Halloween is going to look different this year for many, and you might be looking for costume inspiration for you and your furry quarantine companion along with ways to celebrate virtually at home. You don’t have to have a black cat or werewolf to celebrate the spooky holiday or get in on the festive fun – there are many ways you can include your pet in your haunted (virtual) activities.
This year, the full Hunter’s Moon will rise on Halloween night, which happens only once every 19-20 years. A dog food crafted with pets’ natural desires and wolf ancestry in mind, CRAVE™ is celebrating this spooky full moon phenomenon by paying homage to your dog’s ancestral roots with wolf-inspired Halloween looks. Learn more about the #FierceMyFace competition with these tips along with other ways to celebrate this Halloween with your pets in mind, and visit cravepetfoods.com to find more information.
Carve a Pet Pumpkin
Pumpkin carving is a classic way to get in the Halloween spirit. Whether you like to carve, paint or color your pumpkins to dress up your front steps, don’t forget to call tribute to your pet. There are many ways to carve a pet-themed pumpkin including pawprints, bones or, if you’re up for a challenge, a portrait of his or her face.
Celebrate Your Inner Wolf
Get in touch with your – and your dog’s – inner wolf this Halloween with CRAVE pet food’s #FierceMyFace competition on Instagram and Instagram Stories. The top looks have a chance to win $5,000 to transform your home to live like the wolves, along with a one-year supply of CRAVE dog food. Plus, five runners up will receive $1,000 and a one-year supply of dog food.
If you need some fierce inspiration, check out the brand’s pack of makeup and beauty influencers including Bailey Sarian, Jose Jimenez, Rachel Iwanysyzn, Alex Rivera and Mia Anjelica, who have created their own fierce Halloween transformations. For official rules, visit cravepetfoods.com.
Dress the Part
While this year some may skip traditional trick-or-treating on Halloween night, it doesn’t mean skipping the costumes. Whether you have a matching costume with your pets or they dress up with their own spooky storyline, pets can be involved in the holiday festivities. When finding a costume for your furry friend, pick items that fit comfortably and don’t restrict movement. Be sure to avoid small pieces and attachments that could become chew toys.
Watch a Spooky Movie
In lieu of big celebrations, turn on a scary movie and cuddle up with your pup. Pets can provide comfort and security when their families need it the most, and what better time than the spookiest night of the year. While you are munching on popcorn make sure your pet has a treat of his or her own to enjoy alongside you.
Photos courtesy of Adobe Stock
SOURCE: Family Features – Crave
Here’s more fun Halloween ideas:
When it comes to spooky fun, there’s no holiday quite like Halloween. This year, it’s important to be able to enjoy this fantastic holiday safely as you enjoy some neighborhood contest ideas, host a party, or collect your sweet candy stash. Whether you’re young or just a kid at heart, there’s no denying that Halloween is a fantastically fun holiday. If you’re looking for ways to make 2020 something special again through the magic of Halloween, read on for some great ideas and safety tips for a memorable Halloween and fall season.
Have a Halloween Decoration Extravaganza
Making your own Halloween decorations is easy and fun. With a few arts and crafts supplies, you can create your very own spooky décor to enjoy at Halloween. Here are a few ideas to help you get started, but feel free to explore some more on your own, too.
Halloween Pinatas, Anyone?
Pinatas are fun at any time of year, but they’re especially exciting at Halloween when you fill them with your favorite candy. You can make a pinata by wrapping a balloon in strips of newspaper moistened with water and tacky glue. Drape the strips over the balloon and allow everything to dry. Paint your handmade pinata in colors like orange to make a pumpkin or white to make a spooky ghost. You can also apply strips of colored tissue paper to give it more texture. Allow your pinata to dry for about 24 hours, then cut a small hole in the top and fill it with candy. Enjoy a swinging good time as you watch the kids attack it until the candy comes tumbling out.
Door-To-Door Trick or Treat Cool Ideas
If your young ones love dressing up as their favorite superheroes, going out and getting as much candy as they can. This year should not be an exception! Decorate each room of your house differently and have your kids knock door by door to ask for candy, so they can feel as if they were trick or treating in the neighborhood.
Make a Candy Graveyard
If you want to social distance this Halloween, set up a spooky candy graveyard in your front or back yard for some safe outdoor fun. Add a variety of décor items like fake tombstones, creepy crawly spiders, and ghosts or skeletons. Once your yard is set up, hide a variety of candy all over the yard and let the kids enjoy the hunt. This is a fun tradition that’s similar to hunting for Easter eggs, and everyone can fill their buckets or bags with sweets without ever having to leave the house. Push lollipops into the ground so they stick up like little headstones. Mix things up by including small toys or plastic Halloween containers filled with candy for a memorable Hallows Eve everyone will love.
Set up a Trick-or-Treat Driveway Table
Providing candy to your neighbors is a Halloween tradition, but this year it may be challenging to pass out candy in a safe way. If you want to offer some sweet treats this year, set up your own trick-or-treat table in the driveway or garage. Dress up your table with a colorful Halloween-themed tablecloth and some creepy decor. Spread the candy out on the table so trick-or-treaters can grab a few pieces without having to come into direct contact with others. It’s a fun way to ensure that the kids get some candy and can show off their costumes while promoting a healthy and safe Halloween.
Neighborhood Decorating Contest
Halloween is a fun holiday that kids and adults alike enjoy and getting the whole neighborhood involved would definitely make this one feel like a special one. Everyone can drive through the neighborhood and check out the designs as they vote for their favorites, so make sure to give out prizes for the best houses.
Pumpkin carving
It is a Halloween tradition that the entire family will enjoy. So this year think about your favorite characters from movies and tv series and make a creative attempt at making them come alive by carving or painting your pumpkins. Even if you’re not the best artist you will still have loads of fun at the silly attempts, so don’t be shy and give it a try! To ensure that you carve your pumpkins safely, only carve them on a sturdy, flat surface and never allow little ones to handle sharp knives. Use a pumpkin carving kit that includes specially designed tools to make your carving easy, safe, and fun at home.
Quick and Easy Halloween Treat Ideas
Delicious food is part of the fun when attending fall festivals and Halloween parties. This year, you can make a few tasty treats at home that the entire family will love. Here are a few easy, quick, and delicious treats you can make this year:
- Pumpkin Pie: This fall tradition is easy to make and can be a perfect companion for meals and parties. Use a pre-made pie crust and fill it with a mixture of canned pumpkin, pie spices, eggs, sugar, and a bit of salt. Bake your pie until it’s golden brown, and let it cool for an hour or two before serving with whipped cream.
- Cider: Warm up your Halloween celebrations with a delicious hot apple cider. This quick, easy recipe can be made in your slow cooker. Add a 64-ounce bottle of apple cider, some cinnamon sticks, cloves, brown sugar, and allspice to your crockpot. Let the mixture simmer for an hour, then serve in some festive Halloween mugs.
- Homemade Candy: When it comes to homemade Halloween candy, the sky’s the limit. Whether you make your own toffee, lollipops, or chocolate, the possibilities are endless. Look for easy recipes you can make at home and add your own special touch by making candy in colors of orange or bright green for a delicious and spooky sweet treat the whole family will love.
Cool Activities and Ideas to Keep In Mind
Host Your Own Party.
2020 is presenting new challenges, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy pumpkin festivals and Halloween parties.
- You can still host your own party as long as it is permitted within your city guidelines.
- You can also host your own Zoom party if you’re concerned about social distancing. Set up a date and time and send out Zoom invites so that everyone can participate in the fun remotely. There are plenty of activities that could make your party fun, from charades to hosting your own costume contests and even including pets to be part of the Halloween fun this year by holding a pet costume competition.
Outdoor Ideas
- Take a large screen and a projector so you can share your favorite movie of the season.
- You can also hold an outdoor Halloween showcase where everyone can stop by and show off their costumes outside.
- Recreate a pumpkin patch, you can always set up your own patch in the backyard. Buy several pumpkins in different sizes, shapes, and colors, you can even create your own pumpkin decorations and place them throughout the yard on some bales of hay along with other autumn décor.
Children’s Safe Costume Ideas
You can use face coverings by incorporating masks into your child’s Halloween costume. Many companies are selling masks with characters’ mouths printed directly onto the fabric. Whether it’s a favorite movie hero or a cartoon character, you can find a mask your child likes and then design the costume around it. Other ways to use a mask as part of a costume is to wear a black mask and dress like a ninja, pick out a pretty pink mask so your child can dress like a princess, or choose something with a skull face printed on it for a safe and spooky costume.
Whether it’s hosting your own party or holding a Halloween candy scavenger hunt in the backyard, there are plenty of ways you can enjoy this Halloween in a safe, fun way. With the right safety measures, this might be a Halloween you and your family will remember for years to come.
–Hermann Samano, Porch.com