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Plans for a Homebound Halloween

12:00 October 28, 2020
By: Lawrence Bourgeois

No matter what are your annual traditions for October 31, be it trick-or-treating or partying, it will certainly be suffering a change of form this year. Social distancing and health protocols will restrict most of the interpersonal aspects of Halloween, but there are a number of ways that you can celebrate while remaining safe or even entirely by yourself. Courtesy of Homes.com, here are a few ways to have a fun Halloween celebration within or around your house this year, while maintaining safe social distancing.

To start, there is the perennial classic of pumpkin carving. It requires no external contact and is one of the most beloved ways to decorate your home for Halloween. It has nigh-endless creative avenues for you to express as well, and passersby will marvel at what you produce, if you let yourself get creative enough.

Another easy way to pass the time in a decidedly spooky manner is an easy one: scary movie night. Considering that this activity can have as many or as few people as you want involved, it is entirely within safety guidelines and a classic way to burn the late-night candles come October 31. Horror is one of the most popular genres, so there will never be a shortage of Halloweeny content for you to select from.

If you happen to have children who were looking forward to the thrill of discovering candy on Halloween, you can reassure them that their hopes are not completely dashed. Another idea proposed by Homes.com allows for that same excitement to be contained in your own backyard. A simple scavenger hunt involving candy hidden in the little nooks and crannies around your living space will keep young children entertained and excited on Halloween.

Next up is the more eccentric tradition of "guess what's inside" games are available to most anyone with tactile miscellany lying around their house. Really, all you need are some random items that have unique surfaces, like a boiled noodle or a peeled banana, with a blindfold. Having candy or other incentives as a reward can always serve as an easy way to sweeten the deal.

A cute trend circulating right now is the simple game of having been "booed," and then subsequently "boo'ing it forward." Decorated door-hangs or simple flyers showing off messages like "We've been booed" help to spread a quaint little message and encourages others to "boo it forward" around the neighborhood.

The next two ideas require a bit of open space in or around your home. Depending on the temperature on a given day, you might be able to enjoy some classic camaraderie talking over a lit fire pit. It is a common tradition during the autumn and winter seasons to enjoy a fire pit's warmth and atmosphere, and this year is no different. And even if there's not a lot of chill in the air quite yet, the brightness of the fire and the conversation surrounding it are enough of a draw.

The next idea is fun and a guaranteed child-pleaser: Halloween piñatas. Whether you make one yourself or find a simple ghost piñata at a local store, beating the heck out of it to release its Halloween-candy innards is an entertaining activity for anyone involved and is a sure way to generate laughter.

Finally, you can incorporate a bit of Christmas's thunder into your Halloween by putting a spooky twist on the age-old tradition of a gingerbread house. Instead of a bright and jovial abode, you can attempt to use seasonally appropriate candy, such as candy corn and Halloween-themed chocolate, to decorate a gingerbread haunted mansion or abandoned shack.

Regardless of how you plan to spend your socially distanced Halloween, make sure you have an equal balance of fun and safety.

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