The chills, the thrills, the screams and candy – it all means one thing: Halloween is coming. And while social distancing may bring a different type of celebration this year, you don’t have to let it kill your spirit. Traditionally, the holiday has been all about finding the most outrageous costume for an adult-themed Halloween party, getting ready to trick-or-treat with your youngsters or just gathering the family to hit the pumpkin patch for some good old-fashioned fun. 2020 will be a new year for finding entertaining and creative ways to celebrate.
People will be setting up virtual parties on Zoom to share their hair-raising ensembles and wacky makeup, or perhaps must spend it at home with just a few friends and loved ones. A popular trend this year will be finding frightful and delightful gifts for the special people in your life so you can still enjoy the festive feeling of Halloween while being connected to others.
Halloween Matters Also
While gifts are usually reserved for Christmas or birthdays, 2020 may just bring this ritual as a staple of All Hollow’s Eve moving forward. Historically, wearing masks was reserved for this time of year. Now that face coverings have become a part of our daily cultural norm, this is the Halloween-lover’s time to shine by finding and flaunting the most fearsome of masks. This is the time to showcase seasonal spirit while being socially responsible. And one of the best ways to participate this season is through the act of sending thoughtful gifts or trinkets to the special people in your life.
Perhaps it’s an autumn-inspired leaf wreath or statement doormat to give your package delivery man a scare or a chuckle. Black and orange styled candles, t-shirts, lawn décor or care packages are other ways to partake safely. However you decide to celebrate this year, never underestimate the power of a kind-hearted gift or gesture, especially in a time that is unseasonably dark.
Halloween Takes 2nd Place
In the United States, Halloween is the second most popular holiday just behind Christmas. And spending is typically at an all-time-high for the stylings of the season, but due to most public events being canceled, we can still help support independent artists, crafters, jewelry-makers, bakers and others who may have taken a business hit with the extreme turbulence of the economy. Which I think we can all agree, was more of a scare than we bargained for.
But we won’t be discouraged by our political or socio-economic situations this year, we will charge on freakishly into one of the most entertaining seasons of the 12-month calendar.
Plenty of Gift Ideas
For the adults in your life who usually go gaga over Halloween, let them know you are thinking of them and their lively enthusiasm for a holiday of the ages. There are a ton of gift ideas on sites such as Etsy, Pinterest, Amazon and more – or perhaps you are just looking for a little inspiration to get your own stay-at-home hobby stirred up.
No tricks, just treats in this lineup. This is a cauldron full of animated ideas for your freakiest of Halloween-loving adult friends and we’re featuring a few of our favorites.
Top 8 Halloween Gifts:
This is a scream for the beverage-enthused folks in your life. Mocktails or adult style, these skull-shaped ice cube molds will be the haunt of the house. You can get creative making your drinks just a little more ghoulish this year by producing four giant skull ice cubes with this mold. It’s a no-brainer for the whisky afficionado in your life, with its slow-melting frost blocks. Or just add these to fruit drinks, iced coffee, or any other libation of your choosing.
Fill your ice tray with colorful fruits or herbs to enhance your beverage. The resulting skull cubes are great for home bars, Zoom happy hours or to just surprise the ultimate sipper in your circle. You can also use these for home-made chocolates, gelatin molds, soaps, candles and cake pops! The 100% BPA free, non-toxic, food grade, leak-free, microwave safe, oven safe, dishwasher safe silicone ice cube tray even comes with a lid.
No fear of running out of candy this year! For once, the bath-freak in your life can sit back, relax and soak up a spell of pure bliss. These handcrafted elixirs are made with a lavender scent and come in either 6oz or 11oz.
These potions are all-natural, safe and vegan which may not make for the scariest witch or warlock on the block, but it certainly makes for a relaxed Rapunzel. The oil used for the brew is sodium laurel sulfite free and sans of any phthalates. Send a little lunar dust to your book club members, walking group or the parents making it through homeschool this year.
Let the glam ghosts and ghoul-ettes in your life know you are thinking of them this season with this versatile cosmetic mirror. Perfect for checking if your face covering is right side up, or to touch up a YouTube-inspired Halloween makeup look, these Day of the Dead compacts are beautifully made with silver craftsmanship and artistic smiling skull design.
The round handheld helper features two mirrors (one on each side) and comes in decorative packaging. Durable for purses, backpacks or clumsiness, gift the gorgeous goblin in your life with this delightful and useful surprise! She can stay festive and gorgeous at the same time.
For the holiday décor-obsessed in your coffin of cohorts, these small ceramic dishes are a great way to add some freaky flair to the home. These anatomically designed dishes can hold keys, jewelry, candy or a tea of witch’s brew and are dishwasher and microwave safe (though it’s recommended to hand wash to prevent fading of the designs).
A set of six can feature a hand, skull, spine, anatomical heart, ribcage and brain images, or you can choose a set of just your favorite body part. These are just to fun not to purchase for gift-giving (and maybe purchasing a set for yourself!).
Great for the wine whisperer in any spooky circle, this evil skull wine bottle holder rises from the fire to put any vino on display. Hand-crafted from cold cast resin, this wicked creature will not only drink your wine, but is happy to imbibe on your liquor or oil-infused bottles too.
The Gothic bar décor could be a haunted touch year-round for any beverage-loving werewolves, wizards or witches who love a good collector’s item. Just don’t turn your back, as this skeleton looks thirsty. It will make a great centerpiece or conversation-starter.
These sanguine soaps won’t suck your blood but will keep your claws clean. In a time of extreme handwashing, any Halloween lover can liven the sink up with vampire fang soaps. But beware, don’t put them in your mouth or you may get a trick rather than a treat. “Bite Me” is the best-selling scent for these vampy cleansers, but there are a few others to choose from, too. The package comes with 10 mini uber-bubbly glycerin soaps that are vegan, detergent-free and safe for most sensitive skin types.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t have at least one Halloween-inspired face mask, and the Jack Skellington version is a must-have for any Nightmare Before Christmas worshipper. When wearing this themed mask someone may come off as a little less spooky and a little more friendly, but it was just too cute not to feature.
Anyone who sports it will likely get winks, nods, laughs or a cheerful compliment as Jack is the patron spirit of Halloween. And with Halloween Town’s cult following, there is probably a fanatic near and dear to you who would appreciate this happy face covering.
For the green thumbs, stay at home orders may seem like more of a treat than a trick because it means more time in the garden. But the autumn chill might force your pumpkin-loving pals indoors, where they can enjoy this adorable Jack-O-Lantern Succulent Planter.
And for those who are less inclined to tend to plants, yet still want a festive touch for the home, succulents are nearly impossible to kill, so this little pumpkin doubles as a home for a new little photosynthetic pal for bringing in the harvest.
Conclusion
With all the hocus pocus of 2020, we’re all ready for a little fun and fall cheer. Sending an enchanting gift may drive the boogeyman out of any COVID-19 affected life and bring the fantasy back to fall. And if we’re going to be at home this holiday, we can still dress up, decorate and observe this long-standing tradition with zest.
So, make the extra effort this year, compile a list of your favorite fang-tastic adults and consider what might make their inner jack-o-lantern light up. If we must be apart, we can still connect through our love of old-time traditions and create “new normal” memories to look back on.
