Things to do on Halloween to get in the Spirit

October really flew by didn’t it? I feel like I blinked my eyes and suddenly Halloween is next week. Absolutely crazy. Anyways, despite the pandemic, I feel like there is still so many ways to have fun on Halloween. You may not be able to go all out and bring a big group to a huge party, but you can still get creative and do something smaller. Here are some ideas for this crazy year’s Halloween.

Quick note: If you aren’t really into Halloween but LOVE fall, check out this blog for more autumn-inspired activities.

So for the past few years, I have LOVED pumpkin carving. The challenge is real and I have always adored how it came out after. This year though, I decided to go a different route. Painting has been a recent hobby for me so I decided it would be the first year I would paint my pumpkin (I was also missing a carving set and was pressed for time). So, I got out my handy dandy acrylic paints and paintbrushes and looked for some inspiration on Pinterest. As many of you know, I love plants too so I went with a plant pattern. If I had more time, I might have just painted it a tad bit better, but I was still so happy with it. Pumpkin painting is a great alternative to carving so this is a great activity you can do on Halloween. If the stores are all out of pumpkin, get a canvas and find a Halloween-inspired painting tutorial. I did this once and it was just as fun!

What is Halloween without scary movies? I have to admit I am a HUGE scaredy-cat when it comes to horror movies but I am totally fine with the normal cute Halloween movies. Whether you have a movie night by yourself or with a few friends, you can spend the night binging some old Halloween classics. My favorite? Hocus Pocus, hands down. I’ve loved the movie ever since I was little and it has not gotten old. It has no jumps or scares…my kind of movie. If you are the type that lives for the scares, then I would say that Nightmare on Elm Street or Halloween are the perfect classics for Halloween night. Now, I can’t vouch for them. I’ve never seen them but a friend told me they are OG, so we will go with it!

Just because you can’t go to the popular bar crawl, doesn’t mean you can’t have something small on your own. Invite a few friends over for a small get together to celebrate the night. You can really get in the mood by making it a costume contest! It doesn’t have to be super expensive either. There are tons of DIY options online so you can put together those last minute costumes if needed. For decorations, you can make that super simple too. The dollar store has some great options if you’re on a budget. You don’t need to get anything fancy, just lots of colored balloons and streamers will do the trick! Make sure to create a signature snack or drink that really fits the theme.

Speaking of drinks, this is where you can get super creative. Whether you’ve having a paint night, movie night, or get together, you can make a Halloween drink for the night. I love creating cool cocktails and I am so excited to make one this year. Purple, black, or orange, pick your color and have fun with it. There are so many recipes online that you can find if you’re having trouble thinking of something on your own. Give it that extra pizzaz by getting some black sugar or salt for the rim of your Halloween cocktail. I recently got gin from Empress 1908, and the best thing is it’s PURPLE! So, this would be the perfect liquor to have for your Halloween cocktail. Find some fun recipes using their gin here. Cheers!

I think we are all hoping that life will go back to normal next year, but for now all we can do is enjoy the holidays safely regardless of the situation. I know it’s hard but you can still make Halloween just as fun as it would be any other year. Sometimes you just have to surround yourself with the right people and stay in the right mindset.