2020 has been the worst of years for our kids. I think we can all agree on that. There has been so much stress and anxiety associated with the coronavirus experience. Our kids have unfortunately had a very difficult time with the quarantine and the changes that have come about. Virtual school provides a challenging learning experience, to say the least. Social isolation. Not being able to see their friends. After school activities and sports have been cancelled. It has been tough.
I have heard so many people saying that we should just cancel Halloween this year. And at first, I just thought, “Yeah, we have to cancel it.”
But now, as I have thought more and more about it, I think we can save Halloween and let our kids have one night of fun. I think we have to be creative so that we can let kids go trick or treating in a COVID-safe manner.
Here is how we’re going to handle trick-or-treating at our house:
- Prepare small baggies of candy ahead of time with a few pieces of candy in each one.
- Sit on the front porch and drop the candy in the trick or treaters’ bags.
- Wear masks and use hand sanitizer prior to getting the bag of candy to give out. That way, we are limiting any germs that we may transmit. (I like this better than kids grabbing candy themselves from a bowl, because only our sanitized hands will touch the bags of candy.)
Luckily, we have seen that children really are not the vectors for spreading COVID, so we don’t have to be too worried that they will give it to us. Their parents should stay 6 feet away, if possible.
The way I see it is that we can save Halloween if we all work together to do it safely and let the kids have some fun. Needless to say, I might need to feed my sweet tooth as well!
Happy Halloween! Stay Safe!