Summer has come and gone while cool weather and the holiday season is finally here! It’s a time you can pick and carve pumpkins, find your favorite costume and make special treats. 2020 has been a crazy year for everyone and with Halloween this weekend it’s important to stay safe, but still have fun with your family. 2020’s Halloween, like many other things this year, may look a bit different than in years’ past. This year it’s more important than ever to exercise caution while continuing as many Halloween traditions as you feel comfortable with. Here’s a few ideas on how you can!

HAVE A HALLOWEEN COSTUME MOVIE NIGHT

One fun idea that meets the CDC’s guidelines for Halloween safety is to watch scary movies, dress up and spend time at home with your family! Have a costume contest with your close family members and children and follow with watching your favorite film. You could even let the kids video chat with friends so they can watch together.

You could even make some fun treats with your family! Need some ideas? Try getting cookie cutters in the shapes of pumpkins or cats! Grab some icing and sprinkles and voila you have your very own gourmet desserts. For the main course? Pizza with the toppings arranged to look like a jack-o-lantern!

PUMPKIN CARVING

Go to your local pumpkin patch and grab a pumpkin of your choice with your family or friends! If you’re not sure where you can go in Cobb County, click here. You can do this as a family or even social distance- style with friends! Come up with a theme for your pumpkins or let everyone carve/paint their favorite design. Each pumpkin can be personalized to it’s creator. Of course, be careful to avoid pumpkin carving injuries. For small children let them paint or use markers to decorate their own!

VIRTUAL COSTUME PARTIES

Use a video system like Zoom or FaceTime to host your own virtual costume party! Show off your costume and even play games together. You could even host your own neighborhood costume parade while socially distancing!

Remember if driving on Halloween to watch out for the little ghosts, princesses, superheroes and witches on your streets. To learn more about driving safety on Halloween check out our Halloween driving safety blog post.

TRICK-OR-TREATING DURING COVID-19

If you feel comfortable trick-or-treating this year, there will likely be events in and around your community for outdoor events that you can bring your family to. Try to avoid crowds so you can keep your family safe, maintain social distancing, and wear your face coverings. Want to find a way to make your face covering cooler? Decorate it to match your costume or favorite character.

If your kids are trick-or-treating, make sure you bring wipes or sanitizer so that you can wipe your kids hands after they grab candy from each home. Maybe even try to stay in your socially distanced circle and only go door to door with a select group of neighbors or family members. COVID-19 is said to spread by touch and on objects, so one thing you can do is wipe down your kids candy or packages to make sure they are safe and sanitized.

CREATE INDIVIDUAL GOODY BAGS

Handing out candy? Try wrapping your candy in individual bags so you can safely hand out candy this year. You could even sit outside (don’t forget to wear your mask!) and try to stay as socially distanced from your trick-or-treaters as possible!

REMEMBER

This year may be different, but use this as a time to get creative with your kids! You could maybe even invent some new traditions with your children. This is a great time for us to show our kids how important it is to protect others! Hopefully we can help you find safe ways to celebrate your Holiday so you can have an incredible time with your family! Who knows? This Halloween could be one of the most fun and memorable because of its uniqueness.

Happy Halloween, everyone!