Happy Halloween from wherever you are

Halloween may be upon us, but it does not feel like it. In the days leading up to Halloween, people stocked up on candy, decorations and pumpkin-everything as they do every year. However, the pandemic dissipated the magic behind Halloween.  

This year, Halloween is no longer about going trick-or-treating or visiting holiday attractions. Not just that, but the holiday falls on a Saturday with a full moon this year. Both occurrences happening at the same time is rare, so the idea of being able to celebrate the holiday under these unique circumstances is what people looked forward to months ago. 

Now, Halloween is more lowkey, as a majority of people will be celebrating it from home. Though the current global situation limits what people can and cannot do, people can still make the most out of their Halloween tomorrow.

For senior Santana Molina, she will be spending the holiday with her cousin and sister. “We will be rewatching old Halloween specials from Disney Channel and Nickelodeon,” Molina said. “We might also watch other scary shows, like Criminal Minds and Hannibal.” 

Watching popular Halloween movies from the comfort of people’s homes is probably how most people will spend the holiday. People may even be eating their Halloween-themed food – such as those Pillsbury Halloween cookies – as they celebrate the day. 

A majority of people associate Halloween with witches, pumpkins, and ghosts among other symbols. After all, these people see the holiday as a chance to get free candy or feed into their paranormal side. 

In senior Isabella Avagyan’s case, October 31 is her birthday. Years prior, she would receive gifts from her friends before going out to a restaurant with her loved ones. While Avagyan has never celebrated Halloween like the majority of people, her special day has also been affected by the pandemic in some way.

“My birthday is not going to be too different from last year,” Avagyan said. “However, I prefer my birthday from last year because I had more freedom to plan things and be with friends.”

Even with the health recommendations in place, Avagyan’s friends have managed to reach out to her to mail their gifts. For Avagyan, this is a new way for receiving gifts and she appreciates the thought (and gifts).

Birthdays are just one of many traditions that people refuse to go uncelebrated. In Molina’s case, she and her relatives will keep up their “Secret Boo” tradition. “‘Secret Boo’ is a Halloween variation of Secret Santa,” Molina said. “All of us drive to each other’s houses and drop off a treat bag we made.”  

Moments like this make this year’s Halloween something to remember, despite everything that has happened. If there is anybody that will make people’s Halloween memorable and not boring, it is the celebrities.

Days leading to Halloween, celebrities have been posting their Halloween costumes on social media for everyone to marvel at. Notably, Kim Kardashian and her best friend Jonathan Cheban dressed up as Carole Baskin and Joe Exotic respectively, with Kardashian’s children dressing up as tigers. Other iconic costumes include Ciara as Cardi B, Halsey as Corpse Bride, and Saweetie as every Destiny’s Child member. 

Celebrities sharing their Halloween costumes from home is that friendly reminder that everyone is affected by the pandemic. Their posts also remind their followers that Halloween is not cancelled this year, so everyone can make the most out of the holiday if they so wish.

Since large gatherings are not allowed right now, there will be no Halloween parties this year. Despite this, Liam Payne is hosting a Halloween party livestream where attendees are encouraged to have fun and virtually interact with one another. Payne’s self-proclaimed ‘The LP Show’ will also be featuring special guest Tom Felton. 

Meanwhile, at the frontline of the COVID-19 fight, on-duty hospital workers have found ways to celebrate Halloween. LAC+USC Medical Center’s Unit 4B R.N. Juliene Zemorano suggested that the unit’s nurses should host a small Halloween potluck. 

“Last Monday, I assigned everybody what food and drink and decoration they should bring,” Zemorano said. “We are bringing in all types of food and plenty of Halloween table decor.”

Despite holding potlucks in the past, this is the unit’s first-ever Halloween-themed potluck since anyone can remember. Somehow, this is the first Halloween where a majority of the nurses are on-duty, and as such, everybody was all for the potluck.

No Halloween event is complete without costumes. Unit 4B clerk Rachel Marin acknowledged this and encouraged her coworkers to participate in the dressing up. 

“It will be nice if each of us wear Halloween costumes,” Marin said. “The costume could be a character shirt or an accessory. We just shouldn’t wear something revealing or scary, like scary makeup because it might scare the patients.”

People everywhere are either upholding their Halloween traditions, such as celebrities showcasing their Halloween costumes, or have overcome the boundaries quarantine has imposed, such as Payne hosting a Halloween livestream-like-party. No matter how any of them are celebrating the holiday, they are all making the most out of their situation.

On Halloween night, there will be a full moon. This full moon is called the Blue Moon – otherwise called the Hunter’s moon – and it was last visibly seen in all of the U.S. back in Halloween of 1944. In astrology, this Blue Moon present on Halloween is predicted to bring more tricks than treats, especially to certain zodiac signs. No matter, because just like the pandemic eventually will, the moon, too, will pass.