With Halloween Canceled For Many, Parents Are Sharing Their Spooky Plans For Their Kids During COVID

It’s Halloween season but there are creepier things than ghosts and witches lingering in the air: fear of COVID.

As people across the globe begin to prepare for the fall and winter holidays, Halloween included, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is doling out words of warning when it comes to gathering around your community. In fact, the public agency recently advised that “when planning to host a holiday celebration, you should assess current COVID-19 levels in your community to determine whether to postpone, cancel, or limit the number of attendees.”

For many parents cautious of spreading the disease to loved ones and strangers, trick-or-treating isn’t going to be an option on the table.

We dug around Reddit to see just how parents are going to make the Halloween season special for their kids this year.

Check out their answers and ideas below!

“I’m trying to salvage as much of the holidays as I can for the kids. I’m planning to put a table at the end of my driveway with candy laid out, and a bottle of sanitizer so that kids don’t have to come to my door. Figure I’ll sit at the other end of the driveway and yell happy Halloween to anyone who comes by and restock the table as needed. Anyone else planning on doing something similar? Just curious if other parents are going to let their kids out at all.”- u/beejonez

“I won’t be taking my kids trick or treating this year but I do plan to make them goodie bags with Halloween themed stuff. My 7-year-old suggested we do an egg hunt im the yard like we do on Easter. I think she’s on to something with that idea.”- jeezlouise45

“We’re doing a Glow-in-the Dark, candy hunt. Painting our Easter eggs with paint and then doing it at night. We are making a day of it. Spooky foods and our own halloween party. I wasnt planning on not doing trick or treating this year, but all our neighbors decorated and I’m confused if it a go?! I wasn’t going to do any TorT. I might put something out for kids, like individual bags? I we may go to our neighbors, in our cul da sac, but defiantly not neighborhood. I guess we’ll see on Halloween.”- Wam_2020

“I have seen a lot of back and forth. The CDC, OHA and most health organizations are recommending doing nothing like a traditional Halloween this year. Including just putting candy out form a distance, as you are. We aren’t going out, Halloween will come next year. Going to dress up, watch a movie and eat the candy we would have handed out.” –HowdyAudi

“I actually hope we have a big rain storm, so the kids don’t feel like they missed out.”-Wam_2020

“I grabbed halloween bags from Winco and have prefilled them with candy. I will be passing them out from the end of my driveway as well so kids won’t be sticking their hands in a bowl or messing with sanitizer with gloves on. Just my gloved hands, my N95 mask, and the best compromise between safety and traditions I just won’t give up for anything I can arrange. Plus I’m, at least one of, if not, the “Full Sized Candy Bar” house in a neighborhood dominated by lower income families.” –Herr__Nilpferd

“I’m not taking my kids out. I think we will set up a table at the end of the driveway and give out candy with bbq tongs as our house is very decorated and I’m sure some folks will still be out TorTing. As for my kids I think they’re gonna get a candy shopping spree at the store.” –mithygreg

“Thanks for the insights. I’ll probably still put some candy out for the few that come around. But haunted hunts and such sound like fun things to distract my 5yo with.”- beejonez

“We’re a scavenger hunt at the homes of people in our Coronavirus bubble if I get my shit together and organize it … Giving each of our kids basically a Halloween version of an Easter basket.” –sunnydpdx

“I’m buying a shitload of candy and eating it while Watching spooky movies by myself, happy early Halloween guys.” –s3r1ous_n00b