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Have you and your families discussed Thanksgiving or Halloween?  Are you doing anything differently for COVID?  Do you expext anyone in your extended family to do anything differently?

Halloween undecided if we will just leave the porch light off or put up a sign saying “mask required for trick or treating”. We don’t get many anyway.

Thanksgiving will likely handled like passover, over zoom.

For Halloween, I think that we may have our kids just mask up and trick or treat a few houses that set up in drive-ways.  I don't see us knocking on random doors.

For giving out candy, some version of sliding something down a pipe, a pulley system, or just making little bags that can be contactless.

For Thanksgiving, I think we're just not going to do it -- too many variables with family that just doesn't see the world the way we do.  I just don't trust that they're isolating, I know that would mask or distance, and there are just so many people.  So, my wife and kids will do a little small gathering at home, which might be a nice change of pace anyway.

I'm concerned about the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I think that there's naturally going to be an increase in cases, just by the nature of getting families together that don't see each other, introducing cold-weather, alcohol...people aren't going to distance from their own families.  And then it goes right into Christmas shopping, where people are going to pack malls and Walmarts across the country. 

I have come to terms that I just have to "do me".  So, I'm choosing to tighten or loosen my own restrictions to offset what I see around me.  I think we have a long, slow road ahead.

Only change for me due to COVID is that I definitely will not be serving Pangolin for Thanksgiving...

We are preparing for Halloween to be normal. Not sure if that means we will see less or more kids due to the fact we are giving out candy. Could be more kids with less houses to choose from. We typically get around 150 (yes I count). I think last year was 164 but the year before was only 138. We could also end up with a ton of candy ... hahaha.

Otherwise we haven't had any discussions about Thanksgiving or Christmas but I would guess its going to be business as usual since our families are pretty much still doing the same old things.

That sign might be understood completely differently than you plan considering the day.

Probably not.  Masks are required in schools and stores etc, in my state folks are pretty use to them. 

Well damn. That changes my plans. I was bringing the family to your place to try some of your world renowned Pangolin. Maybe next year.

We'll be doing sweet and sour Asian bat filets for Hanukkah...you do NOT want to miss that party!

Bats are not kosher.

We put 4 pieces of candy into the little snack bags and had them grap their own. We had 67 trick or treaters so a little less than half of normal. The ones who were out seemed to be having a great time. Well .... the parents were at least. haha

We had our "quaranteam" come over, which was basically my sister's family and my mother in law.  It wasn't meant to be a gathering, but last minute, people showed up in costumes, we made food, and the night felt very largely traditional.

We sent the kids around the block with my sister's fam one time, quickly, only to houses that were obviously participating.  The kids wore masks and houses generally distanced or had pretty safe options.  They didn't GRIND the houses like in some years, but definitely got a taste for the experience and didn't miss out.

I stayed home to hand out candy with my wife.  I set up a table in the driveway and put our pumpkins on it.  We had sanitizer there and laid the candy out on the table for kids to grab themselves.  We were masked also and had a chance to talk to each kid and see costumes.  I'd say we had about 25% of the normal crowd, but the groups were noticeably smaller.  You didn't have huge packs of kids travelling together.

Overall, we took precautions and didn't really miss out on anything.  I'd say it was a huge success under the circumstances.

It was my wife's grandma's 95th birthday on Halloween, so we did a zoom call with her extended family in costumes.  We left a bucket of candy, jar of dog treats and hand sanitizer on a small table for trick or treaters, about half of the candy was gone at the end of the night.

Unattended candy never would have survived when I was a kid.  Things really do change.

For real, me too.  In the 6 years we lived in our house, only one of those years did the unattended candy bowl get emptied

This year was different.

Most of the trick-or-treaters truly were little kids, with their parents.  I think the honors system was in full effect and people who left candy out were different than those that just weren't home. 

This year was different.....

https://www.11alive.com/article/life/heartwarming/child-cancer-halloween-candy/85-2fa7865f-7306-4272-9458-ff73f849def3

I spoke with my mom today. My family is out of state so I will not be traveling.  The extended family is doing nothing. I found out every member of my cousin's family (two parents and four kids) had COVID.

Best line I have heard, have a Zoom Thanksgiving to prevent an ICU Xmas.

We have locked in Thanksgiving -- 6 people.  The 4 in my household and my niece and nephew who we see regularly.

The hardest part for us was the uncertainty, but now that it's locked it, I'm looking forward to it.  We normally go to a relative for Thanksgiving and it's a lot of stress and visiting and being in an environment I'm not used to.  It'll be nice to slow things down, have football, decorate the house for Christmas, and have leftovers for ourselves.  Usually I miss out on that.

This, with most COVID stuff, has ups and downs -- sure, you give up things, but you gain things, too.  I'm OK with it.