The first thing you’d probably associate with October is Halloween. Think spooky season: bedsheets draped like ghostly spectres, false cobwebs made from stringy cotton, and scary contraptions that jump out of seemingly nowhere. I love Halloween just as much as the next person but perhaps this spooky 2020–where the year itself is likely more scary than any haunted house–it’s best to continue socially distancing. In the unfortunate case of quarantine, here are some trick-or-treating and party alternatives that I still think captures the spirit of Halloween:
Netflix Party with Halloween Movies
Maybe you can’t throw a party, but with the Netflix Party Chrome extension you can still watch your Halloween favourites with your friends and family. The extension synchronizes video playback and provides a chat feature that lets you talk in real time as the movie plays, just like if you were all sitting together. Some spooky movies I always recommend are Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas. And if scary is not your cup of tea, I’m also a huge fan of having a Marvel movie marathon.
Start Making a Costume for Next Year
If you’ve ever felt the pressure of finishing your costume the night before Halloween, this is a great idea for you. Getting a head start now might mean that by next Halloween you’ll have a really detailed handmade costume. I’ve always loved making my own costumes and I always think of some extremely hard to pull off idea like chainmail armour or a detailed fantasy elf that I’d never be able to finish in a month. An early start and an extra year could definitely help your costume go from good to amazing.
Bake Something
If you’re unable to go Trick-or-Treating, this is a great alternative to still be able to enjoy some sweets, and the process of baking is really fun. Just try not to cook anyone’s real brains! Some treats I love are rice krispies, devil’s food cake, or really just anything that has chocolate in it. In addition, some recipe resources I recommend are Buzzfeed’s Tasty.co as well as any old tried-and-true favourites.
Light a Candle and Read a Spooky Book
I love the smell of pumpkin spice and crisp new book pages, and this is a really great solo activity that still embraces the spooky fall atmosphere. It also wouldn’t be me if I didn’t try to shove books in people’s faces, so here’s some of my book recommendations for Halloween: House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig, a horror retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses; The Wicked Deep, a small town secrets paranormal with a side of romance; and Pumpkinheads, a Halloween-themed YA contemporary graphic novel.
The Roar 