Typically, we know what we’re doing on Halloween night. We’re taking the kids trick-or-treating in our neighborhood and handing out treats by the fistful to everyone who rings our doorbell. Well, this year being 2020 is anything but typical, as you’ve undoubtedly already figured out.

With COVID-19 cases potentially about to rise once again, and my family already practicing social distancing for over 6 months now, we will definitely not be celebrating Halloween the usual way this year. But, it’s still possible to make Halloween a special and fun time while staying safe. And it’s still possible to celebrate an eco-friendly Halloween too.

 

Here are 5 ideas for having a socially-distanced and eco-friendly Halloween!

 

# 1 – Replace Trick-Or-Treating With A Treat Hunt At Home

When I asked my son what he liked most about Halloween, his answer was “all the treats.” Of course. Thankfully, he actually doesn’t care how he gets all those treats, just that he gets them. So when I suggested that we hide the candy around our home instead, he happily agreed. In his mind, he still gets all the treats, without having to trek all over our neighborhood. It’s 100% reward with 0% work.

Even better, if you’re buying all their treats yourself, you can avoid the junky, gross candies and treat them to organic sweets and plastic-free items instead! I put together a list of eco-friendly Halloween treats here if you need some ideas. And you can find ideas for plastic-free Halloween-themed goodies (like wooden pumpkin tops and mini notepads) in my Halloween tips post here.

(By the way, I participate in the Amazon Affiliate program. So there are affiliate links below, which means that if you click on them I may receive a small commission that will have zero effect on your purchase price. You can read more about this on my Privacy Policy page.)

 

Click Here For My List Of Favorite Sustainable & Organic Halloween Treats!

 

#2 – Do A Costume Party Video Chat

Just because you’re not going trick-or-treating doesn’t mean you can’t still wear a costume! We’ll be having a video call with some loved ones so my kids can still dress up and see other kids in costumes too. And this way, they can even do a costume change (or three) during the call if they can’t decide on just one.

My daughter is recycling the costume we bought her last year, which she had decided not to wear for Halloween after we removed the tags. Thankfully it still fits her and she actually wants to wear it this year. Go figure!

For a great DIY eco-friendly Halloween costume idea, check out this post I wrote when I made a Princess Leia costume from an old sheet, extra ribbon, and safety pins!

 

#3 – Watch A Kid-Friendly Halloween Movie

Typically, my kids spend so much time on Halloween night trick-or-treating (and then subsequently organizing and sorting through their hauls) that we don’t have time to watch a movie bef0re bedtime. Not this year! For Halloween 2020, we will be having a mini movie marathon to fill the time. Because our living room happens to be right next to our front door and I don’t want people to think we’re being totally rude not answer our door if they ring it, we’ve decided to borrow a projector and watch the movie in our backyard.

My best resource for finding an age-appropriate yet still Halloween-themed movie for kids is CommonSenseMedia.Org.

Their ratings are crowd-sourced and much more specific and detailed than MPAA ratings. A G rating, for example, is supposedly okay for all ages including 6 and under. But there’s a big difference developmentally between a 3-year-old and a 6-year-old in terms of what kind of story they can understand and what they find scary or sad. Check out this helpful list of kid-friendly Halloween movies listed by specific age.

For younger children like preschoolers and early elementary age, I recommend Halloween-themed episodes of kids programming. They are shorter than a movie (usually about 30-60 minutes) and tend to be gentler in nature and simpler in terms of storyline. Some of our favorites are:

If You Give A Mouse A Pumpkin (based on the adorable book series by Laura Numeroff)

The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About Halloween

Peppa Pig Pumpkin Party

Curious George A Halloween Boo Fest

Spookly The Square Pumpkin (my daughter is OBSESSED with this one)

Room On The Broom

Toy Story Of Terror!

Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie

 

#4 – Have A Sleepover or Campout

This is something we actually started doing on a monthly basis ever since the pandemic began. We don’t co-sleep with our kids, so getting to sleep in the same room as us is a big treat for them. And since we haven’t been able to travel like we used to, we call it Hotel Night and make it a big thing.

We don’t have a big tent to put in our backyard, though that would be a fun option if you do! Instead, we pull the kids’ mattresses onto the floor of our bedroom. They bring in all their favorite stuffed animals. We even offer “turn-down” service by putting a robe and slippers by each one, and maybe even a mint (or extra Halloween treat) on the pillow.

You may have read my post about why I stopped collecting mini hotel toiletries (if not, please click here to catch up!). So hopefully your collection is not as embarrassingly massive as mine was. That said, I did save a few sets of my favorite ones to put out when we have visitors over. But, because we haven’t had anyone over – like literally not another soul has set foot inside our house – since at least March 13th and aren’t expecting any house guests for the indefinite future, they’ve been gathering dust. Thus, if you’ve got some mini hotel toiletries laying around like I do, you can put them out in the bathroom so the kids can really feel like they’re in a hotel.

Don’t have any mini-hotel toiletries? First off, that is awesome! Yay! 

You can always buy some eco-friendly Halloween toiletries for the bathroom to give it that special hotel feeling. The Tangerine Jalene Lotions & Potions Etsy Shop sells natural soaps and hand lotions that use eco-friendly packaging and are all handmade by a female-owned business here in Southern California! (She ships nation-wide too). I recommend getting the Creamsicle Body Lotion which smells EXACTLY like candy corn and the black Charcoal Soap to really give that Halloween feeling in the bathroom!

Or, if you feel like splurging, make it a threesome with the Pumpkin Spice Goats Milk Soap and get the Fall Basket Set which comes with an adorable pumpkin succulent.

 

#5 – Roast Pumpkin Seeds

After you carve your jack-o-lanterns, don’t throw out those pumpkin seeds! They are super easy to roast and are delicious to eat. What better way to have an eco-friendly Halloween than by not wasting any part of your pumpkin!

Here’s a basic recipe for how to roast pumpkin seeds. I actually like to keep some of the pulp on them because I think that enhances the roasted flavor. You can even try different toppings like flavored salts, spicy tajin, or sugar & cinnamon. These last two options I recommend adding after the seeds have been roasted as they have a tendency to burn/melt in the oven.

I suggest eating your pumpkin seeds as a healthy snack while watching the Halloween movies with your kids!

And when Halloween is over, don’t throw out your un-carved pumpkins! Turn them into a beautiful Thanksgiving table centerpiece using my easy DIY pumpkin succulent instructions.

 

How will you be celebrating your socially distanced and eco-friendly Halloween this year? Please let me know in the comments!