They dressed up — young and old and the in-betweens — and joined socially-distanced Halloween celebrations, bringing a bit of cheer, probably for the first time, to this Annus Horribilis. Here is a sampling of their happy snapshots posted on Facebook.
Masked up and ready for a socially distanced meetup with a few remote learning classmates, Diya, Ritu and Paru Kathpalia enjoyed time in the Chicago sun this .
Puru, 5, has lived in Washington DC since he was 3 years old. This is his third Halloween. This year he went trick-or-treating as a Spooky Castle ghost in his costume he made himself — of course with help from his mum, Sarita Pandey. Last year he was a butterfly. Any ideas for next year?
Mary, Betsy, and Xavier, children of April and Ramesh Ponnuru, American conservative political pundit and journalist, dress up as Little Bo Peep and her sheep, plus a Flamenco dancer in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.
Asha Kalapatapu dressed as Kamala Harris and Jaisal Kalapatapu as Biden, from Houston, Texas.
Kanika Chadha from Norwood, N.J. scares up a storm as Celia Mae.
Shikha Sood Dalmia from Washington, D.C. dressed as Frida Kahlo.
The Bharucha kids, Miraya (11) and Diya(6), with BFF Ruby and new pup Ares, in Atlanta, GA,
Indra Gill of Virginia Beach, Virginia, steps out as Morticia Addams?
Farhana Akhter and her daughter Leanna Abrahamson, in New York, dressed as Disney’s Mother Gothel from Tangled and Hermoine from Harry Potter.
A vampire bat, wizard, hufflepuff student and Aragog from Harry Potter go trick or treating. “Pandemic Halloween is a success! Our block did a parade, neighbors distributed treats using no contact methods, and we had a decorating contest with pumpkin carving. A bright spot in the midst of pre-election gloom and doom,” says Nandini Deo from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Nadia and Sofia as peacock and a rainbow unicorn . “My Halloween scavenger hunt was a hit. Girls said it was the beat Halloween ever!” Czara Love, from Granite Bay, California.
Dr. Asha Shajahan of Royal Oak, Michigan goes full RBG.
Fremont, Calif., Mayoral candidate Naz Khan giving a spooky ride
Top photo: Nandini Deo’s Asha as Aragog, the Baby Spider (Harry Potter), in Philadelphia, PA.
and ready for a socially distanced meetup with a few remote learning classmates, Diya, Ritu and Paru Kathpalia enjoyed time in the Chicago sun 
this 
.
and a rainbow unicorn 
. “My Halloween scavenger hunt was a hit. Girls said it was the beat Halloween ever!” Czara Love, from Granite Bay, California. 
