How do you decorate for Halloween?

[plutotek]

Aside from the standard Jack O'Lanterns, do you decorate for Halloween? Graveyards? Tombstones? Characters? Anything from the sublime to the extreme? I make most of my yard decorations myself from scraps (old lumber/cardboard/styrofoam), as well as mechanical/pneumatic props that get triggered by sensors.

Caveat: This is not intended for debating whether Halloween is good or bad, but just a discussion of creative ideas.

 

[golfgal]

Nothing too wild-I have this "Marcus the Carcus" thing that looks like someone trying to get out of a grave that I put in the yard-it lights up and I have this torn fabric thing I hang on the door--oh, and a string of bat lights that I put on the porch. Inside the house I have more "fall" decor" but I have a few things that are Halloween specific.

 

[Angelhalo]

We have a light up skeleton that looks like it's crawling up out of the ground. Then we have a sign with funny spooky street names. Next the jack-o-lanterns and the general fall decorations like my fall leaves railing garland. Oh and I for the fog machine! I can't remember what else we bought after Halloween last year. I haven't pulled it out of the garage yet.

 

[LuvOrlando]

We have lots of stuff and I have so much fun with it.

I do ghosts dangling from the porch and little creatures lining the sidewalk in front. I have little cute critters scattered around the inside of the house and cute little placemats. I put out candy corn and make gingerbread like houses covered in Halloween candy with the kids that I use as center pieces all through October. We also do Jack o' Lanterns. I think Halloween is a fun American tradition, no more and no less

I have been looking for spiderweb cascade lights but can't find them anywhere so if anyone comes across them while shopping for decorations please let me know.

 

[tinashaver]

here is ours so far...

 

[Dismom+two]

here is ours so far...

I LOVE the bats!!! That is too cool!!

 

[ilovejack02]

I LOVE the bats!!! That is too cool!!

Where did you get the bats !!! LOVE LOVE LOVE

 

[kirstenb1]

Aside from the standard Jack O'Lanterns, do you decorate for Halloween? Graveyards? Tombstones? Characters? Anything from the sublime to the extreme? I make most of my yard decorations myself from scraps (old lumber/cardboard/styrofoam), as well as mechanical/pneumatic props that get triggered by sensors.

Caveat: This is not intended for debating whether Halloween is good or bad, but just a discussion of creative ideas.

OP, this is what dh does too. He has tubing and extension cords running all across the yard to coffin/Dracula, graveyard, and various guys that just pop up when people walk by. Some of it, he just has a spooky face that pops up, cloaked in a black box. At night, it's a great effect.

It's a lot of work!! But he really enjoys it. He stands near the top of the driveway, so little kids don't have to "run the gauntlet" of scary stuff. But older kids are fair game!!

 

[C.Ann]

Nothing too expensive or extravagant up here at the lake.. By mid-Oct. there's no one around to see it except me, the deer, fox, chipmunks, bears, etc.. LOL..

One year my DGD & I made a ghost out of an old sheet that I hang from one of the trees.. I have a few decorations that are ghosts, skulls, etc. that you stick in the ground.. I usually make a stuffed scarecrow - that I have sitting in a lawn chair next to my steps, but I think I'm going to skip that this year.. Of course a pumpkin - decorated by my DGD.. And a whole bunch of assorted window clings (some are even Disney!)..

Basically I'm just decorating for myself - so it "feels" like the season to me while I'm still here..

 

[plutotek]

OP, this is what dh does too. He has tubing and extension cords running all across the yard to coffin/Dracula, graveyard, and various guys that just pop up when people walk by. Some of it, he just has a spooky face that pops up, cloaked in a black box. At night, it's a great effect.

It's a lot of work!! But he really enjoys it. He stands near the top of the driveway, so little kids don't have to "run the gauntlet" of scary stuff. But older kids are fair game!!

He would fit in w/the group that I belong to that meets once a year at a campground for a long weekend to build props and steal ideas from each other.

As for scaring, it's usually the younger ones that are okay. The teens/parents tend to get themselves built up into a frenzy over what I might do. Had one 5 yr old that kept trying to figure out how the coffin lid was raising (I had a remote control). I'm always part of the display and don't make any over gestures towards the young ones, but like you said, everyone else is fair game.

 

[laracroft]

Tina I love your house! It looks awesome!


I decorate the inside and out. Me and the kids are big Halloween fans so we have a tone of fun. I do the front porch with lights wrapped around the columns, cob webs all over, scarecrows, crows, and pumpkins. I have a grim reaper hanging from the flagpole over my garage.

 

[Golf4food]

Pumpkin shaped orange lights in a tree in the front, a couple of small inflatable jack-o-lanterns, and we're going to attempt to carve one this year for the front patio for Halloween night for the trick or treaters. That's about it.

 

[Stargazer]

here is ours so far...

I absolutely love the bats -- are they clings, posterboard...?

We pretty much have the same thing every year, so here's pictures of outside from last year (haven't gotten around to this year's yet):

And inside:

 

[GothTink]

Our entire front yard turns into a spooky haunted graveyard every Halloween.

 

[luvflorida]

here is ours so far...

Even though I'm terrified of bats, I LOVE the way you used them to decorate your house! Very nice!

Oh, my grandson would LOVE this! He is a big fan of Snoopy and loves It's A Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! Where did you find this?

 

[AKL_Megs]

Nothing.

Well, we DO carve the pumpkins we have on our front steps.

Other than that, we have a cornstalk on our lightpost that we light up, an autumn yard flag in the front garden, and potted mums and late bloomers on our front porch. I plan on getting an autumn wreath for the front door over the weekend.

I just can't get into the Halloween-themed stuff.

 

[Stargazer]

Oh, my grandson would LOVE this! He is a big fan of Snoopy and loves It's A Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! Where did you find this?

I got it years ago from LTD Commodities, but I don't think they sell it there anymore. I did see it on Figis though: http://www.figis.com/gifts/offer.asp?offerID=113529&categoryID=1174&subcat=0

 

[luvflorida]

I got it years ago from LTD Commodities, but I don't think they sell it there anymore. I did see it on Figis though: http://www.figis.com/gifts/offer.asp?offerID=113529&categoryID=1174&subcat=0

Thank you so much!! I have a Christmas one that looks like it's made from similar material. It lights up and has Snoopy, Charlie Brown and Linus on ice skates. I've never seen the Halloween one. That looks like a great website! Thanks, again!

 

[aleask]

Love the bats on the garage!

So here's our small little display.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

I have candy corn lights in the window and some autumn leaf garland and a wreath on my door. I also set up some Disney Halloween tchotchkes on the window sill. That's about it, except for some mini pumpkins and candles elsewhere. Oh, and my Mickey trick or treat pumpkins I use to hold candy to give out.