2020 has been anything but normal. As the year gets closer to the holidays, people are quickly realizing that their beloved family traditions will have to change. Although we can’t assemble in big crowds, people have quickly adapted to the new regulations in style. This past Halloween was no exception. Because the annual Athens party was canceled, I decided as a sophomore in college to go trick-or-treating.
As silly as that sounded, it was rather enjoyable, and it was interesting to see how people interacted with large crowds again. I haven’t mingled with strangers in months, so it was weird seeing people fill the streets. My friends and I wore our masks with our costumes, and we spaced ourselves out from the other trick-or-treaters. When we got out of the car with our bags in hand, we figured out that people came up with a new way to social distance Halloween. Those who handed out candy stayed on their porch, and they’d have a pipe or a long tube that reached to the bottom of their stairs. When trick-or-treaters came to their house, they’d put candy through the shoot without making contact. They usually wore gloves, and most of them wore masks or Halloween outfits that covered their face. (Purge Masks and festive face coverings were very popular this year.) People decorated their tubes with fun Halloween webs, and lights and houses were glittered with orange and purple. Everyone made the most of the night while being safe during the pandemic.
We trick-or-treated for about an hour as we snacked on candy, observed the festivities, and for once in a long time, people watched. I liked watching the little kids collect candy, and I wondered what they’d think about this Halloween in a couple years. Probably nothing short of a toothache or a lost mask, but I was grateful that the community did something festive to remember. Even though social distancing isn’t great now, it’ll end eventually, and you’ll want to look back at what you made of the situation, not what you lost from it.
This Halloween was an awkward foreshadow of the holidays to come. Even though people can’t meet in big groups, I have no doubt that someone will come up with something ingenious to compensate for the distance. I’m not looking forward to a Zoom Christmas or a small Thanksgiving gathering, but one thing that Halloween taught me is that people will adapt, and life goes on. Some traditions may change, but the energy and the vibes don’t have to.