As we are approaching the holiday season, I’m sure I’m not the only one who is wondering what the heck the holidays will look like in COVID world. Halloween is such a fun holiday, and I was devastated to receive an email from our apartment building that trick-or-treating is cancelled this year. Normally, my roommates and I decorate our doorway and entryway of our apartment with cobwebs, pumpkins, caution tape, spiders, spooky lighting and spooky sounds! There are so many young children in our building, and it is such a fun way to celebrate the holiday and get to know our neighboring families.
I’ve been bummed out about this for a couple of days, so I decided to put together a list of safe and fun activity ideas for Halloween this year! Most of these activities are FREE or very inexpensive, as most of them are DIY!
(**For Halloween safety tips from the CDC, including trick-or-treating guidelines, click here. For **Notes below, refer back to this page for specific safety precautions!)
1. Do-It-Yourself Activities
- Create a spooky scene! This can be done with thinks like fake cobwebs, spiders or other creepy-crawlies, fake blood, the list goes on and on. We usually use these things in addition to red string lights, spooky noises and other props to make our own mini haunted house (apartment)! Even if trick-or-treaters won’t see it this year, it’s still fun 🙂
- Cook Halloween-themed treats! My go-to recipe for Halloween treats (honestly, because it’s the cheapest and easiest) is candy-stuffed popcorn balls (these are also great to make AFTER Halloween with your left-over candy) or rice-krispie-treats. For something a little more savory, check out these adorable, super-easy jack-o-lantern burgers!
- Pumpkin decorating! If actual pumpkin carving isn’t in the cards for you for whatever reason, painting pumpkins is a great alternative for a fun craft to create cute decor! You can stick with the traditional cute or spooky pumpkin faces, or you can go chic to match your apartment’s aesthetic (Pinterest is crawling with inspo).
If you have young children and are looking for some easy, fun crafts for them, here are some ideas from some awesome blogger mommies:
- 20+ Super Easy & Fun Fall and Halloween Crafts for Toddlers
- Halloween Worksheets, Activities and Coloring Pages For Kids
- Unique Pumpkin Carving Ideas to Inspire You
2. Drinks & Dress Up
**Note: If you are spending time with friends, remember to socially distance and/or wear masks with those you haven’t been living with or seeing frequently!
It wouldn’t be honest of me not to include this on the list, because this is what my friends and I will probably be doing. (If there is one thing my friends and I know, it’s how to have an absolutely amazing time, completely alone, without leaving our apartment). Even if nobody else sees your costumes this year, it’s always fun to dress up with friends, and what better excuse for an at-home photoshoot?!
Here is a list of fun Halloween inspired games to play after you’re all dressed up in your costumes!
My friends and I will most likely be drinking pumpkin beer and Fireball (I know, we are disgusting), but if you are looking to get more creative, here are some Halloween-inspired drinks to try!
3. Pumpkin/Decoration Hunt & Ghost Tour
**Note: This activity requires masks since you’ll be outside!
Similar to hunting down the best Christmas lights around the holidays, I absolutely love hunting for the best Halloween decorations around the neighborhood. NYC does not mess around when it comes to any holiday decor, and it always feels satisfying when you come across a really crazy one! (Also, another Instagram-worthy photoshoot opportunity.)
Another activity that I HIGHLY recommend is going on a self-guided ghost tour around your neighborhood. All you have to do is google your neighborhood or town along with “ghost stories” or “haunted houses” and go check them out (respectfully, of course)! I went on an NYC ghost tour last year and it’s a whole other experience when it’s your own neighborhood or town that’s giving you the heebie jeebies!
4. Huluween
(Not affiliated with Hulu at all…LOL, I wish.)
When all else fails…Halloween movies!! One thing that I love doing on or around holidays is watching all the holiday episodes of certain shows. For example, all of the Halloween episodes from shows like The Office, Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers, Friends, etc. (all my faves).
Here is a list of classic Halloween movies to watch. ALSO, all the Harry Potter movies are on Peacock right now, but only until the end of the month! Do I sense a marathon coming on? (Whitney, I’m looking at you).
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Melissa
These are great ideas! Halloween will certainly be different this year, but we are trying to keep some of our traditions alive while also creating some new ones!
Alison
This is a great list! There are some fun ideas on here.