Many of us love Halloween. It's a holiday that is almost entirely for children. For those of us with grandchildren or other kids in our lives, it's a joy to watch their happiness. It's also a fun time to decorate and a nice time to make low-carb treats! We usually share some fun Halloween recipes. But this year it's different; many of us are concerned about safety. Some areas have canceled long-held traditions, going so far as to ban trick-or-treating. So how can you celebrate and protect yourself?
A shared bowl of candy for kids to reach into can spread germs in an average year. Having strangers knocking on your door and being close to you is also dangerous. If you want to make sure you and others are safer, skipping trick-or-treating is step number one. The CDC has put trick-or-treating in their highest risk category of Halloween activities. The CDC has rated most ways you can celebrate. Trunk-or-treating, where treats are given out of car trunks, is also rated as dangerous, as so many people attend. Unsurprisingly, indoor parties and haunted houses are also rated as high risk. Although, we have heard of drive-through haunted houses cropping up, which would be safe if you don't open your windows.
Medium risk options are on the table for people who feel celebrating with friends and family. These options include visiting pumpkin patches and apple orchards with hand sanitizer. You can also watch scary movies outside or have costume parades with your grandkids and close friends. And, if you're a fan of trick-treating, you can set up a place with individually wrapped goodie bags at the end of your driveway or the other side of your yard. Then you can wave to the trick-or-treaters when they stop by!
Your lowest risk options are things that stop you from interacting with people outside your household or "COVID-19 bubble." You can have Halloween scavenger hunts around your home with the children in your family. You can decorate your home so others can admire it from a distance. You can have Halloween parties and costume competitions over the internet.
Finally, the popular Nextdoor app allows you to see how people in your neighborhood plan on celebrating. That could allow you to adjust your plans accordingly. You could make plans together, mark if you will be waving at costume parades and say if you're participating in trick-or-treating. You can say that you will just be decorating or opting out altogether. That will stop you from being the "grouch" who doesn't open the door on the night. Of course, if you don't feel comfortable opening the door and don't use the app, that is absolutely fine. Everyone should respect your choice!
We will be bringing you more delicious Halloween recipes this month. Even if you are only planning on only celebrating with your immediate family members, it's still nice to celebrate the holiday.
