Halloween is such a fun night for many kids. When I was young I would plan my costume months in advance and anticipated joining friends to go trick-or-treating on Halloween night. Even now as an adult I look forward to handing out candy and seeing the kids costumes and their eagerness for a sack full of sugar. 2020 has been a whirlwind for us all, but I know especially for children who have had their routines turned upside down. Now more than ever we need a little joy and something to look forward to. Here we are, in the end of October, and COVID is still in full effect. Social distancing and aggressive hand hygiene are reminders that our world is not like it used to be.
In Illinois where we are living, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) put out a statement on guidance to ensure a safe Halloween for all those wanting to be involved. Click HERE to read it. I was inspired to think of a creative way to participate with following the guidelines and being safe.
Pick-a-Treat!
No tricks here! Really all you need for this display is string, clothes pins, candy, and an anchor for hanging the string (I used command strip hooks). My burlap banner was left over from the baby shower I hosted. All I did was change out the letters. I absolutely love when I can reuse, which saves me time and $$.
With a strip of adhesive magnets I got from Walmart, I cut about 1 inch strip and attached to the back of each burlap triangle for stability. The bats were cut from heavy cardstock using my Cricut and attached to the garage with magnets as well.
This set up enables us to be greater than 6 feet from trick-or-treaters. I plan to sit on the front porch and still enjoy seeing all the ghosts and goblins but from a safe distance, reloading the close pins as needed (after proper hand hygiene of course).
Another recommendation from IDPH was to have each individually wrapped candy separated. The line and clothes pins adds a creative display to lower the chances of any transmission.
Overall this display took about 20 minutes to set up, and only cost me about $4 extra dollars considering I had all the supplies besides the clothes pins. All together the display costs about $15 (before candy).
We might have to put a little more effort into keeping trick-or-treating safe this year, but I hope that those who do decide to participate can find joy and some normalcy in this fun annual occasion.
Be safe and don't forget your face mask!
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