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DIY Ideas for Celebrating Quarantine-O-Ween (Halloween)

Catherine McDiarmid-Watt | Saturday, October 30, 2021 | 0 comments

Image: A Halloween candy tree is a festive way to welcome fall and bring the season's cheer to your porch

Jump to: Covid-19 Halloween Signs ~ Covid-19 Halloween Tips ~ Things To Do Instead of Trick or Treating ~ 16 Ideas for Celebrating Quarantine-O-Ween


Image: Set up a Halloween candy tree on your porch and let kids safely take their own treatsA Halloween candy tree is a festive way to welcome fall and bring the season's cheer to your porch. Families can create a Halloween tree with their artificial Christmas tree - no matter the color - by decorating it with strings of bright lights, whimsically scary decorations, and an assortment of their favorite candies for neighborhood kids to take during trick-or-treating. Selecting a treat from the tree makes the safe, self-serve experience much more fun. And, when the haunted holiday is done, families can move the tree inside and decorate for Christmas.

Image: Halloween Candy Tree, topped with a SkeletonAfter a tough year, Americans are eagerly anticipating holiday cheer. The #halloweentree trend that has generated tens of thousands of posts on Pinterest and Instagram is likely to gain steam, alongside the popularity of black Christmas trees. Offering a dressy, high-contrast backdrop for ornaments, black already is the most popular Christmas tree color after traditional green, followed by white and pink.

Image: Close-up of Halloween Candy TreeAs consumers seek alternatives to traditional trick-or-treating, such as socially distanced and safe ways to summon some hocus pocus, Zolli Candy is also helping them continue to provide healthier options for guilt-free treats. Given the pandemic, there has been a behavioral shift in the focus consumers are putting on their health. They are more sensitive to what they are eating and with Zolli Candy, celebrating Halloween this year has never been easier. And, with Halloween falling on a Saturday and a full harvest moon this year - it's sure to be extra spooky!

The ZolliCandy line is an all-natural, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and non-GMO candy, and certified sugar-free by Sugarwise. It contains erythritol and xylitol (healthy sugar alternatives) to not only provide guilt-free sweetness, but to improve oral health. To learn more about the healthy, after-you-eat-treat, please visit, ZolliCandy.com.


Image: Sorry No Candy This Year Halloween Yard Sign | Brand: PersonalizedPartyBanners
Sorry No Candy This Year

Covid-19 Halloween Signs:

🎃 Sorry No Candy Here - Put these posters on your door or window to let trick-or-treaters know you aren't shelling out this year

🎃 Sorry No Treats Here - Select and print out some of these Brisbane Kids Halloween printables in full color.

🎃 Sorry No Candy Here - Post these on your door or window to let trick-or-treaters know if you're participating in trick-or-treating this year.

🎃 Sorry No Candy Here - Treat you next year! - Upper Canada Mall

🎃 Sorry No Candy Here - Treat you next year! - Cherry Hill Township

🎃 No Trick or Treating Sign Free Download - These are can be used any year, not just during Covid 19!

🎃 Free Printable Covid-19 Halloween Signs - Halloween Hand Sanitizer Sign, Halloween Wait Here Sign, No Knocking Sign, No Trick Or Treating Sign, One Group At A Time Sign, Please Take One Sign, Wear A Mask Sign

🎃 Free Printable Flyer Templates - Costume Parade Flyer, Drive By Trick Or Treat, Trunk Or Treat, Virtual Costume Contest, Virtual Haunted House, Virtual Pumpkin Carving Contest


Image: Trick Or Treat Social Distancing Sign for Halloween 'Trick Or Treat Please Enjoy Your Treats from a Safe 6 Feet' 10 x 8 Vinyl Adhesive Removable Wall Decal Safety Halloween Sign | Brand: Generic
Trick Or Treat Social Distancing Sign

Covid-19 Halloween Tips:

🎃 How Kids Can Halloween and Avoid COVID-19

🎃 Accessible/CURB-SIDE trick-or-treating solution - In a COVID-19 recovery-focused Canada, our CURB-SIDE trick-or-treating solution helps all families look forward to a safer Halloween.

🎃 Holiday Celebrations: Halloween | CDC

🎃 Halloween 2020 - Like We've Never Seen

🎃 Your 2020 Guide to a Sweet, Spooky and Safe Halloween

🎃 Parents Are Loving This Halloween Invention A Dad Created To Keep Kids Safer

🎃 Fun Social Distancing Halloween Ideas - Red Ted Art


Image: Spanish English Halloween Sign Please Wear A Face Mask Covering Keep 6 ft Social Distance Business Warning 8.5 x 11
Spanish English Halloween Sign

Things To Do Instead Of Trick Or Treating:

🎃 Non-tricky tips for a spooky safe Halloween (PDF, 120 KB)

🎃 Celebrating Halloween During a Pandemic: You've Been Booed

🎃 10 Ideas for Halloween Fun in COVID Times - Finding new ways to celebrate a favorite holiday

🎃 Halloween Scavenger Hunt Printables

🎃 Boston Moms Guide to Halloween at Home

🎃 6 Fun Halloween Activities for Families - Parents Can Create New Halloween Traditions During the Corona-virus Pandemic

🎃 20 Virtual Escape Rooms - Here are 20 virtual escape rooms for kids of all ages. And yes, they are all FREE!

🎃 FREE Printable: 2020 Covid-19 Memory Book



16 Ideas for Celebrating Quarantine-O-Ween

By: Sara Skirboll, shopping and trends expert at The Real Deal Blog

Image: Quarantine Halloween Coloring Book for Toddlers: Trick Or Treat Coloring Sheets For When We Can't Safely Trick Or Treat | Paperback: 62 pages | by MOREFUNNER Publishing (Author). Publisher: Independently published (September 21, 2020)
Quarantine Halloween Coloring Book
Decorate Your House to the Max

Haunt the neighborhood with store-bought or DIY (or shall we say boo-it-yourself) Halloween decorations to transform the inside of your home, porch and more.

We've compiled DIY ideas ranging from Ombré Candy Corn Wine Bottles and Glow-in-the-Dark Slime, all of which you can tackle with the kiddos.

On the store-bought front,
Image: Mr Halloween Haunted Halloween Tree with Removable Bulbs | Brand: Halloween by Mr.Y.T.
Haunted Halloween Tree
The Home Depot
has SO many cool Halloween decorations this year, including a Coco-themed inflatable and Giant Dragon.

If Home Depot is sold out of the giant dragon, check Amazon, they still have lots of 5 ft to 15 ft Halloween dragon decorations!

Also, apparently people are turning their Christmas trees into kitschy Halloween trees!

Plus, there's this super-popular RJ Legend 15-inch Halloween Ceramic Tree, which is constantly selling out but available right now at Amazon.


Image: 5 PCS Halloween Foam Tombstone with Metal Stakes Creepy Halloween Gravestones for Garden Graveyard Decoration | Brand: TOYANDONA
Halloween Foam Tombstone
Set up a Candy Graveyard

I got this idea from Oriental Trading!

The concept is extra cool because your yard gets decked out for Halloween and gives kids a way to social distance while trick-or-treating in it.

Set up fake tombstones in your yard with prizes and candy piled up next to each tombstone.

You could have each kid enter the graveyard one at a time and package up candy and prizes into individual treat bags for extra safety.


Image: The Ultimate Halloween Party Playlist
Ultimate Halloween Party Playlist
Host Zoom Costume Parties and Pumpkin-Carving Contests

Host a Halloween-themed costume or dance party on Zoom for friends and family.

Create a spooktacular playlist for everyone to shake their boo things to, and have attendees show off their costumes on camera.

You can also gather remotely to decorate and carve pumpkins safely from your own homes.

Interact while you craft by sharing spooky stories.

At the end, award prizes (virtual prizes or ones you send via snail mail) to the best looks!

Don't forget to add a Halloween Zoom Background, so you can attend your virtual event in spooky style, or just creep out your co-workers in the October meetings!


Image: National Tree Tricky Trunks- Bright Eyes | Visit the National Tree Company Store
Car Trunk Halloween Kit
Attend a Trunk-or-Treat

Trunk-or-treating is one of the trends buzzing this year in terms of socially distant trick-or-treat substitutes.

An organized event usually held in a school or church parking lot, trunk-or-treating entails decorated vehicles, and kids go trick-or-treating from car to car.

You can host this in your neighborhood, too, with neighbors setting up trunk displays in the driveway and passing out candy.

Image: Jelly Belly My Favorites Jelly Bean Machine, Dispenser, Genuine, Official, Straight from the Source | Visit the Jelly Belly Store
Jelly Bean Dispenser

Note: Consider having designated adults (who commit to applying hand sanitizer) give out the candy rather than encourage lots of little hands to reach inside the bowl.

Here are a few lists to check out for inspiration!

🎃 45+ Fun Trunk-or-Treat Ideas for the Spookiest Car Ever

🎃 45 Insanely Cool Trunk Or Treat Ideas To Celebrate Halloween 2020 Safely

🎃 50 Trunk-or-Treat Decorating Ideas You Wish You Had Time For

🎃 100 Awesome Trunk Or Treat Ideas You Need To See


Image: HaZiloophi Halloween Skeleton 36 inch glow in the dark poseable made from high quality fabric for Best Halloween Decorations
Halloween Skeleton
Be on the Lookout for Socially Distant Bicycle Parades and Reverse Trick-or-Treating in Neighborhoods

Another trend we're hearing about are Halloween parades or a form of drive-by trick-or-treating.

With the former, costume wearers take to the street as a catwalk to show off their costumes and hand out and collect candy.
Image: 11.5 Foot Long Inflatable Grim Reaper Driving Pumpkin Carriage | Visit the BZB Goods Store
Grim Reaper Driving Pumpkin Carriage
People also decorate bikes, wagons, golf carts and cars to show off their looks!

With reverse trick-or-treating, you'll see people drive by houses similar to the COVID-19 birthday parades.

Those in the car will throw individually wrapped candy at the kids in costumes in their yards.


Image: You've Been Booed!: A Halloween Tradition | Paperback: 37 pages| by Jack O'lantern (Author). Publisher: Independently published (October 2, 2018)
You've Been Booed!
Boo or Ghost People

No, not that kind of ghosting of people, y'all!

Spread anonymous cheer by dropping a Halloween goodie bag or pumpkin on the doorsteps of friends and loved ones as a contact-free way to celebrate.

This usually works by sneaking to your boo-ing subjects home after dark, ringing the doorbell, leaving the treats on their doorstep and running!

Oriental Trading has all sorts of fun treat bags, buckets, toys and candy to work with.

Princess Pinky Girl has all sorts of fun boo ideas.


Image: Ultimate Halloween Collection Movies on Blu ray- 30 Horror / Thrillers / Scary - Carrie / Scream / Pulse / House of Wax / House at the End of the Street / Wrong Turn 6 / Ouija and More
Ultimate Halloween Collection
Have a Halloween Movie Marathon

You can choose to do this one via a projector in the backyard, through Netflix Party or just with your family bubble on the couch.

Pop some popcorn and throw on your favorite spooky movies and TV shows.

Check out our list of Halloween-movie recommendations categorized by age.


Image: Large Halloween Orange and Black Plastic 3.125 inch Easter Eggs | 50 Pack | Brand: SK Novelty
Halloween Orange and Black Eggs
Organize a Glow-in-the-Dark Egg Hunt

Egg hunts aren't just for Easter.

Buy Halloween-themed eggs at Amazon, or Halloween-ify old plastic eggs you already own (glow sticks work, too!) with stickers or markers.

Add candy, and hide them in the yard or around the house!

Grab glow sticks and glow-in-the-dark eggs at Amazon for a nighttime search.


Image: Halloween Checkered Vinyl Rectangle Tablecloth - 60 x 84 Inch - 100% Waterproof Oil Spill Proof PVC Table Cloth, Wipe Clean Table Cover Dining Table, Buffet Party and Camping, Orange and Black | Visit the sancua Store
Halloween Checkered Tablecloth
Set up a Trick-or-Treat Driveway Table

Ditch the traditional communal Halloween candy bowl and have adults set up decorated tables or booths in their front yards where they can hand out individual bags or cups of candy.

This keeps contact to a minimum while also still showcasing decorations and hauntingly good personality.

Oriental Trading has ideas for a Fortune Teller Halloween Table, Ghoul Gang Halloween Table, Peanuts Halloween Table and so much more.

Plus, they’ve got you covered on all the items you need to achieve the look.


Image: Oh! 1001 Homemade Halloween Recipes: The Homemade Halloween Cookbook for All Things Sweet and Wonderful! | Kindle Edition | by Gail Healy (Author). Publication Date: September 29, 2020
1001 Homemade Halloween Recipes
Whip Up DIY Treats or Order Halloween Specials From Restaurants

Brew up your own Halloween desserts and snacks (popcorn balls, anyone?) to enjoy at home, or order takeout from one of the restaurants serving up Halloween-themed menu items and deals.

IHOP, Papa John's and Chipotle are expected to resurrect their themed pancakes, Jack-O'-Lantern pizza and boo-rito.

Chuck E. Cheese is doing a special at-home Halloween party with Kidz Bop featuring special menu items and activities.

More 2020 Halloween Restaurant Specials


Image: Haunted House Welcome Halloween Sign Size 24x18, 36x24 and 48x36 Customized Halloween Party Poster Welcoming Banner Fright Night Parties Theme | Visit the SPEEDYORDERS Store
Haunted House Welcome Sign
Try Out a Drive-Thru Haunted House if You're Feeling Brave

Haunted houses will certainly look different this year, too.

But drive thru, contact-free Halloween experiences are starting to make headlines.

Search online for haunted roads or drive thru haunted houses to see if there is one near you!

Search for a haunted house near you
Image: Drive-In Horror Show | Do you like blood; gore? Are you into cutting; slashing? Is cannibalism more your speed? Or maybe monsters; evil children get you going? Whatever your ghoulish pleasure, we have a tale for you. In the tradition of Creepshow; Tales from the Crypt, DRIVE-IN HORRORSHOW features five terrifying tales of horror
Drive-In Horror Show
Head to a Drive-In Theater for Halloween Movies

Drive-in theaters have made a major comeback during the pandemic.

Search for a drive-in near you (US)

Search for a drive-in near you (Canada)

Many plan to screen Halloween movies and host socially distant activities.


Image: Decorative Pumpkin Patch Backdrop, 4-Feet by 30-Feet | Visit the Beistle Store
Pumpkin Patch Backdrop
Make a Reservation at a Pumpkin Patch

This is TBD, but we're expecting (and some are already announcing this) pumpkin patches to open but with safety precautions.

Such as cashless payment, masks, hand sanitizer, and limited capacity.

Maybe even by reservation only to ensure social distancing and safety.

Find a pumpkin patch near you - Find a pumpkin patch, corn maze, safe trick-or-treating, hayrides and other Fall and Halloween fun near you! (US, Canada, UK, and more)


Image: Holidays Around the World: Celebrate Halloween with Pumpkins, Costumes, and Candy: With Pumpkins, Costumes, and Candy | Hardcover – Illustrated: 32 pages | by Deborah Heiligman (Author). Publisher: National Geographic Kids; Illustrated Edition (August 14, 2007)
Holidays Around the World
Celebrate Halloween Around the World But From Home

You might not be able to travel the globe right now, but you can do so in spirit.

Educate your family and friends on Día de los Muertos in Mexico, Samhain in Ireland and Scotland, Dzień Zaduszny in Poland or Ghost Festival in East Asia.

Celebrate these other traditions, and consider cooking or baking traditional foods and making crafts associated with those international events.

P.S. The Halloween Tree is a great animated movie to watch with the family.

It educates and celebrates the origins and influencers of Halloween around the world.

The movie is based on the novel by Ray Bradbury.

He even narrates the film!


Image: Halloween Mini Pinatas Party Favor Sugar Skull, Witch Hat, Pumpkin - Assorted 12 pack | Brand: Halloween Hooray
Halloween Mini Pinatas

Image: Coronavirus Pinata Covidpinata Covid-19 Pinata Party Pinata Covid Birthday Pinata Holds 5 lbs of candy 10 in x 10 in x 10 in | Brand: Misshapen
Coronavirus Pinata
Halloween Piñatas, Anyone?

Either in your house or in the yard, string up a Halloween-themed piñata filled with candy and/or party favors.

Amazon and Oriental Trading have boo-tiful piñatas sure to be a hit.

Or make your own DIY Ghost Pinatas!


Image: 6 Pack Paparazzi Props and 6 Pack Closet Push Light Battery Operated Touch Lights with 1 Roll Clear Tape for Hollywood Red Carpet Awards Ceremony Party Theme Supplies and Decoration | Brand: Gejoy
Hollywood Red Carpet Theme
Surprise Your Halloween-Loving Friends With a Spooky Celebrity Shoutout

Cameo is a service that allows you to pay actors, musicians, reality TV stars and other public figures for personalized shout-outs.

Request a Halloween message on Cameo from creepy characters and beloved actors from Halloween movies, including Pennywise, Mark Patton (Jesse from Freddy's Revenge), Danielle Harris (from Halloween) and Kimberly J. Brown (from Halloweentown).

Something tells me Cameo will curate a Halloween landing page closer to October 31 with more creators!





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Catherine

About Catherine: I have been writing frugal tips since 1982, when I was a young divorced mom of two - for my baby product company, Born to Love. I am now mom to three sons, who are all grown up - and re-married to a wonderful man. We have rescued two little dogs, Denny and Dexter - and Bella, the cat.

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