Home for the Holidays – 2020

If you and your loved ones are struggling to find your holiday cheer this season, you’re not the only ones. We’re all learning to cope with the stress of being stuck at home for the holidays this year.

Aperto Property Management created this short guide to provide you with a few tips and tricks to help get your holiday back on track.

How to Decorate Your Apartment for the Holidays

Getting out of the holiday dumps can sometimes be as easy as adding a little holiday decor to your apartment home. Decorating your apartment for the holidays can be as simple as adding strategically placed lights, sparkling tinsel, and a small tree to serve as a reminder of your holiday spirit.

Homemade centerpieces, candles, and crafts can give your apartment the finishing touches it needs to make you and your family feel more at home.

How to Get Into the Holiday Spirit This Year

Now is a great time to spend (virtual) quality time with your loved ones. Catch up with close family members and check in with relatives who are far away by having group video chats via free services like Facebook, Skype, or Zoom.

Some people are even opting to have virtual Christmas and New Year’s celebrations online (instead of missing out on all the fun). This way, you can easily share holiday recipe ideas for seasonal food and drinks like hot chocolate and eggnog that help you feel more festive.

Holiday Events Near Your Apartment

Christmas Movie Night At Irvine North : Elf Movie

When: Saturday, December 12th, 2020 – 7:00 pm

Where: Northwood High School, 4515 Portola Parkway, Irvine, CA, 92620

Details: Enjoy a drive-in movie with your friends and neighbors at this socially distanced event.

Christmas Magic Show

When: Sunday, December 20th, 2020 – 2:00 pm

Where: Northwood High School, 4515 Portola Parkway, Irvine, CA, 92620

Details: Outdoor magic show for families with children. Socially distanced event, limited space capacity. Bring your own blanket, mask and chair.

The Aperto Carving

Carved to perfection, we have seen pumpkins with so many different designs and styles. So much that there has been a misconception about the carving of the great orange fruit, that it’s too hard. Well, we’re here today to defy that misconception. Carving a pumpkin is actually very simple. By following a few easy steps, you will be well on your way to being a pumpkin carving design machine, respectfully.  

 

CARVING TIME!

The first initial step would be to, well, buy a pumpkin. Whether it be your local grocery store or pumpkin patch [  Tanaka Farms ], find the pumpkin that calls out to you. It will begin to allow those needed creative vibes to flow. Second, take a marker and draw a circle around the upper region surrounding the stem. This step is important in preparing to hollow out your fruit. Once you have cut and hollowed out the inside, take your spoon and rub against the inside alongside where you will trace your design on the opposite side. Once that’s done, take your pen and draw out what you want carved onto the pumpkin. Then begin carving. Once the pumpkin is carved, wipe all debris from the pumpkin, place your tea candle inside, and you’re all done…with the creating and carving at least. 

Tidy Up

Now it’s time to clean. You have pumpkin guts all over the place. Seeds GALORE. What do you do? Well, one way to save time and energy is by just simply throwing away your trash as you make it. In the end all you will have to do is wipe down your carving space and enjoy your pumpkin. Another way to keep clean would be to place down some foil or a baking sheet and create a sort of restricted workspace to ensure a larger mess is not created. For more tips on cleanliness and the pumpkin, click here. 

 

It’s spooky season! Get in the spirit this October by grabbing a pumpkin and getting creative. 

Halloween in Orange County

Are you ready to celebrate Halloween in Orange County? Things might be a little different this year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate in style. Here are a few things you can do to make the most of the spookiest time of year.

How to Decorate Your Apartment

There are plenty of subtle and stylish ways to decorate your apartment for Halloween. Pick up a few pumpkins and colorful gourds and arrange them as a table centerpiece. Fill mason jars with colorful candies, like Halloween M&Ms or candy corn, for a subtle yet colorful decoration, and add a brightly colored themed ribbon if you want to make it more eye-catching. Have an outdoor area you want to spruce up? Add a stack of hay bales and some jack-o-lanterns for instant ambiance.

How to Celebrate at Home

You may not be able to host a big gathering this year, but there are plenty of Halloween ideas for celebrating at home. The best part is they don’t have to be elaborate or expensive. Wear your Halloween costumes all day, decorate seasonal cookies, or learn a new spooky recipe, like hot spiced apple cider or pumping milkshakes. Then, grab your favorite pumpkin-scented candle and settle in for a night of scary movies.

Halloween Hotspots Near You

Take the kids to the Santa Anna Zoo’s Boo at the Zoo for a family-friendly passive walk-through experience to get you in the mood for the spookiest night of the year. Or, enter to win a socially-distanced table at the Halloween Spooktacular Film Festival to enjoy classic scary movies in a safe, outdoor environment.

There are plenty of ways to safely enjoy Halloween this year, even if it means you have to get a little creative. With a little imagination and careful planning, this might just be the best Halloween ever.