
Hey guys! It’s Lay.
So if you read my last blog, you can probably tell how obsessed I am with the fall. In my opinion, fall has the best weather (not too hot or too cold), the best fashion, and most importantly the best celebrations. Besides my birthday is in fall, Fall has holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving (and of course many more depending on your religion, culture, and demographics). Fall has always given me things to look forward to because of the festivities but in the climate of coronavirus being prominent in our lives, the huge question is: how will holidays be this year?
Covid-19 has changed to our lives to be distanced so what does that mean for festivities this year? We spoke about this in my publicity workshop class and I thought it would be a good idea to share some of the big changes.
Reservation making is a lot more common
Depending on what you're doing and where you're going, you most likely have to make reservations to do things. One of my friends really wanted to go to a haunted house/ cave but she said how they were running it is that she would’ve had to make reservations. Some outdoor places remain doing certain activities but others now require tickets and reservations. If you want to do some activity (although I don’t recommend to at this time), make sure to really do your research such as if the place needs reservations, are they doing temperature checks.
If you are a health risk or just don’t want to take any chances of getting sick, try to do research more at-home activities that you can do to make the fall season still exciting. Some ideas are:
DIY Fall decor for thanksgiving
DIY Halloween Decor
DIY Costumes based on things at home
Having a game night
Having weekly movie nights
Have a mystery or poetry book club
Watch a movie with friends on a streaming app
Build a fort (I don't care how old you are, it's still fun)
Make something apple flavored (apple pie, apple turnover, apple cider, apple sauce)
Make something pumpkin-flavored (pumpkin spice pancakes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup)
Have a backyard mini bonfire (or make bonfire food if you live in an apartment)
Have an indoor picnic
Make a seasonal mood board
Have dance parties (either spooky-season themed or throwbacks)
Make chili or soup
Have a fall photoshoot
Go on a scenic drive

Buy early
It was actually recommended people start shopping towards the end of summer because there are deals when stores are trying to get rid of inventory. However, shopping as early as possible is a good idea because a lot of stores in some states still aren’t running as they used to, and on top of that, it is very unlikely that states will allow Black Friday shopping because in past years it’s an event that always gets crowded and would honestly risk people for a second wave. According to a PR website, “60% of consumers plan to shop less in-store this season due to fear of COVID-19 exposure. While there is still an appetite for in-store shopping, safety concerns and deeper consumer familiarity with online ordering indicates that eCommerce will certainly see higher activity than in previous years.” That is over half the amount of consumers! Many people predict Cyber Monday will be a lot more busy than usual since many people switched to online shopping due to the pandemic. However, this leads to the issue of postal service deliveries. With so many people ordering online, it‘s safe to predict there will be a huge delay in orders.
A lot more planning
It is difficult to be spontaneous in 2020 with a lot more rules. So this holiday season requires a lot more planning. My friends and I are personally are trying to talk about if we are doing gifts this year and how it would work. These conversations can get uncomfortable because a lot of people don’t have the money to do things with especially a lot of people's jobs had closed down because of the pandemic. Some people turned to jobs that they know are essential like working at a grocery store or doing deliveries but even so some jobs do have certain requirements for you apply. There are many reasons a person isn’t working. If you have a weak immune system, you may not want to risk putting yourself at risk that way. Some people are students and juggling work with their degree is probably too overwhelming for the individual. Every person is different and please be mindful of everyone’s potential situation. There are alternatives you can do to buying gifts such as DIY gifts only or creating something completely personalized.
More budgeting
This is kind of an expansion of my last point but it’s really important. If you are a people-pleaser like me, just understand that budgeting as boring as it is, it’s one of the most important skills you have to learn as you get older. You have prioritized bills or any funding for your business. Maybe you don't have those responsibilities right now but putting these skills into practice is essential to have money intelligence. When you are writing out lists for birthday and Christmas, be sure to set a budget so you don't go overspending. Some people have less control when it comes to buying gifts for others but just know anyone who is real and genuine will appreciate whatever you get them even if it's not expensive because it shows you tried to show appreciation towards them. I once baked someone's favorite cookies because they didn't want me to buy them a gift so I made something instead. Another person, I gave a gift I knew they needed (their backpack ripped so I got them a bag) and I actually ended up having them over for dinner and cooking dinner for them. Gifts aren't always an object but an experience that you can look back on as someone showing that they care about you.
Smaller gatherings
This one is an obvious change because social distancing laws are still enforced in many states. With holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving, you need to arrange what you're doing and who you're spending time with. Halloween I personally don't celebrate because of my upbringing but I have friends who love Halloween because they dressed up, went to parties, etc. so clearly this year has to be a bit different. I would suggest alternatives like a Halloween movie night, Halloween photoshoot, etc. just get creative and be very selective with people you interact with at this time.
So that’s all for today! I know this was shorter than usual but I have a heavy workload this week because it was midterms week and the previous week I was preparing for this. I’m hoping to have another blog post up for next week and I will try my best. Don’t forget to like, comment, and share. I hope you are healthy and safe.
Until next time,
xoxo Lay 💋
I love Halloween! Because we have to do things a little different this year I have been trying to find ideas for my whole family. Thank you for the great suggestions!