“It’s only four days until Halloween!”
My son’s been counting down since … I dunno … August?
He LOVES Halloween. He loves decorating. He loves “spooky stuff.” He loves dressing up and trick-or-treating (even when he can’t eat half the candy due to a dairy allergy). He loves the experience of Halloween.
But this year is different. We didn’t plan our usual annual trip to the pumpkin patch. (Even though it’s outdoors, it feels unnecessarily risky.) We intend to place candy out in a bowl for trick-or-treaters and attempt trick-or-treating ourselves, but we have no idea what to expect this weekend. But there are a few things that connect us to this season — and yes, some are all about food (er, cookies).
Ghost Hunts
In years past, my son and I have done ghost hunts — strollering when he was little, walking and scootering today. We look at everyone’s spooky outdoor decor and count the ghosts we see.
The Ultimate Ghost Hunt
The night before Halloween, we’ll do our final hunt of the year. I’ll drive, which will let him see homes he hasn’t been able to check out on our walks. We’ll end the hunt with a drive-through run at Starbucks for almond milk hot chocolates.
Halloween Candies
I found these super-cute candy molds and made allergy-friendly chocolates.
Halloween Cartoons
We’ve watched all the Halloween movies and TV shows — dating back to the 1940s — that Disney Plus has to offer.
Halloween Cookies + Other Goodies
We’ll be doing cutout sugar cookies this week, and my mom and I are planning on making some chocolate cakelets in this adorable pan. Last year, I made Jell-O skulls in this pan, and there’s been a request for that experience to repeat. One thing’s for sure: We are going to be sugared out by Nov. 1.
Dressing Up + Games
No matter what happens with trick-or-treating this weekend, my son will still get to be Kylo Ren. He’s already worn the costume enough that I think I got my money’s worth. But he’ll get to dress up on Saturday, and even if he comes home empty-handed, he can ring our doorbell and get some gummy bears. Then, we’ll set up a game of Halloween-themed cornhole in the backyard and have a memorable Halloween in spite of Covid.