COVID-19 Candy Chutes

Deliver Candy, Not Germs

• What: COVID-19 candy chutes
• When: Trick or treating
• Why: Add distance and keep the fun
• Where: At home

Want to celebrate Halloween and embrace trick or treating without incurring the risk of a contagious virus? Enter the candy chute.

While I haven’t found any retailers taking advantage of this socially distant idea for distributing candy, you can easily craft your own. You only need a few key materials. Even a piece of gutter material (useful for entertaining kids for lots of water play and car races in warmer months) can make sure you and the beasts who come calling don’t get closer than six feet.

We had a distance of 20 feet to cover, thanks to our porch well above street level, so we took a trip to the local hardware store. We got two sections of ten-foot long two-inch diameter pipe, a two-inch connector, and even an angled connector to make it extra fancy, all for about $10. Then we simply connect the two pipes and put them in place. Two-inch diameter pipes fit most individual sizes of candy, and the closed circumference insures the candy won’t fly off en route to its destination (and in case of inclement weather, candy stays dry). With a less steep slope, or shorter distance, you could easily have an open chute made from whatever’s handy, from the kid’s slide to cardboard. 

Even if you stay home, kids can enjoy sliding the candy to anyone who ventures out. No matter which material you choose, consider installing a candy slide to make the occasion more fun for everyone involved while adding extra distance.