Someday, when this pandemic is over and life finally feels "normal" again, I will find places for us to pick apples, ride hay wagons, and do all of the other fun Fall activities we used to do every year. But this Fall, Covid case numbers started to rise again at an alarming rate and local governments (including ours) began tightening restrictions and warning of more lockdowns. So once again, "normal" meant keeping things simple and safe.
We carved pumpkins in the backyard, and gave the kids a lot more control over the carving knives than I personally felt comfortable with.
(Not pictured: Pepper desperately trying to gobble down every bit of pumpkin that fell on the ground.)
Putting their carving skills on display.
Warming up with some hot chocolate after pumpkin carving.
On the Friday before Halloween, we had planned a big outdoor, socially-distanced event with a bunch of other families, complete with games, candy, and crafts for the kids (and cocktails for the parents). And while this technically wouldn't have violated the new restrictions, we decided to do the responsible thing and cancel it. In its place, some of the more creative moms came up with another fun idea: each family put trick-or-treat bags on their porches, and then we all drove around to each other's houses to put candy in the bags. In the end, we all came home to full bags of candy! The kids and I blasted Halloween music while we made the rounds (e.g., Thriller, Ghostbusters, etc.) and the kids loved jumping out at all their friends' houses to pour candy in their bags.
As for Halloween night itself, it turns out that trick-or-treating is relatively low-risk -- especially since so many houses came up with fun ways to distribute candy from 6+ feet away, including candy chutes, scavenger hunts, and candy tables.
We left a bowl of candy out front, but then forgot to leave the light on. So it was still pretty much full when we got home. Doh!
A farmer, a pumpkin, Hermione Granger, and Darth Vader. (Oh, and a photographer with a to-go cup.)
We called this guy: "Waiting for a vaccine."
Our candy crew.
I think the pumpkin is getting tired...
Trick-or-trading at the end of the night.
Our last Fall-related activity was a Halloween scavenger hunt at the nature park near the Smiths' house. The kids followed clues to find special pumpkins with letters on them placed throughout the park, and then figured out how to put the letters together to solve the riddle.
As we head into the holidays, things are feeling simultaneously ominous and hopeful. School is going remote again after Thanksgiving, but at the same time, in the news we're hearing about preliminary vaccine trial results that show 90-94% effectiveness, which is better than any of us dared hope for. So while there may be dark days ahead, I also see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. We just need to hang on until it shines through...
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