Halloween parties and trick-or-treating are annual rituals, but this Halloween, they might not be possible for all families. Social distancing and COVID restrictions are going to change Halloween in some communities. But it’s still possible to have fun together this year, even if you have to stay home. Below we share some ideas for at-home Halloween fun.

Dinner and a Movie

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! is a Halloween classic. If you’re watching Snoopy and his pals this year, try our special Great Pumpkin conversation starters. Pair the movie and conversation with activities straight from Charlie Brown’s Halloween: Bob for apples, make homemade costumes and carve jack-o-lanterns. For a sweet finish to the evening, try our recipes for Harvest Popcorn Balls and Pumpkin Butter.

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?

Asking friends and family “What famous figure from history would you want to invite to dinner, and why?” is a popular activity. For Halloween, take things to a new level and “invite” those famous people to the table! Have each family member dress and act as their chosen dinner guest. Then see if you can guess who’s sitting at your dinner table!

Theme Night

Make family dinner Halloween-themed with one of these suggestions:

• Orange and Black: Set the table with orange and black tablecloths and decorations. Serve orange and black foods, like pumpkin soup, cheese cubes, black olives, oranges, dark chocolates…
• Witches and Wizards: Look to literature for witchy dinner ideas! You could serve Harry Potter-inspired recipes like pumpkin pasties and butterbeer, serve a medieval meat pie fit for Merlin, or make noodles like Strega Nona.
• Perfectly Pumpkin: Serve pumpkin (or winter squash) foods like pumpkin macaroni and cheese, jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers or stuffed squash, and pumpkin cake or cookies.
• Pizza Party: Make homemade pizzas into spooky works of art! Arrange toppings to make jack-o-lantern faces, mummies or ghosts.

Ghoulish (or Great!) Game Night

Staying at home is more fun with the right games! Get into the spirit of Halloween with twists on some of our favorite family dinner games:

• Play Story Starters with a collection of Halloween words (like ghost, goblin, witch, wizard, pumpkin, black cat, haunted house….)
• Think of famous Halloween-related characters, horror movies, or books/stories. Play 20 Questions to reveal the answers!
• Play Charades with Halloween movie titles.
• Have an ice cream or whipped cream Dance Party with Halloween-themed music like the Monster Mash or Thriller.

Staying home for Halloween doesn’t have to be a drag. We hope these ideas will help spark some creativity for spooky — and fun — family dinner celebrations this year. Who knows? Maybe you’ll even enjoy yourselves so much that you’ll make some new traditions for years to come!