HOW CAN I GET MY NEW HOUSE READY FOR HALLOWEEN? 4 SPOOKY TIPS TO STAY SAFE, HAVE FUN, AND GET YOUR HOME LOOKING BOO-TIFUL
HOW CAN I GET MY NEW HOUSE READY FOR HALLOWEEN? 4 SPOOKY TIPS TO STAY SAFE, HAVE FUN, AND GET YOUR HOME LOOKING BOO-TIFUL
How can I get my new house ready for Halloween? If you took the road less traveled, and decided on a fall move, Halloween is an awesome first holiday to practice how you would like to decorate and celebrate in your new home. COVID-19 definitely has things looking a little different all over the place in 2020, and for the first time, we are seeing traditional favourites like bobbing for apples in an entirely different light. Talk about scary! However, there is still every opportunity to explore your inner monster on ‘All Hallows’ Eve’ and have tons of fun in the process. On the hunt for ways to get domestically festive, and not sure where to begin? Look no further! Check out these easy tips to get your new house haunted, and make the most of candy’s biggest night – pandemic or not.
Devise A Plan Of Action
A right of passage when you finally move into your own home, is being the grownup on the other end of little voices yelling “trick or treat!”. Although trick or treating has not been banned or called off this year, making a plan for distribution, before you buy buckets of candy, is probably for the best. Common sense (and health officials) tells us it is perhaps not the greatest idea to have numerous tiny hands all over our doorbells and front entryways. On that note, negating opening the door for each round of kiddos, and sticking out a share bowl for everyone to dive into instead, could be just as troublesome. How then can we still take part in giving out candy on Halloween? Enter ‘one way trick or treating’. This is where a treat, or whatever kind of safe item you would like to gift, is individually packaged and easy for little goblins and ghouls to quickly grab and go! Think ziploc sandwich bags, small paper bags, etc. Dr. Amyna Husain, a physician in pediatric emergency medicine at Johns Hopkins who specializes in disaster preparedness, also suggests putting out a large bottle of hand sanitizer beside the treats.* You could set up your bags outside and keep a distance from your front window, or have a table in your driveway that you sit 6 feet or more behind/away from. Where there is a will there’s a way, and with a little extra preparation you can certainly get your new house ready for giving out candy on Halloween and ensure safe Covid trick or treating! Pro tip: this is not the year to be spending hours on cookies and cakes you make and package yourself; to then give out to the neighbourhood children. Delicious though they may be, for the time being, stick with securely sealed, individually wrapped, store bought treats!
Get Creative and DIY
In lieu of attending your friends annual costume party that has sadly been canceled, an out of the box and entertaining way to stay social and decorate is here! DIY online Halloween decoration dates. Give your friends a virtual tour of your beautiful new home, and stay cozy in sweats, while you get your seasonal crafting on! The benefits are threefold. Save money, stay out of crowded stores, and proudly show off your new digs without actually having to cook or clean for anyone. O Magazine has a massive list of great (and cheap!) ideas here, a lot of which you can make with items you probably already have laying around the house. Our favourite concept, that is certainly budget friendly and will have a big impact with minimal effort, is their suggested ‘Spooky Foliage Wreath’. Snag a bag of fake leaves from your local dollar store (or have them delivered later today from Amazon) and a can of black spray paint. Twist or hot glue them together or secure to your door with tape! Simple and spooky – a perfect way to deck out your new front door for Halloween. An added entertaining twist can be to take pictures of how you and your friends’ projects turn out, and have a designated judge decide whose work wins top spot! E-gift cards work very well as prizes.
Photo-Op Ready For Instagram And NO Storage Clutter!
It might take a couple of full grocery carts or wagon loads at your local farmers’ market or pumpkin patch, but loading up on seasonal squash is by far one of the simplest and most sustainable ways to decorate your new front porch for Halloween. No toxic plastic, no sticky residue on your windows, no fake spiderweb leftover in your trees until summertime. The worst! Just the most classic symbol for fall and Halloween – and it is all natural! A wonderful bonus is the support you are showing local growers, instead of dropping your entire decorating budget at a big box store. Mix in pumpkin varieties of all shapes and sizes and select a few favourites to carve. Instead of stressing yourself out on the day, and rushing to get things ready on time, make a night of it in the coming weeks to enjoy the process and ensure your work will last. Arm yourself with the necessary tools and follow these instructions here. When the holiday wraps up, you won’t have to throw anything in the garbage or haphazardly store it in your new garage that you swore you’d keep clean and organized. Compost for the win! The yummiest pumpkin carving tip? When all the guts are scraped and scooped out, sprinkle cinnamon inside for a toasty sweet scent once your candle is lit. You cannot get much more fall inspired than that!
Plan A Neighbourhood ‘Drive-Thru’ Haunted House
If you are feeling just a little bit extra and are ready to go all out; you can do it up big and make some new friends in the process! A unique, glass half full twist to the pandemic has been the outpouring of creative ways to keep celebrating our favourite moments. Take for instance, the now infamous drive by birthday party. At this stage in the game, you might be well and truly over that idea – but what about banding together with your new neighbors, and throwing a streetwide ‘Drive-Thru’ haunted house fest! This alternative to traditional in-person haunted house visits started circulating in the summer, and has gained great traction since. If all of the professional sites and setups are sold out in your city, why not have a go at it yourself! Lights, smoke machine, fake gravestones – the works. Coordinate times on when to get everything going and post on your local community social media pages. If you are feeling down and out about everyday life being turned sideways, this could potentially be an uplifting way to access your creative outlet, experience something new and exciting, and become familiar with the people who live the closest to you. Everyone can stay safe, keep their distance, but still see and enjoy your new hauntingly Halloween home!
Owning or renting a new home, and moving into a new space in general takes some getting used to. The day to day responsibility of upkeep can be overwhelming. Especially when you are doing it for the first time, in these uncharted circumstances nonetheless. If and where possible, take the opportunity to celebrate the little things, like Halloween. It is only one night, but you might just start a tradition or make some memories that could last a lifetime. When all other ghostly plans fail or don’t come to fruition; remember to always lay garbage bags out before you start carving goopy pumpkins innards, and resist opening the box of candy you bought before the 31st. We have all been that person heading back to the store the afternoon of the big day, because we polished off the goodies ourselves. Happy Halloween!
*Taken from article ‘ Trick-or-Treat 2020: How to Safely Hand Out Candy Amid Coronavirus
September 25, 2020, By Carolyn Menyes.
