. I’m not sure that is the correct name for this activity. However, several friends of mine have stated that they are dressing up to make cosplay Tik Toks. They will film everything from getting dressed to dance challenges to pranks to duetting others while in costume.Oldie but Goody. Who does not enjoy carving pumpkins and baking the seeds? This is a fun activity that the entire family can enjoy. If done on Halloween, then that means that pumpkin isn’t left sitting around to rot for weeks. Of course, this activity can be done much earlier in October.Throw Me Something, Mister. If you have awesome neighbors, get together to have a short parade on your street. Dress up, decorate the cars, and throw candy onto the lawns. WARNING : Some cities/towns will have ordinances or guidelines about doing this type of thing. However, if it’s only a few neighborhood cars that aren’t blocking any traffic, there shouldn’t be much of a problem. It’s not much different than a drive by graduation party or birthday party.Halloween Fiesta. Have members of your family to put on their Halloween best costumes and head out to the backyard to bust open a piñata filled sugary treats. Piñatas are relatively inexpensive and not difficult to find. Some come prefilled with candy while others you are able to add your favorite treats. If you’re crafty, head over to a hobby store and grab some paper mâché to make your own.Traditional.If none of these activities appeal to you and you choose to go out consider following CDC COVID precaution guidelines. However, before venturing out, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, everyone has their own beliefs and feeling about COVID and what they feel is necessary to remain safe. Some people will not see it as a real threat and therefore may ignore any mask guidelines/city mandates, fail to practice social distancing, and/or not use hand sanitizer. If you encounter a person whose view and practices are different than yours consider how you would handle it before going. No one wants to have their night ruined by getting into a shouting match or altercation with someone who has different beliefs. Additionally, cause a scene could be traumatizing for small children. Are you a person who can walk away, remain silent, and/or respect other people’s decision? If not, then maybe reconsider going to a crowded, public event.
So, that’s it. What do you have planned for Halloween? Will you incorporate any COVID precautions in your Halloween plans or will you be carrying on as usual?
And also, don’t forget to pick up a copy of my new steamy romance, Ice Gladiators, guaranteed to melt the ice. It’s the third book in my sports romance Locker Room Love series.
Taz has problems: a stalled career, a coach threatening to destroy him, a meddling matchmaking roommate, and a thing for his other roommate’s boyfriend. The first three are manageable, but the last… well, that’s complicated. Because as much as Taz is attempting not to notice Liam, Liam is noticing him. Grab your copy of Ice Gladiators at https://amzn.to/2TGFsyD or www.books2read.com/icegladiators.
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Missed the first two books in my sports romance series? No frets. Out of the Penalty Box, where it’s one minute in the box or a lifetime, out is available at http://amzn.to/2Bhnngw. It also can be ordered on iTunes, Nook, or Kobo. Visit www.books2read.com/penalty.
Defending the Net can be ordered at www.books2read.com/defending. Crossing the line could cost the game.
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Locker Room Love is a steamy standalone gay romance/ MM romance series revolving around professional hockey players. Set primarily in the Cajun and Creole bayous of south Louisiana, these love stories have a diverse cast of characters. These sexy athletes are discovering their own voice and the best romance of their lives, even if that isn’t their intention. Find tales of friends to lovers, enemies to loves, billionaires, bad boys, forbidden romance, first times, gay for you, and more. These alpha males are guaranteed to work up a sweat and melt the ice.
For more of my stories, shenanigans, giveaways, and more, check out my blog, Creole Bayou, www.genevivechambleeconnect.wordpress.com. New posts are made on Wednesdays (with bonus posts sometimes on Mondays), and everything is raw and unscathed. Climb on in a pirogue and join me on the bayou.
If you have any questions or suggestions about this post or any others, feel free to comment below or tweet me at @dolynesaidso. You also can follow me on Instagram at genevivechambleeauthor or search me on Goodreads or Amazon Authors or BookBub.
Until next time, happy reading and much romance. Keep safe.
Resources:
Gailxy/GailygrindHuffington Post QueervoiceJoe.My.GodRomanceRomance Writers of AmericaSouthern Writers of LouisianaSports RomanceTowleroad
