It’s that time again - time to decorate your home with carved pumpkins, jump in piles of jewel-toned leaves, drink anything and everything pumpkin spice, and enjoy the spookiest holiday of them all.

But this year is certainly different in terms of celebrating Halloween. Due to the pandemic, the iconic dress-up holiday will be seen through a different lens in 2020. Whether you have children or not, Halloween isn’t going to be anywhere close to what we're used to. Costume contests at bars? Nope. Big Halloween parties? Negative. Trick or treating? Not the best plan this year.

The good news is that this year has taught the human race that we can adapt impressively in unprecedented situations, and Halloween is no exception. Just because it's different this year, doesn’t mean it can’t be equally fun. Look at all we’ve been able to accomplish this year, all either virtually or in a distanced manner. We did it for Easter, we did it for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, and we can do it for Halloween, too.

At Stephanos, we adore Halloween (we make jewelry, after all, so dressing up is totally our scene), and we’ve put together a few ideas for celebrating Halloween safely, without sacrificing the fun - or the screams!

1. Host a virtual Halloween party. Invite your closest friends and family, get everyone to dress up, create a Halloween playlist that everyone can add to and have it playing throughout. You can chat, make fun Halloween treats together (Pinterest is your friend here!), and have a blast! You can even do a costume contest and award the winner with a gift card to be sent digitally. The sky's the limit - really the only thing you’re missing when you host a virtual party is physical contact - but that doesn’t man you can’t have the best Halloween party ever.                                                                                                        
2. Decorate! Nothing gets you in the spirit of the season quite like hanging up ghostly garlands, putting out Jack-O-Lanterns, and stringing Halloween themed lights. Dig through your stash for your Halloween decorations, create your own (glue, scissors, and construction paper are really all you need, but if you need inspiration, Pinterest is the way to go!)                            
3. Have a Halloween hunt! Whether you have kids or are just a big kid at heart, a Halloween hunt is a fantastically fun way to celebrate. Hide candy and toys all over your home or yard, create a list of spooky clues, and hand out Halloween baskets (either handmade or store-bought). If you’re doing an adult hunt, you could hide chocolate and wine, or small trinkets like friendship bracelets (just try to do it outside, and make sure you respect distancing/keep your numbers small, just within your bubble).                         
4. Have a scary movie night! Enlist your friends and family to create a list of movies (google docs works well for this, and you can have multiple people contribute to the list easily), then decide on the night, the movies, the time, and how to watch. You can do it over Zoom, Facebook, etc. Many platforms have “watch together” options to make it easier to have a watch party (Netflix, for example, has Teleparty). You could even host a kid’s watch party with kid-friendly films early in the evening, and switch to adult viewing when the kids have gone to bed. So get your popcorn and spooky treats ready, gather your loved ones virtually, and enjoy your scary movie spooktacular!  

 We know Halloween isn’t going to be the same this year, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be memorable and tons of fun! We hope these ideas help make your Halloween a scream!

P.S. Our pearl earrings are PERFECT for several costumes  - you could dress up as the Queen of England, or the famous painting “Girl with a pearl earring”. And our best-selling “Aphrodite” necklace"is the ultimate accessory for an Audrey Hepburn costume. Plus, you’ll get countless use of these gorgeous pieces throughout the year - so treat yourself this Halloween and get 15% off the code FALL2020.

Happy Halloween!!

Top image photo by Sara Busby/ Styling by Camille Smith ( HGTV.com)