‘It’s going to be a little different’: Alliston families not scared to stray from Halloween traditions during pandemic

After the province asked Ontarians to avoid having extended family over for Thanksgiving dinner, many started questioning what will happen with other upcoming holidays, and the one that’s top of mind for everyone right now is Halloween.

The province’s top doctor has recommended against trick or treating in hot spots where cases of COVID-19 have been sharply rising, including Toronto, York and Peel Region and Ottawa.

Alliston resident Nehya Fawx, a mother of three young girls, always ventures out into the neighbourhood with the little ones, but with many houses likely not handing out sweets this year, she has decided to do things differently.

“My girls would be so disappointed to walk from house to house and having no one answer their door or having very few answers and being tuckered out with barely any candy,” she said.

Fawx and her neighbour have decided to do their own trick or treating adventure, and they will end the night at home with a Halloween candy hunt.

While her family won’t be going out, she has still decorated her home and plans to hand out candy to anyone who shows up at her door.

“It’s going to be a little different but it will be as close to normal as we can make it,” she said. “Halloween is our household favourite time of year.”

Resident Joanna Touma has three kids, ages 11, 14 and 15, and her youngest would have normally gone out for candy. But since her mom lives with them and has health issues, they decided the best thing to do is to skip Halloween all together.

“Luckily, my kids are very understanding and care more about grandma than candy,” she said. “I can’t chance that someone comes to my door and doesn’t follow proper protocol.”

The Gibson Centre in Alliston is giving families an alternate way to exercise their spooky spirits in the safest way possible.

Executive director Jennifer Fortin said the centre will be hosting groups of kids Oct. 31 to experience its Halloween House. The event, which will follow all public-health protocols, will allow kids to experience different themed rooms, like a graveyard and vampire lair, through a supervised, one-way path.

There will candy stations along with way, with volunteers wearing masks and gloves.

The event is appropriate for kids ages three to 12 and it takes place between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Admission is $5 per child and $20 per family, but spots need to be reserved ahead of time. To book a time slot, call the centre at .

The town is asking residents to take a socially distanced approach to Halloween and one of the ways they can do this is to participate in its virtual pumpkin carving contest. For more details .

Story behind the story: With there being a lot of debate about whether people should stick with their Halloween traditions and send the kids door-to-door for candy, Simcoe.com decided to talk to some local residents to find out how they plan to celebrate this year.