BOO! Halloween is Officially Here…
Written by Jesse
2020 has been a year filled with more tricks than treats, and with Halloween only a week away, a lot of you are probably wondering how it’s going to go in times of quarantine. I know I am. Questions like “is Halloween cancelled?” “what’s the deal with trick or treating?” “how can I keep it fun and festive for my kid(s)?” have been dancing around my mind the last couple of weeks. Not only has COVID ruined virtually all of our 2020 plans, but now the beginning of the holiday season? No way.
Lucky for us, we’ve been practicing and preparing for Halloween all year, wearing masks day in and day out. And now, 10 months later, the big day is almost here. While we may be confused on how to celebrate, there certainly are plenty of festive “at home” activities to be done! Here in our tropical home of Vallarta, we don’t have the pumpkin patches, hayrides, or haunted houses, which is why it is even more important to get creative and crafty with our Halloween festivities.
For those who are comfortable celebrating like years past, the following ideas are still relevant. Want to bring some spooky treats to the Halloween get together you were invited to? Learn how below! And for those who are still keeping it low key in the house, you will find these activities extremely fun and helpful; and trust me, the kids will love them.
Below are some ideas to spook up your house and make this Halloween season fun for the little ones. From arts and crafts ideas to decorations and recipes that will scare you right out of your pants, we’ve got you covered for a quarantine fright fest.
1. Paint Zombie, Skeleton and Monster Rocks
Living in Puerto Vallarta, most of us have access to small rocks and pebbles right outside our front door. And even better — they make a great arts and crafts project for little kids. It’s simple, after collecting a few, paint and draw whatever spooky creature you wish.
If you want to take it one step farther, add these stones to a Halloween scavenger hunt — hide them in the basement or outback in the yard, next to the scarecrow!
2. DIY Costumes
Get creative and make your own Halloween costumes. Look up some ideas online or have a brainstorming session with the whole fam. Let your kids get creative and get their spook on!
3. Paint Pumpkins
A CLASSIC! It never gets old. And if you want to take it to the next level (and get a little messy), carve them!
4. Play Toilet Paper Mummies
If you can spare a few rolls of toilet paper, hand them out to the kids. They will have a blast wrapping each other up as mummies. And pst, it’s a pretty easy clean-up for you!
5. Reese’s Pieces Bats
A SUPER easy classic that all kids will love!
Ingredients:
10 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
5 Oreos
20 Candy Eyes (hard to find down here but you can use raisins, M&Ms or any other small candy as replacements)
1 tablespoon of peanut butter (or almond butter)
Steps:
Split the oreos in half, removing the cream so that you are only left with the 2 chocolate cookie halves.
Split those halves in half — these will be your bat wings!
Apply a small amount of peanut butter to one end of each Oreo half, pressing them onto the Reese’s cup.
Put a small amount of peanut butter onto the back of your “candy eyes” and place on top of the edge of the wings.
Shout out to delish.com for the recipe
6. Pumpkin Shaped Quesadillas
I mean, our favorite comfort food in the shape of a pumpkin? Yes, please.
Ingredients (for serving size of 4):
8 tortillas (corn or flour)
Cheese! (can use Heartbest vegan cheese (available at La Comer))
Steps:
Cut 8 tortillas into shape of a pumpkin, circular with a straight bottom.
On 4 of the 8 tortillas, cut out two triangles (for the eyes)
Directly below and in the middle of those two triangles, cut out one smaller triangle (for the nose)
Lastly for the mouth, cut out whatever shape you want for the mouth. It can be an “O” for a surprised pumpkin, or a smile with fang teeth. Get creative here!
Put cheese between the tortillas, using one tortilla with the face cut out and the other without the face cut out.
Throw it on the pan and watch your pumpkin quesadilla come to life
Do this repeatedly until desired amount is met.
7. This One’s for You Moms!: Pumpkin Spice Carajillo
Ingredients
Gingersnap cookies (crumbled)
Licor 43
Coffee
Pumpkin spice (you can either make your own or buy in store or on Amazon Mexico)
Honey
Steps:
Place crumbled gingersnaps on a plate, and dip honeyed glass rims into cookie crumbs
Whisk together licor 43, coffee, and pumpkin spice in a measuring cup or shaker (use ice in shaker).
Pour over ice.
Some more favorite cocktail options:
So whether you’re thinking of celebrating Halloween at home or out at a gathering with friends, keep these recipes and activities in mind. And let us know how they worked for you — shoot us a DM on our instagram @callepatasalada.
