Halloween is a dying holiday in the Taft community and COVID-19 was no help. This year I experienced halloween myself, and not many people were participating whether that be dressing up and going out or even just handing out candy. There wasn’t much of either. With all the COVID regulations, most people decided against there even being a Halloween this year, but that didn’t stop everyone. 

People didn’t stay out too long, though, and it didn’t take long before regulations started going into effect. Many people were too worried about COVID-19 to actually enjoy Halloween and, not only for themselves, but also for the young children around. They were too worried about all the hands that touched the candy bowl or how many kids were in one area at a time; which, ruined the holiday spirit for some kids. Not only were some parents worried about the social distancing regulations, but people were also making kids stand in line in order to go up one at a time to grab a piece of candy. For some students, that was not the Halloween they were used to. They would say Halloween is running to as many houses and getting as much candy as possible before curfew.

Masks weren’t too bad of an issue since most Halloween costumes came with masks. But with the COVID-19 regulations, it took away from some of the fun. 

Not many people did much this year; many houses decorated, but not all gave out candy or gave us a fright. Halloween is dying all over the world, not just in our community. COVID did not help keep this holiday alive this year. This holiday and many others are about our community coming together and making a magical night for each other.

On a positive note, even with all of the negatives going on around the world; some would say Halloween was not a complete disaster. Many students still found a way to have some fun; and some parents did pass out candy. Some students did dress up, and a few houses gave it their all to give everyone a fright. Even with the pandemic going on, Halloween still stayed alive for some.