Halloween season is here. For the most part, we Filipinos aren’t really enthusiastic about this particular seasonal event, due to the fact that it isn’t engraved in our culture. Sure, we are all in a festive mood by now, but a lot of that enthusiasm is focused towards our love for Christmas. Being a dominantly Catholic/Christian nation, it is only understandable that we are more inclined towards this particular celebration, rather than one which incites superstition and the supernatural. As such, it can’t be helped that Halloween itself is seen as a trivial, often overlooked form of event, rather than a month-long tradition that can ever be taken seriously by Filipinos. Of course, that wouldn’t stop some of us from discovering new ways to distract ourselves from the current pandemic, as the past few months really took its toll on everyone. Perhaps, even for a week or two, some of us may “escape” reality and bond with our family over a plastic pumpkin-shaped trinket of sweets.
With that in mind, you might be one of those who are looking for ways to have fun with your family during the pandemic, without even breaking the bank. Everything seems to be costly nowadays, so every expense should be taken with utter caution, and overspending may put the family budget at risk. But fear not, for we have prepared a few spooktacular tips for you to celebrate Halloween with your family without sacrificing much of your budget.
Watching Horror Movies at Home
You do not have to go outdoors to enjoy the Halloween season. As a matter of fact, you can enjoy Halloween just by staying at home. Especially during the pandemic, you should round up all your family members and let them know that you have something in store for them during the night of terror (October 30, as usually plotted out on most horror movies). Feel free to pop in an old horror movie in your DVD player, prepare a bowl of snacks, and pour in a couple of sodas, while you comfortably sit with your family, enjoying the screams of the protagonist trying to escape the scary madman of the movie. If DVDs are too old for your taste, you can simply log-in your streaming subscription and choose to stream newer titles that your kids and teens may be more familiar with (zombies, zombies, and more zombies). Nonetheless, enjoying Halloween night at home is a lot less scary because you have each other to embrace during the sudden scares and thrilling moments. It’s also a way of avoiding the real horror outdoors, which is the current pandemic that’s been haunting our fellow Filipinos for quite a while now.
Making Sweet Halloween Treats in the Kitchen
Your Halloween family bonding isn’t just limited to watching horror flicks in the living room. To say the least, there are other fun ways to enjoy the spooky season while having quality time with the family. If you happen to have a certain skill in cooking or baking, then this one may fit your timetable. Being a good cook or baker isn’t just about impressing other people with your delicious treats, it’s also about creating something “golden” without having to spend much of your tight budget. The test of being a skilled in the kitchen would all come down to whether or not you are wise enough to use the ingredients that are readily within reach, without having to go out to buy more. Show this unrelenting skill and impress your family by organizing a bake off during Halloween night. Come up with creative Halloween-themed cookies, cupcakes, or brownies and add a little flair to your spooktacular creations. Your kids and teens would love it too, because for the first time since the start of the pandemic, they would be able to do something that they haven’t done before, and that is to learn how to cook/bake. Yes, they may have tasted your sweet home-made treats before, but in terms of making those treats, they may have been on the sidelines, merely waiting for the finished product to reach their plates. This is the perfect opportunity to train them in the art of cooking.
Creating Goofy Halloween Masks and Other Spooky Crafts
This activity is targeted to the younger members of your family. Kids love to get messy with their art materials, and this Halloween season, there are no limits. Let them have their fun with crayons, watercolor, and paper mache (with parental supervision, of course). Bring out their creative side and nurture that moving forward, who knows, your toddlers may turn out to be future graphic artists and painters. The thing about this activity is that it doesn’t require a whole lot of materials. You may recycle old newspapers at home, then buy a couple of crayons at your nearest grocery store (they aren’t even expensive, just choose the non-toxic ones). If your kids are too young to handle glue and paste, then be sure to help them out. If you’re going to use felt and colored paper, the paste may cause these colors to stick on their clothes (paper residues), so utmost care is a must.
Storytelling in the Dark with Nothing but a Flashlight
The most valuable thing you can share your loved ones during Halloween night would be fun and scary memories. Get creative and walk down memory lane. Tell your kids about your past experiences which may or may have not been affected by supernatural beings (we’re exaggerating on this, but you get the idea). Add a bit of truth to your stories, incorporating valuable/moral lessons which they may add to their character while growing up. Of course, you may need to clarify on the details someday, so they wouldn’t grow up to be very suspicious people, but think of this as a way to teach them the dos and don’ts of life, without leaning too much on the supernatural aspect and the best thing about this activity? You don’t have to spend money at all. Of course, you may need batteries (for your flashlight) and a couple of snacks, but other than that, you’re going to save more on the electricity charges with the lights off.
These are just some of the ways to have fun during Halloween night without “breaking the bank,” so to speak, but if you’re looking for a well-trusted name that would safely value the security of your hard-earned money and savings during these hard times. Well, look no further than Cebuana Lhuillier’s Micro Savings services. At its core, it aims to provide easier banking access to all Filipinos. The product is almost the same with any regular savings account in the Philippines, but doesn’t require a maintaining balance. It is also streamlined across all Cebuana Lhuillier branches, so you’d be able to experience the same wonderful Micro Savings service without missing a beat. For more information, feel free to visit the nearest Cebuana Lhuillier now!