With the challenges we’ve faced this past year, and our normal routines being cancelled, it makes many of us wonder what our upcoming Halloween plans will look like. I love Halloween and everything that comes with it. Haunted houses, pumpkin patches, corn mazes, hayrides, parties, trick-or-treating, and lots of scary movies! However, with all the issues we’ve faced in 2020, things have changed. Fall festivals are being cancelled. Trick-or-treating has been in a lot of areas already. So now what? What do us Halloween junkies have to look forward to now? Here are 5 fun things to try this Fall:
#1 – Go virtual
Fairs and festivals have been cancelled. If you are like me, you are bluntly disappointed in this. No crafts, rides, no music or car shows or good ole carnival food. What now? How about taking a virtual tour? Not just any tour, a ghost tour?! Many things are going virtual now days so why not do something scary online too? There are a ton of choices. Some do cost money but you were going to spend the money at the festival or fair anyway! You can tour Salem, Massachusetts, or Dracula’s castle in Transylvania! Do a little research, cozy up and get ready for some spooky fun!
#2 – Bonfire
Bonfires are the best on chilly fall nights. If you don’t have a place for a bonfire, a fire pit works just as well. Get out into the crisp night air, bundle up in your warmest ware and tell scary stories or listen to scary podcasts. There are a ton of them out there that you can find. If you want to up the fun meter, hang a white sheet or get a screen and have a scary movie night in the backyard while keeping warm around the fire. Projectors can be bought for anywhere from $60 – $300 depending on your budget. Nothing’s better than a warm fire, and hair-raising stories or spooky movies!
#3 – Crafts
If you have children, crafts are a great way to keep little hands occupied, while having some quality together time. If children are older or you have no kiddos, crafts can be a relaxing way to express your creative inner self! Here are a few ideas. Jeweled Pumpkins – these are easy and they look really pretty. All you need is come acrylic paints, foam brushes, craft jewels, glue and your imagination! Fall Wreath – making a fall wreath will give you something to put on your door for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Try a wood and burlap wreath. Get the small round wood cutouts, glue them together in a wreath form, and decorate with burlap and fake leaves. Paint, paint paint – you can paint scary scenes or figures on rocks. You can paint pine cones or acorns from your backyard or local park. Adding glitter is always a nice touch.
#4 – Bake! Bake! Bake!
Baking is always a fun way to spend time together in the kitchen. And you can always give away your wares to neighbors or family or you can eat them! Breads, cookies, pies, donuts, the list is endless. Fill your home with cinnamon, pumpkin, apples, cloves, and allspice aromas. Best air freshener of all time and you get wonderful snacks! Practice making items you have never done before, or baking from a recipe that has been handed down from a generation gone. Try something that you remember having in your childhood and share with your kids. There are also recipes out there just for Halloween fun! Sand-witches. Mummy Dogs, Snake Calzones, Lady fingers…yum! Bwah-hahahahaha!
#5 – Read a scary book or thriller
This is by far my favorite activity on a dark, chilly night! Here is how to make the most of it. Find a quiet, comfy spot to settle in, turn on some quiet background music. Make sure you have a nice big mug of hot chocolate or coffee with pumpkin spice or even some hot apple cider. Turn the lights low or off except for what you need to read by. Have candles lit around the room for ambiance. If you have a fireplace, now would be a great time to have it going. Now that you are comfy cozy, immerse yourself in a book about hauntings, cryptids, or crime thriller!
Whatever you decide to do this Halloween, have fun, be spooky and stay safe!
