Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on the East Coast on Monday night, likely driving Halloween far from the minds of those who witnessed its greatest destruction. 
 
 But for families who escaped the worst of Sandy’s wrath, the question of whether Halloween will go ahead as normal -- and how to celebrate in the midst of power outages and debris-filled streets -- remains. 
 
 New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie addressed the issue directly Monday night by tweeting: "If conditions are not safe on Wednesday for Trick or Treating, I will sign an Executive Order rescheduling #Halloween." 
 
 (This story has been updated. Scroll down for new information.) 
 
 Many communities in New Jersey -- and elsewhere -- are already pushing festivities back until this weekend or next week. "It's only 'trick or treat,” Joseph Maturo, the mayor of East Haven, Conn., told the Hartford Courant. "It's not going to hurt anybody to move it to next Wednesday night." (Not everyone agreed; according to WFSB, another Connecticut town’s Facebook page encouraged residents to use “discretion” if necessary, but noted: "The town does not control Halloween.”) 
 
 On HuffPost Parents’s Facebook page, several readers said their towns had already postponed celebrations. Commenters from the Cleveland and Pittsburgh areas said they had planned to trick-or-treat this weekend, while one woman from New Jersey wrote that she was waiting on instructions from local officials: "We'll go out trick-or-treating whenever the town says we can." 
 
 Another commenter from the hard-hit Atlantic City area wrote: "Yep, it's real down here...but at least thinking about something like this keeps the kids' minds on something fun to look forward to instead of everything else going on." 
 
 With schools closed throughout the New York City area for a third day on Wednesday, daytime Halloween activities (like these Halloween parades in Long Island’s East Hampton) have also been cancelled. 
 
 What should parents who do take their children out on Halloween night be worried about? 
 
 In addition to conventional Halloween safety advice (“be mindful of traffic” and “wear bright colors”), the Boston Police Department’s Virtual Community urges trick-or-treaters to “stay away from downed tree limbs and power lines,” avoid neighborhoods with no power and stick with short costumes that won’t get "caught in debris from trees or slippery wet leaves.” (Boston has not postponed Halloween celebrations.) 
 
 In a HuffPost blog, Safe Kids Worldwide CEO Kate Carr said she hopes people in neighborhoods that haven’t been cleaned up yet will think of “safety first”: 
 
 If you're in an area where fallen trees, flooding streets and loose electrical wires threaten to make it difficult or dangerous to trick-or-treat, please don't hesitate to do the smart thing and stay in this Halloween. 
 
 Lenore Skenazy of Free Range Kids, who has railed against the unnecessary paranoia she said she thinks some parents already bring to Halloween, told HuffPost she thought downed power lines were a legitimate concern. "Maybe in the face of the real danger that just passed through, we can finally laugh at the ones that we usually scare ourselves with, like the idea that our neighbors become psychopathic child poisoners one day of the year," Skenazy said over email. "From what I've seen, neighbors are the people who bring food and flashlights, not strychnine." 
 
 Some children may be feeling fearful of trick-or-treating, even if mom and dad aren't. Heading into the spookiest of holidays on the heels of a threatening natural disaster may take a toll on a young person's psyche. 
 
 Jerry Bubrick, senior director of the Child Mind Institute’s Anxiety and Mood Disorders Center, spoke to HuffPost about how to help kids who might be worried about trick-or-treating after the storm. He stressed that it’s important for parents not to seem nervous about going outside, since kids will note anxiety. 
 
 “We should show our kids on the radar maps that [the storm] is gone,” Bubrick said, adding that parents could “show kids that it’s okay by acting as if everything is okay” and trying to return to a normal routine as soon as possible. (It’s a message his 7-year-old daughter, Maya, has internalized; Bubrick said she told him to tell us, “The kids should take a deep breath and just calm down. Everything’s going to be okay.”) 
 
 If you can’t get outside for a conventional evening of trick-or-treating, the Internet is brimming with ideas -- some as simple as setting up an in-home candy hunt. Speaking to WSJ.com's The Juggle before the storm, social worker Catherine Pearlman said: "Halloween doesn’t have to be just trick or treating in the dark. Everyone should get still get dressed up. ... Parents can also put candy in each room and the kids can run around and get it.” On "Good Morning America,” psychologist Janet Taylor suggested the same thing. 
 
 On TODAY, Elizabeth Mayhew told Savannah Guthrie: "The big question is power. Obviously, you're not going to send your kids into a dark neighborhood. … So you need to check with your town, you need to follow the local news, see what's going on.” She told parents to make a "Plan B" -- perhaps getting a group together for "Trunk or Treat" (dispensing candy from the backs of cars) in a local cul-de-sac or making gingerbread house-style structures with extra candy and cardboard boxes. 
 
 Gawker also provided a list of activity suggestions (not all entirely practical). Our favorite: “In addition to having just as many hyphens as trick-or-treat, hide-and-seek is also the most fun game -- play it with your children. This is a particularly good activity if your kids are getting a little loud, because a large part of hide-and-seek is remaining neither seen nor heard.” 
 
 UPDATE: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has signed an executive order postponing Halloween festivities in New Jersey until Nov. 5. Gov. Christie said in a statement: "As Governor, it is my responsibility to use all available resources of the state government to protect against the emergency created by Hurricane Sandy -- postponing Halloween celebrations by five days is a commonsense and necessary step to accomplish that." 
 
 On Wednesday afternoon, he tweeted, "Its just not safe yet to be out trick-or- treating tonight, so Halloween has officially been postponed until Monday," following up with "I better see you all out there on Monday with your costumes on and candy in tow." 
 
 Has Halloween been postponed in your area? If you’re staying inside, what are you planning to do? Let us know in the comments below. ||||| Ed Wicks secures plywood over the windows of his business to protect from the high winds of approaching Hurricane Sandy, on Oct. 28, 2012, in Ocean City, N.J. (Photo: Mark Wilson, Getty Images) Story Highlights The Halloween holiday was originally expected to generate about $8 billion in spending this year 
 
 How much the storm will affect Halloween purchases is unclear as cancelations grow 
 
 Stores and pumpkin patches are closing all along the East Coast 
 
 Hurricane Sandy is doing her darndest to wash Halloween down the drain. 
 
 But she's only partially succeeding. 
 
 SANDY'S IMPACT: Travel | Jobs report | Gas | Stocks 
 
 The hurricane has barreled into the East Coast just a few days before the national Halloween celebration was expected to generate upwards of $8 billion in spending coast-to-coast. The good news: Most folks already have purchased what they were planning to buy for Halloween. The bad news: Many East Coast merchants that rely on Halloween day, itself, for a big chunk of business appear to be in trouble. 
 
 "Small businesses relying on last-minute shoppers will get hit," says Kathy Grannis, a spokeswoman for the National Retail Federation. "But the storm is happening on a Monday (and Tuesday) after most consumers got their shopping done." 
 
 Sandy is haunting Halloween by: 
 
 - Soaking celebrations. While the gargantuan New York Greenwich Village Halloween Parade scheduled for Wednesday night hasn't been canceled, the number of viewers and participants is expected to be cut in half, and the city's Halloween-related booty sliced from $90 million to $45 million. "We're going to do it, and everyone will get wet," says artistic producer Jeanne Fleming. "We know it's going to rain on our parade." 
 
 Newlyweds from England Christopher and Ingrid Foott, were to march at the head of the parade on their honeymoon. They e-mailed this cancellation: "We may have lost our honeymoon, but we know that there are people who have and may lose so much more." 
 
 - Draining business. Economy Party & Costumes, a Falls Church, Va., store which is normally teeming with customers the final few days before Halloween, had to close early Monday, and its manager projects the storm could cost the family-owned business up to $50,000 — a big chunk of its 2012 profits. "It's the only time we make a profit the whole year," says manager Shawn Dimitriades. 
 
 - Washing-out takeout. While Halloween is not a huge holiday for eating out, roughly one in five Americans opted for takeout food last Halloween. That number could take a hit this year if the storm or its aftermath forces a number of East Coast restaurants to close, says Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of research at the National Restaurant Association. 
 
 - Pummeling pumpkin patches. Cox Farms pumpkin patch in Centreville, Va., which turns Halloween into a celebration of pumpkin-picking and hayrides closed Monday and planned to close on Tuesday. Reservations for both days were being switched to Wednesday, when the weather is supposed to improve. 
 
 - Drowning fundraisers. The Goodwill Gridiron Halloween Party with the Baltimore Ravens, hosted by Goodwill of the Chesapeake (Va.), has been postponed. It's the group's biggest, annual fundraiser, with proceeds helping job-train people with disabilities. "We're heartbroken about it," says Jonathan Balog, director of marketing. "You can't control the weather." ||||| FULL COVERAGE: Sandy Hits NJ 
 
 Governor Chris Christie has postponed Halloween until Monday, November 5. 
 
 
 
 Governor Chris Christie at the Regional Operations and Intelligence Center (ROIC) in Ewing. (Governor’s Office/Tim Larsen) 
 
 “I’ve taken this action to minimize additional risks to lives and the public safety as we begin the process of rebuilding and recovering from Hurricane Sandy,” said Governor Christie. “In too many communities in our state, the damage and losses from this storm are still being sorted out, and dangerous conditions abound even as our emergency management and response officials continue their work. As Governor, it is my responsibility to use all available resources of the state government to protect against the emergency created by Hurricane Sandy – postponing Halloween celebrations by five days is a commonsense and necessary step to accomplish that.” 
 
 Surrounded by his children during Monday’s Ask the Governor on Townsquare Media NJ, Christie said he would likely postpone the holiday after seeing the full effects of Sandy around New Jersey. 
 
 The damage sustained from Hurricane Sandy poses a continued threat to public safety in communities across New Jersey due to flooding, fallen trees, downed power lines, roadway closures, and disruptions in electrical service, making it unsafe and imprudent to participate in traditional celebrations, such as trick-or-treat walks. 
 
 Local officials are advised to notify and encourage their communities and residents to delay any planned celebrations until Monday. 
 
 Toms River postponed its annual Halloween parade indefinately. ||||| 403 Forbidden 
 
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 GLOUCESTER COUNTY — While most of the adults in the Gloucester County area are worried about tying down outdoor furniture and stocking up for possible power outages as Hurricane Sandy prepares to ravage the county, their children have other concerns. 
 
 The storm has threatened one of kids’ favorite days — Halloween. 
 
 But as kids fret over costume decisions, many municipal officials have made the decision to move Halloween and trick-or-treating to Saturday. 
 
 East Greenwich, Glassboro, Mantua, South Harrison, West Deptford, Westville, Woodbury and Woodbury Heights have all postponed Halloween until the weekend. 
 
 “It just seems to be that after the storm is over, whatever aftermath there will be, it would be less stressful to have Halloween on Saturday,” South Harrison Mayor Jim McCall said. “It’s a really important holiday for the kids but there’s going to be a lot of aftermath and cleanup and we don’t want trick or treaters on the road Wednesday.” 
 
 The remaining 17 municipalities in the county did not make any decisions as of Monday morning, but none of them have ruled out the possibility yet. 
 
 “We haven’t made any decisions at this point. It was a topic of discussion but until we know the full extent of damages from the storm I think it’s a little premature,” Logan Township Mayor Frank Minor said. 
 
 For the towns that have decided to move their trick-or-treating date to Saturday, the curfew times will remain the same as if it were actually Halloween. All children younger than 18 must be off the streets by 8 p.m. 
 
 Full coverage of Hurricane Sandy ||||| Norman Scott/startraksphoto.com 
 
 The East Coast is bracing for Hurricane Sandy—and yes, that includes celebrities! 
 
 President Barack Obama has declared a state of emergency for New York and surrounding areas, but Lindsay Lohan saw no real reason for concern. 
 
 "WHY is everyone in SUCH a panic about hurricane (i'm calling it Sally)..?" she tweeted. "Stop projecting negativity! Think positive and pray for peace." 
 
 LiLo then proceeded to nickname the approaching storm "Hurricane Sassy." 
 
 Lindsay's publicist quits 
 
 RuPaul also had some humor about the situation, tweeting: "FrankenStorm NYC: People in very long line at grocery store are drunk on hysteria. I decided to buy chocolate at deli instead." 
 
 When one snarky tweeter suggested that the storm "made a turn for the South Jersey Shore heading directly for @snooki" and wondered, "how can this NOT be a sign from God?," Snooki herself replied, "Lol u wish." 
 
 The Jersey Shore starlet wrote that she was preparing for "Lorenzo's first storm! Holding him tight." The new mom also said she was "Waiting for the storm" and having a "slumber party with my boys." 
 
 Snooki really is loving being a mom! 
 
 Bravo's Andy Cohen opted to prepare for the storm in New York City by "revisiting" pals in Dillon, Texas. He tweeted Sunday, "In preparation for #Sandy I am downloading 10 more episodes of #FridayNightLights" 
 
 Bethenny Frankel admitted she was "nervous" about the storm, tweeting: "People say sandy is worse than Irene. We're on the water in the hamptons & near it in the city. Both will be evacuated...Everyone be safe rather than stupid. We're figuring out where we're going to stay." 
 
 Bette Midler tweeted that she was "baking macaroons for the duration [of Sandy]. Hope it's over before Hulaween!!!" 
 
 We do, too! Sandy's already disrupted her fair share of events, causing cancellations on Broadway and numerous productions in the area to shut down. 
 
 Stacy Keibler hosted a Halloween bash in Las Vegas 
 
 Kim Kardashian, who hosted Midori Green's Halloween party Saturday night in New York City, made her way south before the storm hit. 
 
 "Back in Miami now," she tweeted. "Missed the storm. I'm praying for everyone on the East Coast. I hope everyone is safe!" 
 
 Ditto. Everyone, please stay safe during Hurricane Sandy. 
 
 Worried about the storm? Distract yourself by looking through Kim's sexiest Halloween costumes!
– Now that the worst of Hurricane Sandy is over, we can focus on some important questions like … what happens to Halloween? Don’t worry, Chris Christie is on it: He has now officially postponed Halloween until Monday, citing safety reasons, NJ 101.5 reports. “I can’t imagine that it’s going to be safe for kids to go around for Halloween tomorrow,” the New Jersey governor said yesterday, reports the Star-Ledger. He had earlier tweeted, “If conditions are not safe on Wednesday for Trick or Treating, I will sign an Executive Order rescheduling #Halloween.” That, of course, led to some amused reactions. (“Uh I don’t think it works that way,” reads one reply.) But the storm’s impact on the holiday is undeniable: Christie's not alone: At least eight Jersey cities and towns have postponed trick-or-treating to Saturday, the Star-Ledger reports. Good Morning America and Today both canceled the traditional Halloween specials they had planned for this morning, the Huffington Post reports. Halloween sales, which had been expected to hit $8 billion, will surely see an impact, USA Today reports. "Small businesses relying on last-minute shoppers will get hit," says a National Retail Federation rep. One such small business reports that the storm will cost it as much as $50,000, a good chunk of its profits for the year. Some Halloween events are still happening tonight, like New York’s Greenwich Village Halloween Parade, but the crowds are expected to be much smaller than those of a normal year. Other festivities have been delayed to this weekend or even next, the Huffington Post reports.