Is anyone else overjoyed with the change of seasons? There is something glorious about fall, though I’ll admit I love each new season and the opportunities that season brings.

As COVID wears on it can be challenging to envision how all of our favorite fall activities will survive the era of staying at home or social distancing. With that in mind we thought it would be helpful to share some of the fun we have planned and how we are going to adapt our activities to keep our family safe given our risk profile.

• Visit a pumpkin patch - We have a reservation for Long Neck Pumpkin Farm, they’re doing staggered arrivals and limited guest entry. We also plan to keep 6ft apart from other visitors and wear masks when that’s difficult. Find out what your pumpkin patch is doing to keep people safe and if they aren’t reducing visitors maybe plan to visit at an off peak time.

• Boo our neighbors - No modification necessary!

• Make our Halloween costumes - Figure out how face masks will fit into our costume plan

• Drink Apple Cider - No modification necessary!

• Decorate our porch for Halloween - No modification necessary!

• Carve pumpkins - No modification necessary!

• Make a big pot of chili - No modification necessary! Though we’ll miss sharing it with friends.

• Carve pumpkins - No modification necessary!

• Go leaf peeping - No modification necessary!

• Plan and execute Thanksgiving- This one may hurt a little, we think we might not be able to gather with family for Thanksgiving this year and it’s a major bummer, but we will find a way to make the most of it. We are currently workshopping Zoomsgiving ideas… stay tuned.

• Do a Turkey Trot 5K - We are trying to find a course or virtual 5K we can do as our Turkey Trot this year. Will share our plans in more detail as we figure them out.

• Take family photos - We will ask our photographer to work with us by distancing as much as possible and wearing a mask when she is shooting closer than 6 ft.

• Donate canned goods to a food bank - Need to figure out if there are additional restrictions or concerns, but don’t anticipate major constraints.

• Bake and decorate fall cookies - No modification necessary!

• Celebrate “31 Days of Halloween” with themed books and food - No modification necessary!

• Wear our Hallojams and have a movie night - No modification necessary!

• Go on a fall break family trip - We’ll be road-tripping and adventuring to outdoor experiences, avoiding indoor activities, minimizing contact with people outside our family, and of course wearing our masks!

• Go on at least one nature walk/hike a week - No modification necessary!

• Trick or Treat - We’re actively talking about Trick or Treat plans with our neighborhood, for our family, I imagine we will wear our facial coverings and we will minimize our door knocking. For handing out candy we’re talking about setting up a table and sitting 6 feet behind it?

• Counting our Blessings - No modification necessary! Extra important this year!

• Make a turkey craft - No modification necessary!

• Watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade- the parade will be different this year but no modifications necessary on our end.

  What are your “can’t miss” fall favorites? How are you adapting them to be more COVID-conscious? Share your thoughts in the comments!