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VIDEO: COVID won’t dampen Langley woman’s Halloween spirit

Tanya Reid posted a pair of videos offering suggestions of how trick-or-treating might look for her
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Halloween is too important an event to be cancelled because of COVID, says Langley’s Tanya Reid, who’s created a video to encourage safe ways of enjoying the festivities. (Facebook screengrab)

A Langley woman refuses to let COVID dampen her Halloween spirit.

Tanya Reid showed her humorous side in a pair of short Facebook videos that she recently posted.

In the clips, she’s seen demonstrating some “so-called” safe ways for people to still hand out treats to ghosts and goblins on Halloween.

“Halloween is cancelled OVER MY DEAD BODY!” Reid posted, supporting Dr. Bonnie Henry’s, the provincial health officer, suggestion that the Oct. 31 festivities can still go ahead – but like so many things, it will “look different.”

It was one of many “silly videos” she tends to do, especially during the pandemic, explained the mother of three. “I love doing it… especially during COVID, I did a few more just to keep entertained.”

The Langley City mom said she refuses to cancel her favourite holiday, saying the use of creativity can still make distributing candy to trick-or-treaters possible – while maintaining social distancing.

“I think people should be thinking about creative ideas, because I know a lot of people are saying it’s just not going to happen, and I don’t think everyone is going to adhere to that, so I think it would be better to think of safe ideas instead of not giving out any ideas.”

That’s what sparked the idea for her video, where Reid demonstrates a few candy distribution methods – in true Canadian fashion – incorporating a hockey stick.

“We’re doing this safe, totally Canadian style,” she said, in one of her video clips lining up a few treats on her porch, then with a little stick action, shooting the candies at the kids. In the other, she suggests a little tamer method – putting the treat on the head of the stick, then outreaching her stick, she “taps” it into the visitor’s bag, bucket, or pillow case.

“I think being socially distanced and safe and masked is smart. But we are also humans, and we need connection and this is one of our important holidays,” so she’s encouraging people to find ways to celebrate safely.

As she points out, many kids will likely already be wearing masks as part of their costumes. If not, they can easily add one. So too should the residents handing out candy.

She also suggested homeowners set out a chair a distance back from the front door, to help remind people to obey the two-metre social distancing rule, and have marks to encourage people to separate themselves while waiting in the driveway.

“These are things that people might not have thought of,” said Reid, a former preschool teacher who immediately thinks about managing groups of people – especially kids.

Halloween is not as big a deal in the Reid house as it once was. Her sons, two teenagers and one now an adult, don’t get into it as much as they once did.

“But, I’ve always loved it. Sometimes I joke around that I have Halloween ADD, and I’ll change into three different outfits during that day,” Reid said with a giggle. “I’m a cat now. I’m a witch now. I’m a clown now… It’s fun.”

Admittedly, this is the beginning of Reid’s rather expansive holiday festivities that she said runs from the lead up to Halloween right through to New Year’s Eve.

“All of that is the dark days of winter, and these are the ways we bring light to those days – and I’ve always felt that. And all of that gathering and togetherness and decorating, it all matters to me. It’s all the same.”

She isn’t one to monitor her Facebook post once she puts them up, but she has been hearing from friends that this Halloween video she made just over a week ago has been shared a lot – she has no idea how many that is.

“I like to do funny, silly videos and pictures to make people – mostly that I love – laugh, make friends laugh, and keep myself entertained.”

“Seriously,” she said, “Halloween is not cancelled. We’re Canadians. We’re tough. We’ve got this.”

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Roxanne Hooper

About the Author: Roxanne Hooper

I began in the news industry at age 15, but honestly, I knew I wanted to be a community journalist even before that.
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