Whether you’re into natural cornstalks and scarecrows, smiling goblins or ghoulish zombies, Halloween offers an opportunity to pull out all the decorating stops!
It’s hard to overdo Halloween; you could argue that the more decorations you have, the more protection from evil spirits — or tricksters — on All Hallow’s Eve.
Here are 4 ways to decorate your home for Halloween.
1. Abandoned House
To turn your home in a creepy, deserted house:
- Decorate windows with artificial spiders and cobwebs
- Apply broken-glass stickers to windows
- Darken the porch lights with black lights or yellow bulbs
- Temporarily hang the porch swing crookedly
- Prop scraps of wood across windows for a boarded-up effect.
- If the first frost has killed off your summer flowers, gather dead stems for spooky arrangements.
- Add flickering electric candles in the windows
2. Kid-Friendly Goblin House
Have your children lend a hand with these craft projects:
- Carve or paint pumpkins to decorate porch steps.
- Use bed sheets or plastic drop cloths to make white ghosts.
- Make jack-o’-lantern scarecrows using old clothing, straw and goofy hats.
- Replace the porch light bulb with a black light.
- Hang homemade decorations made out of white paper on the front porch.
- Make a Halloween tree with orange and black streamers, strings of orange lights and homemade Halloween-themed ornaments.
- Add inflatable lawn decorations and battery-powered flickering candles
3. Gory Scene
If you’re more into tricking than treating, add these creepy lawn ornaments:
- Tombstones
- Skeletons
- Ghouls
- Monsters
- Rats
- Spiders
Or, put together a scary scene using old furniture, clothing and dolls.
Paint scraps of wood or cardboard to look like tombstones and hang scary-looking figures or silhouettes from the trees.
Finally, use a smoke machine and scary sound effects on the stereo to creep out even the bravest of souls.
4. Harvest House
Create a picturesque autumn scene with these decorations:
- Bales of straw
- Cornstalks
- Scarecrows
- Pumpkins
- Gourds
- Corn
Even if you go spooky for Halloween, keep a few pumpkins uncarved to enjoy through Thanksgiving!
Halloween Decorating Safety
Here are some tips to make your yard scary and safe, regardless of your Halloween theme.
Light Strategically
Halloween is all about darkness, but make sure there are low lights to guide visitors along the path. Pirate path lamps light the way with a scary touch.
Keep Walkways Clear
Keep decorations off walkways and securely tape down any power cords to make sure trick-or-treaters don’t trip over your decor.
If you’ve got low decorations or dangling wires from trees in your yard, form a barrier with tombstones or straw bales to keep visitors out of harm’s way.
Avoid Fire
Battery-powered candles work great inside jack-o’-lanterns, and solar or plug-in spotlights can be used to create creepy shadows and path lighting.
Never leave lit candles unattended, even down inside a pumpkin, and if your neighborhood has lots of trick-or-treaters, steer clear of bonfires.
Make ‘Tricks’ Just for Fun
If you have scary characters, surprise goblins or dangling spiders, make sure they don’t actually touch, trip anyone or cause harm.
It’s better to err on the side of pretending to trick, rather than risking hurting or really frightening someone.
Further Reading
- Encounter with a Ghost (article)
- How to Make an Easy Fall Window Box (article)
