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Celebrating Halloween Safely in Your Community

Halloween doesn't have to be a hassle with these tips and tricks to celebrating the spookiest holiday safely in your community!
Jennifer Harvey | Mar 28, 2024 | 3 min read

With autumn just around the corner, the question about how to celebrate Halloween in the wake of the COVID pandemic is at the forefront of everyone's minds. Halloween parties, haunted houses, and trick-or-treating usually mean large gatherings of people, and some are wondering if the holiday should just be canceled completely to prevent COVID outbreaks. But don't cancel all your spooky celebrations just yet. There are plenty of fun ways to celebrate Halloween in your HOA while keeping your residents safe.

Move Your Party Outdoors Or Over The Internet

Overall, when you're with people, it's safer to be outdoors than indoors. If your HOA has an outdoor communal space, you can plan a few fun, socially-distanced activities. You can get a popup movie screen and host a drive-in spooky movie, or set up tables and chairs at least six feet apart so people can still be social without interacting too closely. Stick to pre-packaged foods and beverages, and keep the gatherings small whenever possible. Costume contests and pumpkin-carving competitions can still happen over platforms like Zoom to keep the fun going. 

Remember Masks

In recent months, we've learned that masks aren't just for Halloween costumes. They've now become an essential part of keeping us safe while we are out in public. Many states still mandate wearing a mask in public spaces, both indoor and outdoor. But luckily, it's easy to integrate a mask into a Halloween costume. Wear a face covering beneath your costume mask, or work a mask into your costume. This is an easy way to protect yourself and still enjoy dressing up for the holiday. 

Decorate Homes

A house-decorating competition or a front door decorating competition are great ways to spread the Halloween spirit throughout your HOA. Hand out a sheet detailing the rules of the contest, including what types of decorations are allowed, and put together a place for your residents to vote (i.e. put a voting box in a communal area or put together an online poll that your residents can access). You can offer fun holiday-themed prizes for the winner or the top contenders. This idea is great because it really doesn't involve any close contact between neighbors and is still a festive way to celebrate. 

Hand Out Treats Safely

Have you ever heard of a trunk-or-treat? This concept takes the traditional idea of trick-or-treating and switches it up. Instead of handing out treats from your home, treats are given out from the trunk of a car. This is a great way to keep social distance while still handing out candy. Alternately, you can also put bowls of candy out on your front porch and kids can go around from door to door without having to interact directly with you. 

A fun idea, especially for families with children, is to visit your neighbors secretly and leave treats from the Great Pumpkin, or some other fictional Halloween friend. Put together a bag of snacks, candy, or Halloween decorations, and write a note detailing that they have been visited by the Great Pumpkin with a prompt for them to pass it on. Leave it on their front doorstep, ring their doorbell, and take off quietly. This is one great way to spread Halloween cheer among neighbors. 

Get Creative!

Celebrating Halloween this year is definitely going to be a little different than usual, but that doesn't mean it won't be fun! Brainstorm ideas to keep the families in your HOA safe, while still keeping the Halloween spirit alive! For more information about safely celebrating Halloween in your HOA and for all your other HOA board needs, RealManage is here to help!   

 

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