With the pandemic, we have had to adjust our ways of living significantly. With the fall and winter holidays coming up, this can be a challenging time since we may not be celebrating in a way we are used to. After months of social distancing and following guidelines, it can be frustrating not to see the people we love and being unable to celebrate with them because we usually get to spend time with them during this time of year. However, with the help of the Center for Disease Control (CDC)’s guidelines, here are some socially distant ways to celebrate Halloween this fall.
The following activities have been rated as lower risk activities, according to the CDC:
- Putting Up Decorations
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Decorating in and around your home is always the first step for getting into the holiday spirit. Come up with some decorations with your housemates, however spooky you want to get. You can even take the extra step and make it into friendly competition with carving pumpkins, seeing who can make the best decorations, or trying different holiday recipes – get creative! It’s also possible, at a safe distance, to carve or decorate pumpkins with neighbors or friends.
- Hold a Costume Contest
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While regular trick-or-treating and Halloween parties are not viable this year, make the most of the situation and host a virtual costume contest with your friends and family! Whether it be generic costumes or fitting a theme, this can help spread the usual festivities the season brings.
- Halloween Movie Night
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A staple part of this beloved fall holiday are family-favorite, classic Halloween films, such as Hocus Pocus and Halloweentown. With the self-isolating conditions in place, honor this tradition by hosting a movie night with your housemates, or host a watch party with friends and family over a viewing service like Netflix Party.
- A Trick-or-Treat From Home
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Though many people’s favorite part of the holiday is being able to trick-or-treat or serve trick-or-treaters with candy, a socially distant option is to host a scavenger hunt in your home. By hiding candy in and around your home with your household members, this keeps everyone socially responsible at home rather than going house to house, and it is able to keep some of the tradition alive.
While we are currently in an unprecedented time, and the holiday season may make you wish that we could celebrate as normal with our friends and family, making responsible social decisions is key to keeping you and the people around you safe. This may not be the ideal way to celebrate Halloween, but hopefully these ideas help bring some holiday cheer and serve as a way to honor the culture and traditions surrounding this holiday. Though it may not make up for being together in person, taking these safety precautions will work to keep the health of those around us safe so that many more future holidays may be spent together.
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