COVID-19 stops Halloween celebrations in many areas

The Grinch cannot stop Christmas from coming, because the December holiday is in the heart. COVID-19, however, seems poised to disrupt Halloween 2020, because this is most often a group activity. According to The Washington Post (sales of adult costumes have taken a drastic decline based on years past. It is also being reported that 37 states have canceled Halloween. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released holiday guidelines that include Halloween. The health experts are advising high-risk activities such as indoor costume parties, hayrides, and traditional trick-or-treating, be avoided.

The CDC recommends instead that in low-risk activities be done such as decorating a house, having an online Halloween costume contest online, and or carving pumpkins for one's own house. Something the CDC did not mention was going to pumpkin patches. My grandchildren used to do this every year and loved running through corn mazes. I spoke with a woman a few days ago who did take her children to a nearby pumpkin patch. She said that out of hundreds in attendance, perhaps only 10 or 12 were wearing masks and she did not feel safe with her children there.

In the 1960s when I was a young girl, Halloween was for children to go trick or treating. The role of adults was to chaperone the kids, or stay home and pass out candy. In recent years those over 18 have been having parties and dressing up on October 31. Women especially post pictures on social media wearing sexy lingerie and turning the event into an X rated adults only affair. I have listened to stories of how these parties can turn into alcohol fueled events where many get drunk, so perhaps it's best this activity cannot be participated in this year. It would cut down on drunk driving which is a good thing.

It's not likely in 2020 that many adults will host parties or go to clubs out of concern for the risk of catching the coronavirus. Currently, there is an increasing number of people who have been in close contact with Donald Trump and they all now have tested positive for COVID-19. Perhaps what happened to the president will be a wakeup call and deter others from risky behavior. This is not a time for anyone to risk their lives and especially the lives of other people just for a night of fun. This is taking a toll on the party stores that rake ion a lot of money this time of the year. There are churches and other venues who still plan to have a trunk or treat event, but there is no way to know if parents will take the risk for their children to eat candy.

Retail stores and malls in many locations offered candy to children and in the downtown area in my city, several banks would have candy cookies and apple cider. Door to door trick or treating has been declining for many years, so this will not be a big deal if no one knocks on your door. Many Americans might simply choose to ignore the day but some might desire to do something for their children and there are many ways to enjoy October 31. If you really want to observe the day you can party inside your own home. may not be as fun as with a group but you can put your own spin on the evening.

If you have more than one child, perhaps they would like to dress up as favorite characters and eat candy, cookies, and drink punch. You can also find a great Halloween themed movie or television show that is child approriate to watch. It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown is a favorite this time of year. There is always the choice to do nothing but that will not work for everyone. Whatever you do please be safe and consider how your actions may put the health and lives of others at risk.