Halloween Trunk Or Treat

As fall swiftly approaches, thoughts of pumpkin spice lattes, brightly colored foliage, and Halloween will be on everyone’s mind. The holiday will no doubt be a little different this year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic: Many town parades, festivals, and haunted house attractions have already been nixed. But that doesn’t mean that all festivities will get the ax. Many Halloween traditions are still safe, and others—possibly even trick-or-treating—could be adapted to our changing times.

Trunk-or-treating is one of the trends buzzing this year in terms of socially distant trick-or-treat substitutes. An organized event usually held in a school or church parking lot, trunk-or-treating entails decorated vehicles, and kids go trick-or-treating from car to car. You can host this in your neighborhood, too, with neighbors setting up trunk displays in the driveway and passing out candy. Note: Consider having designated adults (who commit to applying hand sanitizer) give out the candy rather than encourage lots of little hands to reach inside the bowl.

This is the perfect opportunity for families to start new Halloween traditions if you don’t already have any in place. Ghost stories around a bonfire, fireplace, [or fire pit] with s’mores—if no fire, try an indoor s’mores maker. There’s so much a family can do with just a little creativity. Parents opting out of trick-or-treating might also take a cue from Easter egg hunts and hide candy around the house or yard for their kids to find. Halloween traditions have always evolved and I think we are going to see some super creative ways to still connect and have fun this Halloween because normalizing our lives, in small or big ways, is important in moving forward.