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SaveHome & Family Alternatives to Trick-or-Treating on Halloween

Alternatives to Trick-or-Treating on Halloween

Want all the treats without the trick-or-treating? Here are some fun alternatives the kids will remember forever.

Alternatives to Trick-or-Treating on Halloween

Trick-or-treating is considered a rite of passage for so many kids. You get your costumes together and head out for a night of thrills and chills, plus candy! But Halloween may have looked a little different the last year or so, with folks avoiding crowds. Even without the pandemic, there are lots of reasons you might not want to go trick or treating — safety, sugar, your teeth. Worried the kids might be disappointed? Never fear! These frightfully fun alternatives just might become their new favorite traditions. 

1. Try trunk or treating!

The basic idea is to gather up your friends and family, and load everyone’s car trunks with Halloween goodies. As trick-or-treat alternatives go, this one is a favorite because there's so much you can do with it. Some trunk or treaters pull out all the stops, decorating car trunks with spooky stuff, bringing along fun Halloween games where kids can win prizes, setting up pumpkin patches, and more. You could even turn it into a potluck and agree to dole out less sugary snacks. 

2. Build a bonfire and say boo! 

Start a new tradition that goes back to Halloween’s roots with a backyard bonfire. It's the perfect spooky atmosphere for spending time with the family roasting hot dogs, making s'mores, and telling ghost stories around the fire. If you’ve got the space, you can set up Halloween-themed yard games or even make your own haunted maze for the kids to explore.

3. Conjure a ghastly game night

Invite some friends over for Halloween-themed games. Host a pumpkin carving contest, or put together a whole gauntlet of games in the backyard.

Need ideas? Scatter orange balloons on the ground for a rousing round of pumpkin patch stomp. Paint ping pong balls to look like eyes and hold an eye-pong tournament. Or get some pumpkin-shaped bean bags and a basket for pumpkin chuckin’. 

4. Play dress up!

Halloween is all about the costumes, right? Instead of taking the show on the road, host a Halloween dress up party. You can plunder what's in your closets or let their imaginations run wild at thrift stores. Look for crazy hats, feather boas, wigs, glasses, whatever you can find! 

Once you’ve got your loot, place it all in the middle of a circle and let everyone have at it. See who can create the craziest costumes — you can even give out prizes for different categories.

There's no reason anybody has to miss out on all the Halloween hype when there are so many fun alternatives to trick or treating! Try one of these ideas, or create your own Halloween event. But before you do, be sure to check for Save flyers for deals on snacks and supplies.