How to Trick-or-Treat Inside Your Home

Each month of parenting during a pandemic brings with it a slew of questions parents never thought they’d have to ask themselves. Will my kid actually meet his teacher in person this year? They’ll take their masks off for school pictures, right? And now, of course, there’s, Can my kids even go trick-or-treating? Should they go? If they do go, is it safe? If they don’t go, am I making them miss out?

One mum, Alaina Scott, who lives in Ohio told me she had the perfect way to say “yes” to trick-or-treating safely for her kids, ages 8 and 13: “We are all dressing up and taking turns knocking on each other’s bedroom door trick-or-treating.”

Of course, every family’s hallway trick-or-treating can look a little different, but we had some ideas for how parents can maximise the tricks (and treats).

First, spend some time prepping your “front doors.” Each kid — and their grown-ups — can turn their bedroom doors into Halloween works of art. Think spooky wreaths, lights, drawings, and cotton spider webs.

Then, gather up all the costumes you can find. Last year’s Fortnite and Mal costumes? Check. That witch robe that for some reason you’ve had for like a decade? Check. The clown wig from…wait, who the heck was a clown? Check. The fluffy costume onesies that are actually pajamas? Check.

Don’t forget to scour the closets for inspiration, too. Old flower girl dresses and neckties can absolutely double as costume ideas. Pull out your bathing suits and beach towels and those gaudy necklaces you bought for that one outfit and never wore again. The more costumes you can cobble together, the more passes your trick-or-treaters can take up and down the hall — because when you’re trick-or-treating in your own home, everyone should be dressed up, the candy beggars and the “homeowners” alike.

Next, be sure to have a variety of candy. Sure, everyone loves Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, but you’d never get one from three houses in a row. Those giant, mixed bags of candy are your best friends this Halloween.

Finally, get trick-or-treating! Pull up some spooky music and have it playing while family members take turns knocking on doors. Between knocks, “homeowners” can swap into a different costume or persona. Maybe Spider-Man loves kids and gushes over trick-or-treaters’ (read: his mum and sister’s) costumes. Maybe the glitter unicorn is a big, mean grump and mutters under his breath while he passes out old toothbrushes to his little brother and dad.

We know, we know: It’s not quite the same as running up and down your street from house to house, but in 2020, and we’re all getting extra inventive.