There’s no doubt this Halloween is going to look different. If you have allowed your children to trick or treat in years past, chances are, they may not be able to participate in an epic night of candy collecting this October 31st. Whether you “celebrate” Halloween or not, we’ve always encouraged our Minno families to use the day as an opportunity to reach out to their community. And even if you can’t go door to door this year, you can still engage your neighbors in fun activities that will shine a light on Halloween. We’ve got three ideas to get you started:

1. Glow All Out 

This is the perfect way to reach out to your neighbors and start a fun tradition! Download and print your MINNO GLOW KIT and let the glowing begin!

What You’ll Need:

• Glow Kit Printable
• Candy
• Glow Sticks
• Tape

+ Print and decorate the “You’ve been Glow’d” page. Make sure to write your name next to the first glow stick. Here’s the message you’ll be sharing with your neighbors:

You’ve been Glow’d! Now it’s your turn to Shine! 

Pass the light to a neighbor so they can pass it on to another this season!

Fill this container with fun candies and glow sticks and leave it by their front door. Don’t forget to sanitize first!

Sign your name in the next glow stick below so they know who it came from.

“Let your light shine!” Matthew 5:16

+ Fill a container (a bucket or basket) with candy and don’t forget the glow sticks! 

+ You can also print the Minno Free Trial coupon as an extra treat for your friends.

+ Leave the bucket ‘o fun on your neighbor’s porch or stoop and tape the “You’ve been Glow’d” page to their front door.

+ Say a prayer that your neighbors will somehow see the light of Jesus in this otherwise dark season.

+ Sit back and watch the light as it passes from one house to another! 

2. Plan a Costume Parade

What did we ever do before neighborhood Facebook groups?! Well, I’m sure we can all agree that they are not always fun to browse but they are a great way to connect a community around a specific idea. If your neighborhood is not participating in candy distribution this year, why not plan a costume parade?! One of the upsides of 2020 is how many of our holidays are landing on weekends. With October 31st landing on a Saturday, it’s the perfect chance to plan an unconventional showing of those adorable kiddie costumes. The sky’s the limit on how you go about this idea as long as everyone stays socially distanced! It can be in the afternoon with bikes and wagons and costumed pups or in the evening by candlelight. Get a few friends together and dream up a new way to dress up the day this year!

3. Light Up the Neighborhood

One of my favorite ideas that came when COVID first hit was when a few moms in my neighborhood got together and gave parents a coloring sheet of a bear. They asked the parents to have their kids color the bear and tape them inside their window. This way, families could go on a “bear hunt” through the community to see how many they could find. What a sweet way to connect while apart! So I’ve been thinking, how about we bring together that fun idea with another great tradition of lighting holiday candles in the window?

Print out your Minno Glow Kit and color the Matthew 5:16 coloring sheet to light up the neighborhood. Place your beautiful verse in your front window with a string of glow sticks at night. Be sure to share it with your friends! Ask everyone to have their kids decorate the page and hang it in the window with glow sticks. Encourage your neighbors through that Facebook page to light up the neighborhood!