AUSTIN, Texas (NewsNation Now) — As the coronavirus pandemic continues, Halloween party planners and decorators are creating new ways for people to celebrate.
A Texas couple has gained national attention online for their YouTube tutorials about how to create social distancing Halloween decor.
Through a 10-minute and 33-second video, Jaimie Nakae and Jay Grenier are teaching people how to create a “candy slide.”
“We’re going to show you how to do a super simple prop that’s going to let you give candy to trick or treaters from a safe 6 feet away, ” said Wicked Makers Jay Grenier.
In a matter of days, the tutorial reached more than 190,000 views.
“We put our heads together and thought of a way to, you know, at least abide by some of the social media guidelines and make it a bit safer for people,” Nakae said.
The Texas husband and wife duo are DIY YouTube gurus known as the Wicked Makers. Their channel has more than 4,800,000 views, as of Sunday morning.
“We want to make it real simple to make it so anybody can access the material. You don’t need a lot of tools to do it and it’s kind of a blank canvas in terms of how you decorate it,” Grenier said.
Through their website and YouTube channel, they show what tools, supplies and decorations are needed to create custom Halloween props.
“Doing things yourself is really fun! We often get a lot of comments that say, ‘Oh it’s cheaper to just do it this way. Yeah, but then you miss out on the creativity, the energy, and the fun and being able to customize for yourself,” said Grenier.
From DIY options to store-bought decor, even major businesses are promoting new methods to enjoy the upcoming holiday.
“The pandemic has certainly challenged us,” said Julie Roehm, chief marketing and experience officer for Party City.
Roehm said the company has created new ways for customers to shop and celebrate Halloween.
“Same day delivery, buy online, pick up at curb — we are now creating these parade car kits. So you can decorate your car kind of in a spooky fun ways,” said Roehm.
Roehm stated they are also testing out scan-and-go options at certain stores and creating virtual costume walls.
“It’s a 3D, 360-degree virtual wall on your phone and you can see the entire virtual wall if you’re standing outside,” explained Roehm.
Both the Wicked Makers and Party City officials stated another creative way to celebrate and be safe during the pandemic is to get a costume that includes a mask.
