It’s that time of year again! When we can buy Pumpkin Spice Lattes (and post their deliciousness on our social medias), curl up in bed with spooky socks, and watch our favorite horror movies. With all things considered, this Halloween might look a little different, but the same ghostly vibes will be there. At this moment, many cities across the country have cancelled their usual Halloween festivities due to the Coronavirus this year. This includes New York City’s Tompkins Square Dog Halloween Parade and California’s Oogie Boogie Bash at Disneyland, and Halloween-goers are heartbroken. There are Darth Vaders, witches, Spidermans, Iron Mans, and countless others who love to dress up for the occasion, but many realize that this Halloween may not be the same. So, even though we may not be able to have fun with all of our friends this year like we would normally do—for instance, going trick-or-treating in our cute, iconic costumes—we can make some new memories while still being responsible.
Grab your masks—and maybe pepper spray just to be safe—and take a walk with your family around the neighborhood to look at the Halloween decorations. It is a great family pastime to make memories that your mom or dad can cry to in a few years when you leave the house for college or start your life as an adult. You can use the online stream-sharing service Netflix Party to watch a movie with friends even if everyone is in their own homes. This service has been used more often now that there is a limit of people in one room, especially by organizations and/or teams in college and high school. Another option is to make each other Halloween greeting cards and send them to one another, either by mail or dropping it off on their doorstep. There is also a newly constructed website (www.halloween2020.org) for this Halloween to provide fun, safe ways to celebrate. All you have to do is look for your county for what level of risk it is currently under. Then, once you find your color, scroll down and click on the corresponding tab, where you will see a list of possible activities. The kind of activities you can do depends on the color the county is. If you keep scrolling down the website, you will find more information on what each individual or family could do to stay safe.
The CDC has even posted guidelines that ask Halloween-goers to be careful if going to any public festivity, and to consider any of the low-risk activities posted on their website that individuals or communities can participate in. Some include: decorating pumpkins with family or at a cautious distance with neighbors and friends; having a “Halloween scavenger hunt” outside where the kids look for “Halloween-themed things,” or hold one for immediate family at their house; and hosting a “virtual Halloween costume contest”.
It is important to make memories with your community, but make sure that those memories are made safely for everyone!
SOURCES AND RESOURCES
- CDC. (Updated 2020, October 14). Holiday Celebrations. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays.html#halloween
- 6SQFT. (2020, October 14). The best ways to celebrate Halloween 2020 in NYC. https://www.6sqft.com/halloween-2020-new-york-city/
- Byrnes, H. & Harrington, J. (Updated 2020, October 10). COVID-19 has scared off Halloween events in these 37 states. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/10/04/these-37-states-have-cancelled-popular-halloween-events/42702997/
- Halloween2020. Halloween 2020: Like We’ve Never Seen. https://www.halloween2020.org/