Ways to celebrate Halloween during a pandemic
Photograph depicting a rare tree haunting.
October 16, 2020
As the leaves begin to change color and temperatures begin to drop, you can just tell that Halloween is fast approaching. However, with the current pandemic, getting into the spooky mood can be a struggle. Thankfully, there can still be ways to celebrate Halloween while maintaining social distancing guidelines and being safe.
For students on a budget, celebrating holidays to their full extent can be difficult. Never fear—there are plenty of options that cost little to no money. With the abundance of streaming services available and the ability to screenshare with ease, having a movie night with friends has never been easier. Movies like “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” “The Cabin in the Woods,” and “Child’s Play” can be accessed with a Hulu subscription, while films like “The Addams Family,” “The Silence of the Lambs,” and “Poltergeist” are currently on Netflix. If you want even more Halloween movie options, “Hocus Pocus,” “Halloweentown,” and “The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror” Collection can be found on Disney+. Gather some friends or watch these movies alone! Set up a Teleparty room and enjoy a movie from the comfort of your bed. Alternatively, episodes of TV shows can also be a fun night, especially with a random episode generator.
Moreover, though the trend seems to already be slowing in popularity, another inexpensive way to get in the Halloween spirit during the pandemic would be to have a ghost photoshoot. These fun spooky photoshoots have been blowing up on TikTok; they can add some Halloween flair to any Instagram feed and can be fairly easy to recreate. All that’s needed is a white sheet and some props, then you have cute photos for social media. Another option is to gather a few friends and plan a group costume to take a photoshoot with.
If you like makeup or nail art, do a Halloween themed makeup or nail look. A simple Google search can pull up hundreds of ideas for nail art, and you can use many movies and TV shows for a reference which have distinct color palettes. For example, candy corn can be an easy nail art design, while a simple orange and black makeup look can get anyone into the spooky spirit.
For those with a bit of spare money and can afford to go to the grocery store, buying and baking some Halloween cookie dough can be fun. Put on a playlist to get in the mood, get the oven preheated, and start baking! Not only does baking supply you with a sweet treat to eat, but there is also the satisfaction of making something by hand. While picking up the candy or cookies, be sure to check out the Halloween sections of stores like Target or Halloween stores like Spirit Halloween. I love to window shop during this time of year because it allows me to see decorations or costume ideas before entering these kinds of stores.
Finally, if you can afford to do so, buy some Halloween decorations or clothing items like shirts, socks, or earrings. Target and Walmart both have a bunch of cute decorations that can be hung up in dorms or bedrooms for people on a budget, as well as clothes and accessories. For those willing to spend a bit more on decorations, Michaels has a wide selection of decor ranging from cute to scary and spine-chilling. Michaels also has a variety of Halloween related crafts for anyone with a creative mind and some time to kill.
The pandemic may have cancelled some parts of Halloween, but it has not ruined everything. You can still enjoy this spooky season! You can try many things to get into the spooky spirit and still be safe and socially distanced!
Photograph depicting a tired, defeated ghost.
