Five tips for bringing (safe) seasonal style to trick-or-treating.

Halloween may feel a bit spookier this year, but you can still have fun while celebrating safely. If your kids have their hearts set on trick-or-treating, don’t be too quick to cancel the festivities. By taking some precautions, the holiday can happen on a smaller scale and still be fun.

Are there any regulations for trick-or-treating in your area? If you have the all-clear, be sure your trick-or-treaters stay safe by traveling in small groups, staying outside, and practicing proper social distancing and hand hygiene.

Wearing a mask should be the easy part!

Turn your home into a spooky attraction

If your kids usually covered a lot of ground trekking through the neighborhood and knocking on many doors, it’s smart to limit their range this year.

You can spread some spooky holiday vibes by making your home an enticing destination for trick-or-treaters. Apply some DIY magic and create an outdoor gathering spot that will make them, and hopefully, some neighborhood friends, content to stick around.

Start with a path

One way to weed out any potential crowds and to keep all interactions outdoors is to move the candy distribution center out of your front doorway and onto a driveway, front stoop, or porch. It’s fine to limit your active candy-giving time. If you’re feeling guilty, leave some out for latecomers using the honor system.

Set up a table and light the way to the good stuff by using LED lanterns, lots of string lights, or other Halloween-themed luminaries. Illuminate some pumpkins and maybe back-light some spooky tombstones in your front yard. 

Before the big night, make sure your walkways are clear from any debris and easy to navigate.

Set the mood with spooky sounds

If you really want to scare people, play some spooky sounds or scary voices on a loop through a hidden Bluetooth speaker and watch the trick-or-treaters jump with fright. You could also liven things up with our Halloween-themed music playlist.

For truly theatrical effects, borrow from the Christmas display box and sync lights with your audio.

Show off your treats

Here’s your chance to put your tablescaping skills on display. Your Halloween treats table is a blank slate, the possibilities are limitless. Pull together lots of black and orange, pumpkins, LED candles, bats, skulls and spiders, and skeletons. A mirrored base will add shine and light. Use crates to add some rustic touches and hold the extra candy.

The safest way to treat your trick-or-treaters is with wrapped candy, preferably handed out by one person. This prevents lots of kids’ hands reaching into a bowl and potentially spreading germs. Another way to distribute candy is through individual treat bags that can be tacked to a pumpkin or lined up on your table.

If you are feeling extremely ambitious, follow the lead of this couple who created a candy distribution slide that combines social distancing with crafty Halloween style.

Get creative with seasonal décor

If you’ve amassed a collection of Halloween and autumn-themed décor elements over the years, put them to good use. Repurpose linens and baskets for your treat table, frames, and mirrors for the “graveyard,” and planters for your front stoop. Add some spooky flair to a basic wreath.

Your decorations don’t have to be elaborate, expensive, or labor-intensive to capture the spirit of the season. Kids tend to rate Halloween at the top of their list of favorite holidays (who can blame them?). Delivering some (safe) fun this October 31 could be spooktacular for morale.

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An easy way to update your home with stylish seasonal décor is at your fingertips. Make decorating fun with a subscription to Decocrated. No tricks, just treats!