Hello Everyone,

What a big week we have coming up.  Between Halloween, rolling the clocks back and the election I feel both mentally and physically exhausted and nothing has even happened yet.  I’ll tell you what I am most excited for, November 4th.  Then I will not have to see any more political ads.  I can’t take it anymore.  Living in St. Louis we get all the Missouri and Illinois ads.  I’m sure anyone who lives in a border city can feel my pain.  Anyway, let’s move on to a more exciting topic: Halloween!

Halloween is definitely going to be different this year.  As with everything else in 2020, you have to do what you are comfortable with regardless of what anyone else is doing.  This is what that will potentially look like for us…

Costumes- The girls did not get new Halloween costumes.  One of them asked but I just said no.  A month ago… a week ago… we had no idea what Halloween would look like.  Let’s face it, Halloween is tomorrow and the plan could still change.  I’m not spending a ton of money on costumes.  We have our Hogwarts robes (we have a Gryffindor and a Hufflepuff in our house).  I did spend like $5 at Target to get them the cheap ties and a scarf but that is it. E’s Hufflepuff robe was purchased at Harry Potter World in Universal Studios and I feel like we probably could have sent her to a year of college for the cost so I’m glad it will get one more use.

Pumpkin Carving-  Just the four of us this year.  Not getting together for the pumpkin carving party we always like to have with 3 other families.

Trick-or-Treating- Luckily, we are supposed to have nice weather which is shocking.  I don’t think my kids have ever had a Halloween that wasn’t just cold but also rainy.  Of course, this would happen the year they have a warm costume with a hood but whatever.

We are planning on doing a little bit of trick-or-treating.  Some of you may think this is a terrible idea but we are going to chance it a little.  We are really just going to do our street.  By we, I mean my husband and the girls.

Sidebar- We originally were going to swap every year: one stay home and hand out candy, the other go out with the girls.  Well, after the 3rd rainy year in a row I decided it was better for me to hand out candy.  And that isn’t even being selfish, I have many reasons to prove that it benefits everyone if you want me to get into it.  I’ll assume you don’t.  

I will stay home and hand out candy.  I don’t know if you remember but I’m the “good house” in the neighborhood.  I hand out the full size candy bars.  It is the one nice, neighborly thing I do and I don’t want to let everyone down.  Last year I also started handing out Apple Jacks to the parents and it was such a hit I have to keep it up.  But I will not be handing everything out like normal.

Have you seen some of the ingenious things people have created for trick-or-treating this year?  Using PVC pipe to create a shute, making a zipline/pulley system where a ghost floats over to deliver candy, a drone to drop candy into your bucket! Amazing!  I can’t believe the things people are doing and I think it’s awesome.  My method is going to be decidedly, significantly more low tech.  I’m using a plastic storage bin and I got the idea from Chic-Fil-A.

Has anyone been to the Chic-Fil-A drive thru since Covid started?  I don’t know if they are all doing this or it is just the one near my house, but they put your order in a shallow plastic storage bin and slide it out to you.  I hope they never go back to the old way.  It is so much easier to grab and I don’t get nervous I’m going to drop everything when I don’t pull close enough to the window.  I hope all other drive thrus adopt this method permanently.

Anyway, that is how I’m going to hand out candy.  I will wear a mask.  I will sit on my porch or on the drive way.  I will have a little table set up.  I will tell everyone their candy options (this year they are Twix, Twizzler Nibs and Heath Bars).  They tell me their choice and I will place it in the storage bin.  I will then slide the storage bin across the table and they can grab it.  No knocking on the door, no hundreds of hands reaching in the bowl.  No trying to pretend I’m happy when really I’m just wondering how many bugs are flying in my house.  A very orderly operation.  Gosh do I love rules!  I’m excited just thinking about it.

It does mean I don’t get to create the pretty bowl of candy this year, which makes me sad.  I am just using the boxes the candy comes in for easy transport to the porch/driveway.

Candy Buying- I will admit I have no idea how much candy to buy.  Because Halloween is on a Saturday and we are supposed to have nicer weather we would normally be swarmed with trick-or-treaters.  But, you know, covid.  So, We could have lots or nobody.  I do not want to be stuck with a bunch of junk.

Now, I always buy candy I like for this exact reason but this year we could really be stuck with A LOT if everyone is doing the responsible thing (unlike us).  I always have Twix because they are my favorite.  Easy decision.  The girls asked for Heath bars this year.  That is another selfish purchase because most kids don’t go for the Heaths and we are excited for all the leftover Heath possibilities (ice cream topping, cookies, in between cake layers, repeat).  The boxes of Twizzler Nibs is a new one for use this year.  But, I figured they will last forever and we can eat them at home during family movie nights.  Or sneak them into the theater if we ever get to go again.

I have enough for 108 trick-or-treaters.  But we always pick one to keep so technically I have enough for 104 trick-or-treaters.  That should be plenty during a pandemic… even if it is a lovely fall Saturday night.

Alternative Halloween Plans-  If you are not comfortable trick-or-treating, do what my sister is doing… have a family Halloween Party.  My sister has a family of four like us but with younger kids, one boy and one girl.  They are having a family party just the four of them.  I don’t know all of the specific details but I do know my sister.  I’m sure she has been talking up this party to the kiddos so they are excited and not disappointed.  I’m sure she will decorate spectacularly and have a themed menu. I bet there is a Halloween movie or special to watch.  And I wouldn’t be shocked if she surprises everyone with a piñata.

What works for you and your family will be the best way to celebrate.  However you choose to, I wish you a very safe and very Happy Halloween!