Gather round, my spooky little friends, because we need to have a heart-to-heart about Halloween 2020.
I know you've seen the meme. Halloween 2020. Saturday. Full moon, which will also be a blue moon meaning it's the second full moon to occur in a single month. Daylight saving time, meaning an extra hour of October 31.
EPIC.
Yet here we sit in the middle of a pandemic that is confining us to our homes, necessitating keeping our distance from each other and already forcing some of our favorite fall activities to be canceled.
We've all spent a LOT of time this year being well-adjusted, smart human beings who stay home, wear our masks and do our part to save Halloween, so let's take a minute to say yell it:
HOW DARE THIS HAPPEN IN 2020 OF ALL YEARS, THE YEAR OF THE MOST EPIC HALLOWEEN EVER.
*deep breath*
Did that feel good to you? Cause it felt great to me to finally yell that into the void.
Now that we've gotten that out of our systems, I'm here to tell you if you aren't there already...it's time to accept this Halloween is going to look NOTHING like we expected.
And that's okay. Because together, we're going to make the best of it.
Ugh, did I really just write that after gagging every time a celebrity told me "we're all in this together!" in a PSA this past spring?
ANYWAY...
I've spent a lot of time this month feeling bummed myself about missing out on Halloween activities I usually enjoy through the summer. But then I had a few conversations with some of my favorite people in the Halloween community and realized...we also have a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the HELL out of Halloween together online.
That's something that probably wouldn't happen in a normal year.
So I'm stepping up, taking charge and committing to making this one of the best damn Halloween seasons you've ever had. (This became QUITE the list, so pace yourselves...)
How we're going to save Halloween 2020
Let's Kick Things Off Aug. 15 - 16
The weekend of Aug. 15, I'll be joining Don't Be A Monster (DBAM) for their first-ever virtual fun run...and I want you on my team! It's simple: register to join, encourage your friends and family to join us too, then get out for a walk or run Aug. 15 or 16 and share a photo of your fun run using the hashtags #SpookyLittleHalloweenTeam and #FranksFunRun.
My goal is to raise $500 for DBAM, a nonprofit that delivers free bullying prevention assemblies in 20 markets in the U.S.
I'll be sharing more updates about this on social media, so keep an eye out. Ready to run? Join the team here.
[8/17/20 Update:] THANK YOU to everyone who joined the Spooky Little Halloween Team! I know a handful of people signed up or donated outside of our team, so I'm guessing we raised around $1,300 in total - WOW. Our team members Amanda and Chelsea also swept the costume contest. Thank you SO much for joining me in supporting DBAM!
Your Halloween Faves Return
Each Halloween, I put together a little list of fun extras for my blog readers, including a card exchange, my Halloween 101 email series AND my 31 Days of Halloween email series. All three will make a return for the 2020 season.
[8/21/20 Update: SIGN UP IS NOW CLOSED] Halloween Card Exchange: As usual, this will only be open to my email list and open to the first 200 people to sign up. The card exchange won't open until late August, but if you want to make sure you don't miss it...sign up for Treats Not Tricks!
Halloween 101: Need help getting ready for Halloween? Whether you're new to celebrating or just need a little help getting organized, I have you covered! Starting Monday, Sept. 28, I'll send you one thing you need to prepare each week in order to be ready for Oct. 31!Sign up here
31 Days of Halloween: Want to make the most of this Halloween season? Every Thursday in October I'll send you a weekly list of ways to celebrate Halloween daily. Emails begin Thursday, Oct. 1. Sign up here
Note: If you've signed up for Halloween 101 and/or 31 Days of Halloween in previous years, you WILL need to sign up again.
Blog Posts Full of Tips and Tricks for 2020
About two weeks ago, I asked on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter what you guys would be MOST bummed to miss out on this Halloween season. Overwhelmingly you answered trick-or-treating and visiting your favorite haunts, like pumpkin patches and haunted houses.
While I can't exactly pop up a virtual haunted house on the Internet (unless you count this blog post...), I CAN try to fill that void with other activities you can enjoy at home.
I've got a list going of favorite recipes and DIY projects I'm going to share. But I'm also working on ideas like new Halloween traditions we can start, trick-or-treating alternatives and revisiting last year's micro party concept for those who live in states that can actually behave *side-eyes home state of Texas* and host a small gathering.
Favorites, like my annual playlist, wish list and home tours will return too.
Stay tuned because LOTS of fun content will be coming your way to help you celebrate Halloween 2020.
Quarantine-o-Ween Zine
It's been a while since I put out a print edition of the Halloween Zine. Honestly, the natural timing for the spring and summer issues would have left each one being launched in the middle of other world events, and it just didn't feel right.
So I'm going to supersize the fall issue and turn it into the Quarantine-o-Ween edition! It will have ideas for how we can celebrate Halloween this fall, despite the pandemic, as well as a few fun activities you can enjoy. Order yours now!
Spooprah Returns to Instagram Live
In late March I launched a daily Instagram Live series from quarantine. Every night I interviewed one of my Halloween friends and went for 28 days straight before taking a breather and cut month #2 back to four nights a week.
We wrapped the whole thing up with the guys behind Your Best Halloween Ever doing a makeup challenge and reading us a spooky story, and it was the perfect ending to the series.
It also earned me the moniker Spooprah - aka spooky Oprah. 😂
Good news: I will be returning to Instagram Live beginning Monday, Aug. 31!
I'll be hosting them once a week through the end of October and inviting back some of your faves as well as a few new friends to celebrate Halloween. My goal is to make these interactive this time, so in addition to hanging out with Halloween friends...we'll also be doing a Halloween activity together.
Halloween 2020 Instagram Live Schedule:
All lives take place at 7 p.m. CT unless otherwise noted.
Monday, Aug. 31: Live performance with Nancy Nightmare and the Wizard
Monday, Sept. 7: Sleepy Hollow Collection sneak peek with Danielle from Verona Black
Monday, Sept. 14: Spooky Little Halloween's 5th Anniversary Party
Monday, Sept. 21: Introducing kids to horror movies with Mike from All Hallows Geeks
Monday, Sept. 28: A Halloween DIY with Andrew and Devin from Your Best Halloween Ever
Monday, Oct. 5: A Halloween paint along with Tara from Shrieks and Eeks
Monday, Oct. 12: Pumpkin beer tasting with James from That Halloween Bro
Monday, Oct. 19: Halloween music with Tess from Safetytess
Monday, Oct. 26: Favorite horror movies with Michelle Halloween
Social Media Halloween Contests
One of my favorite parts of Halloweenie Roast has always been hosting contests for my guests to participate in...and since a large scale party is out of the question this year, why not bring that to social media?
In September I'm going to host a weekly Halloween contest on Facebook and Instagram that you can participate in. Each week will be a different theme and intended to help get us all ready for Halloween!
Want to start brainstorming? In no particular order, contests will be a killer cocktail/mocktail, a creepy DIY project, your best pumpkin recipe (sweet or savory) and pumpkin carving.
The twist? I'll throw in ONE thing each of your contest entries MUST include and won't be telling you until the week of the contest.
I'll announce the contest on Sundays, then ask you to share your entries the following Saturday. One winner from Facebook and Instagram each will be chosen by me...and mailed a little Halloween scare package of goodies.
Stay tuned for complete details and schedule by following me on Facebook and Instagram.
Weekly Costume Challenge
Then as we move into October, I'm going to put my costume in my closet idea to the test and issue a weekly themed costume challenge.
The twist here? You MUST clearly pull the costume from your closet or create it yourself. While store-bought accessories can be included, no fully store-bought costumes here. The entire thing should be created using items you already have.
Just like the contests in September, I'll announce the challenge on Sundays on Facebook and Instagram, then ask you to share your entries the following Saturday. This challenge is just for bragging rights.
Stay tuned for complete details by following me on Facebook and Instagram.
Killer Halloween Party
Anyone hosting a Halloween party this year? I've spent a LOT of time this summer figuring out how to pivot from the types of Halloween parties I'm used to hosting to something appropriate for 2020.
My Killer Halloween Party e-course, which is my blueprint to planning my own parties, is now open for registration. I'll also be talking through Halloween party ideas and plans in our Facebook group.
Starting the week of July 27 in the Facebook group, I'll be walking through one party planning topic each week, including how to execute each one in person as well as online.
Whether you're planning your own party, trying to figure out plan B for 2020 and just love Halloween party photos, I hope you'll join us!
The Halloween Book Club
Love reading AND Halloween? Me too! That's why I started my Halloween book club in 2018. We read Halloween/horror/spooky books quarterly, and our fall book gets announced Tuesday, Sept. 1.
Our theme for this fall is graphic novels...and I can't wait to see what we pick! Learn more about the book club.
The group's primary home is our Facebook group, but this summer I introduced an Instagram account for my non-Facebook readers. Follow along wherever you prefer!
Spooky Little Halloween 5th Anniversary Party
As if this list isn't long enough...2020 also happens to be Spooky Little Halloween's 5th anniversary.
😳😳😳
Yeah, I don't even know how the hell that's possible because these five years have flown by...and yet this blog feels like it has always been a part of my life.
We'll be celebrating with a HUGE giveaway and some sort of a party hosted on Instagram Live on Monday, Sept. 14. Stay tuned for more on this in early September!
A Halloween Slumber Party
And finally...as part of my Instagram Live fun this past spring, I hosted a spooky slumber party with a few of my faves. We had SO much fun doing it, and I know you guys enjoyed partying with us, so we're going to bring this back in October to "ring in" Halloween.
The tentative plan is to celebrate Friday, Oct. 30, so keep an eye out for Halloween PJs and make sure you're following me on Instagram so you don't miss the details. (Date subject to change.)
Oh, and I promise NOT to play "Monster Mash" this time. 😉 #ifyouknowyouknow
What are you most excited about?
Share it in the comments! I hope this has you feeling better about Halloween 2020 and looking forward to a few things instead of feeling disappointed about events being canceled.
I will add...I'm sure this isn't a complete list. Another fun trick or treat is sure to pop up as we move into Halloween season. Signing up for my weekly email newsletter, Treats Not Tricks, is the best way to stay up-to-date on everything I'm doing this fall.
I can't wait to celebrate Halloween 2020 with you and, to quote Jack Skellington, I think it will be our best one yet.
