Well, given that there wasn't much normal about this year, we wanted to bring at least a little bit of normalcy for those brave enough to venture out on Halloween. Our late invitation...
Since we're sure you're all wondering...
Yes! We do hope you'll swing by on Halloween, buuuut at a distance. We're all wearing our masks anyway, so stop by for a quick hello and get a treat to go. See you Saturday!
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Hidden right in plain sight for Halloween in Quarantine!
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> The Backstory
You approach the lab to pick up some samples, but have to keep your distance. You're immediately asked to hang out just outside the quarantine zone. The scientists in quarantine will slide those lab samples right down to you!
Simple, yet effective. A brief but distanced visit, and you're back on your way.
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Welcome to the lab. Or just outside of it, anyway.
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Lab samples ready to slide your way.
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Some strange stuff around this lab.
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Ready to make the drop.
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Delivered direct to you!
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The team in quarantine.
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> The Trick
It certainly felt like the trick was on us this year. Although we
originally had some very big plans for Halloween weekend 2020, by
March we weren't sure what Halloween, or anything else, might look like
during a growing pandemic. Would trick-or-treating be discouraged? Should we just throw candy at kids? Would
anyone even want to be out?
It wasn't until late in the season we knew lots of families
really did want to get out if at all possible. Kids' costume sales were
unexpectedly soaring, and people were getting very creative about delivering treats
from a safe distance.
After a lot of discussion and test ideas regarding treat delivery, we finally landed on a slide. This was literally constructed the day before out of a couple of cardboard boxes, various pieces of wood, and other bits and parts we had lying around.
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A view of the scene by day...
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...and by night!
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The garage interior became our place to hang out, while really nice weather allowed us to keep the full slide apparatus outdoors, allowing plenty of distance between us and our visitors.
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Just killing time in quarantine.
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Lab decorations included a number of bones, a variety of bats, some proper PPE and some special hazmat style tape (a conveniently free Prime Day gift from Amazon), which proved to be great for making a slicker path for our plastic treat bags to slide on down.
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That's a lot of bats.
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And that is one big bat!
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What kind of "samples" is this lab passing out?
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At least they're serious about the PPE.
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| Unmasked! |
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Thanks for stopping by!
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> The Treat
We didn't want to overbuy too much this year given the circumstances, but we did grab our basics of pretzels, candy and Halloween ducks. The ducks must go on! Even in 2020.
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| Ducks! |
FREAKY FACT: We usually have something fun lying around that could be used for Halloween giveaways, and there just happened to be some bags o' bats in our stash from a random sale purchase years ago. We decided to include them in our bags before it even dawned on us how well they actually fit the theme!
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Some astoundingly appropriate bats. Who knew?
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It was so good to see everyone who was able to stop by and, though our visits were brief, spend a little more discussion time given the simpler production, such that it was. We had lots of regulars, including a portion of the now apparently disbanded "Duck House Gang," and heard a few were nervous to come around not knowing if we'd be open. But of course we were, one visitor noted. We just hoped to bring some cheer back into our community however we could to whomever we could. Hopefully the just under 50 bags that got to take a slide that night helped in some small way.
This was also an interesting year to work out the Gospel from the situation we all find ourselves in, but we found a simple approach to just that as well. Presented on yellow paper to match the hazmat theme... (Scroll below to see just the text.)
JUST THE TEXT:
We’re so glad you came to visit, even if it was at a safe distance! It’s kind of felt like Halloween all year since we get to wear a mask everywhere we go. And since 2020 keeps tricking us, we just wanted to be sure you got a treat for stopping by.
Sure, we wear our masks and keep our distance for now to help keep everyone safe, but it’s kinda made us miss seeing people—and their faces—up close.
All this masking and distancing makes us think of a story from the first book of the Bible called Genesis. The first two people did the one thing our Creator told them not to do... and then they covered up! They tried to hide from God and keep their distance.
Thankfully, we don’t have to cover up when it comes to our Creator. While we try to keep our distance from Him, He decided to come even closer when He arrived in human form as a man named Jesus. Everything Jesus did—from His perfect life, to His death and coming to life again—was unmasking who God is and how far He would go to be close to us again. If we know Jesus and trust Him, we never have to keep away or cover up. We can talk to God anytime, and be safe and close to Him forever.
We invite you to take a closer look at the story of Jesus. We have a few ways to help at hallowsgarage.blogspot.com, including The Big Story, Bible links and more. Plus it’s a fun place to see how big we go on Halloween when we’re NOT in a pandemic!
Be safe out there! Wash those hands before you eat that candy. And, as always, we hope you have a very happy Halloween.
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View our past Halloween themes: HallowsGarage.blogspot.com
Close enough to snag a photo? Tag us: #HallowsGarage
