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halloween

Tips For Celebrating Halloween Safely This Year

Celebrating Halloween Safely This Year

Even though we’re eight months into dealing with a global pandemic, we’re still navigating many firsts and that includes Halloween. A few weeks ago, Dr. Hinshaw announced that Halloween is not cancelled but we still have to do our part to ensure a safe experience for all.

First things first, regardless of your current Halloween plans if you are isolating or feeling sick stay home, and do not hand out candy!

Celebrating Halloween Safely This Year

Masks & Costumes

 The great thing about face masks is that there are many different styles available that can complement or even be the focus of your Halloween costume. From plain colours, fun prints,  skeletons to animals, monsters to unicorns and more, the options are endless.

Regardless of if your costume incorporates a mask or not when social distancing is not possible your costume should allow for a mask to be worn safely and comfortably if needed.

Trick or Treating

This year we’ll be packing some quick snacks and of course hand sanitizer!

Generally, when we’re out trick or treating I’ll sneak myself and the kids a mini chocolate bar or two… but this year will look a lot different. To avoid the inevitable hangry, pack a granola bar or something equally easily accessible.

While it’s suggested that you avoid ringing doorbells and touching hard surfaces if it does happen the hand sanitizer will come in clutch.

And of course, once you get home before you dig into your candy, you’ll either need to disinfect it right away or leave it sitting for a few days…Who am I kidding? Go buy some Clorox wipes now.

Halloween at Home

If you’re skipping the trick or treating this year but still want to celebrate at home, there are still some great ways to celebrate Halloween which include:

  • Dress up in your Halloween best and host a cohort Halloween party!
  • Hide candy in your backyard and have a Halloween scavenger hunt.
  • Host a Zoom pumpkin carving night
  • Enjoy a Halloween movie marathon with your favourite movies!

Worried about having too much but still want your favourites? Visit the bulk areas of your local grocery or bulk barn to grab smaller amounts. This way you can still enjoy your favourites but won’t overindulge.

Handing Out Candy

It’s suggested that anyone handing out candy should do so while maintaining social distancing. If this is not an option, wearing a mask is a must!

This is also the year to get extra creative! Pre-packaging your candy a few days ahead of time, placing the candy on an outdoor table or another area that they can easily be grabbed from, using long salad tongs, and even the growing popular Candy Chute DIY are all great options.

Whatever you decide, the guidelines from the Alberta Government strongly discourages leaving out bulk bowls of candy for anyone to grab from.

Do you have other tips for celebrating Halloween safely this year? Leave a comment below so we can add it to our blog post!

10 Ways to Deal with Extra Halloween Candy

What to do with all the extra Halloween Candy

Now that your little ones have Trick or Treated their hearts out you are likely staring at a huge pile of treats and wondering what to do with all that extra Halloween Candy! We’ve put together a few ideas for you.

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There’s More Than One Way to Halloween!

The day is almost here! The day that your children, if old enough to talk, have probably been going on about incessantly since school started: HALLOWEEN.

This day can cause a lot of stress for parents. There’s just so much excitement, sugar, sensory overload, sugar, late bedtime, sugar, excitement, sugar…. which, for most kids, means eventual overwhelm and meltdown. What I’ve learned in my 6 years as a “Halloween Parent” is that you gotta do you, mama. When I was a new mom there was a post by a mom blogger essentially shaming moms for not trick or treating around their own neighbourhoods…. Obviously that stuck with me because I still remember it. Guess what? Who cares! Forget about what others think you should be doing on Halloween and just do what you think is best for your kid(s) AND your sanity. Read more

Halloween Fun In and Around Red Deer

It’s one of my favourite celebrations – Halloween. Dressing up and candy – what’s not to love? Honestly, I’m not big on the scares though – I had nightmares from The People Under the Stairs – look it up, you’ll probably laugh. Whether you like a good scare or you don’t, it’s always fun to get out there and take in the fun that comes along with the day.

Do you head out and enjoy events around Halloween? Which are your fave?

Here are some great looking events we found in and around Red Deer!

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We’re Not Buying Costumes For Halloween

I love Halloween; I’ve always been a fan. When I worked in a big call center I was the first one to think of the costume theme for the managers. Dress up and be someone else for a day? Yes, please! Unfortunately, I’ve never gotten into the actual “scare” part of Halloween, but I know many people who do and I say right on! When I had kids, suddenly I had my own mini ME’s to dress up and every one of their first 4 & 6 years I’ve spared no expense. This year though, it’s going to be different.

Here are reasons we won’t be buying costumes this year.

  1. I’m just gonna come right out and say it – this economy is still kicking our family’s ass. We are still catching up from losing work, changing jobs, the little things that come up and you gotta fork out the rainy day fund, all of that, so you know what? We just don’t have money in our house to be spending on frivolities like the latest Paw Patrol, Ninjago or Princess costumes. Our money can be better spent in other places and that’s just that.
  2. We have a toy box full of perfectly good (if perhaps somewhat small?) costumes. They are using their imagination and becoming a hybrid. My son says he’s going as Fang Mario – his old Mario costume that I purchased after Halloween last year when they all went on sale and some glow in the dark fangs he found in our house…somewhere. I’ll wash them, it’ll be all good. My daughter and I both have those one piece unicorn PJs – she wants us to match so she’s decided that will be her costume. If neither of these options had appealed to them, I believe there are quite a few ideas on google for using household things to create costumes and I was completely ready to go there. For example here’s 40 from Good Houskeeping.
  3. When they’re 7 & 5 other kids really don’t care – am I right? Part of me always falls back on my tortured school years – won’t they be teased if they don’t have cool costumes?! My psyche screams at me. But then Rational Rita pops in and says, enjoy this while you can. There will be a time, probably very soon, when they will insist they have to be “cool” and if they aren’t doing it yet let it be.
  4. Alberta weather. Yes, at school their costume will be on full display – previous years I’ve actually bought two costumes for this purpose – 1 for school, 1 for trick or treating. Who was I? A Kardashian? Realistically speaking, while out getting candy they will have at least a jacket on, some years it’s been a snowsuit – so the costume goes over it if it can and it’s usually pretty dark. Who knows what this year will bring but I’m not going to stress about buying another costume for that, or a bigger costume so it goes over. You’re not going to see their whole costume while they’re out there so what does it matter if it’s something they’ve had forever or worn before?

I’ve just put way too much stress on myself in previous years and this year, I made a conscious choice to have a more simple Halloween. They’re good with it, and I’m good with it. Maybe next year we will hop back on the new costume train.

Edmonton's Child