Local families get creative to make Halloween memorable

October 29, 2020 · 0 Comments

The COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed a surge of creativity among parents, who, despite restrictions, are hoping to make Halloween memorable for their children and communities.

Unlike every year, October 31 will not be following a set tradition of trick-or-treating and getting together with friends.

While some aren’t ready to completely give up trick-or-treating and are hoping to follow safety precautions, others are staying home or within their bubble and coming up with creative plans.

Barbra Kwolek, an Aurora resident of 15 years, has an only child and that makes Halloween a social event her son really looks forward to every year.

“The highlight of trick-or-treating for him is always being with friends or family. He’s not disappointed that we won’t be going door-to-door, but he is disappointed he won’t be seeing anyone else,” admits Kwolek, who came up with a plan to salvage the situation.

“We decided to do something engaging and challenging to take up the evening and distract him from the fact that it’s just the three of us. I found an escape room kit on Etsy (from LockPaperEscape). You print off these clues and solve them together. Now my son is really looking forward to it and doesn’t seem to be upset that we aren’t trick-or-treating at all,” she said.

It’s not just the parents putting their brains to use. Kathleen Veltri’s 8-year-old thought of an ingenious plan that mimics the original.

“My 8-year-old actually came up with the idea of trick-or-treating within the house. The parents stand behind bedroom doors as they knock. I thought it was clever and we may give it a go,” she said.

Kayla Eliesen’s is another local family that takes Halloween very seriously.

“We decorate a lot. We recently made bottles for our cabinet of curiosity, and our three kids and us parents were busy for about two hours! We will do more crafts on Halloween,” she said, adding that they are still doing a mini version of trick-or-treating.

“We have about five neighbors who are expecting us for trick-or-treating. We are collecting candy from those five houses with a lacrosse stick to maintain distancing. We got our favorite candy to eat that night while we do our annual monster mash dance party and watch Halloween episodes or a movie. We are still dressing up as a vampire family.”

For residents who like to hand out candy, the pandemic has made things challenging.

But some, like Lisa Bruce, are getting creative.

“I am decking up my house from outside, I’ve got a pop-up table that I plan to decorate with pre-made goodie bags that kids can grab and go as they walk along the sidewalk. The table will be on my front lawn so nobody is coming up to our door,” she said.

Like a lot of other celebrations this year, Halloween too, has taken a virtual turn for some.

Andreanne Grassby and her family will be attending a virtual drop-in Halloween Costume Party.

“We will ‘gather’ to celebrate Halloween wherever we are. There will be a costume contest, and fun categories like scariest costume, best homemade costume, funniest costume, best age 2 and under costume, 90s pop culture reference costume and so on. We will take screenshots and vote afterwards,” said Grassby, noting that it is crucial for our kids that we show resilience and kindness.

“Safety is the number one value in my family. People are getting sick and the pandemic is very serious. It doesn’t mean we can’t have fun and do special things. Halloween will be different, but really I think it is affecting us grown-ups more than the kids. They are just happy to dress up and eat candy, whatever form this takes,” said the mother of two.

After all, it’s the spirit of Halloween that matters.

By Kinjal Dagli Shah