A Simple Plan for Halloween Decorating

Halloween decorating goes wrong in one of two directions. Either it happens on the 30th in a panic, or it starts so early that everyone is bored of it by the time the night arrives.

A rough schedule solves both.

When to start

Early October is the sweet spot for outdoor decorations. Late enough to feel seasonal, early enough that the neighbourhood is doing it too.

Mid October for indoors, which people see less and tire of faster.

The final week for anything perishable, meaning real pumpkins. A carved pumpkin lasts around five to ten days depending on weather, so carving three weeks out guarantees a collapsed one on the night.

Work outside in

Start with the approach and work toward the house. It is the order visitors experience it in and it stops you over decorating the parts nobody sees.

1. The path. Solar stake lights or lanterns along the walk. This is the highest impact thing you can do, because it is what people see first and it is genuinely useful on a dark night.
2. The door. A wreath, a garland round the frame, or something on the door itself. The door is the focal point and it does most of the work.
3. The porch or step. Pumpkins, lanterns, a few props. Group things in odd numbers and vary the height.
4. Windows. Silhouettes and hanging pieces read from the street after dark, particularly with a light behind them.
5. Inside. Whatever you want, but concentrate on the rooms guests will actually be in.

Decorating for trick or treaters

The priorities are different from decorating for a party. You want:

• A clearly lit path. People are walking up an unfamiliar path in the dark, often small people in costumes with limited visibility.
• Nothing at ankle height across the walk. Cables, low props and trailing fabric are trip hazards on the one night everyone is looking up.
• An obvious signal that you are participating. A lit porch and something on the door is the accepted sign.
• Nothing genuinely frightening at child height near the door if you expect very young visitors.

Decorating for a party

Here the priority is the room people gather in. Lighting does more than props: swap bulbs for something warm and low, use battery candles in clusters, and leave the overhead light off entirely.

Concentrate spend on one strong focal point rather than spreading small items thinly through the whole house.

Safety notes

• Use battery operated candles inside pumpkins and anywhere near fabric. Real flames and paper decorations are a genuinely bad combination.
• Check that outdoor lights and cords are rated for outdoor use, and keep connections off wet ground.
• Secure anything tall against wind. An inflatable or a lightweight prop across a driveway in a gale is a hazard.

Packing it away

Sort into boxes by location, not by type. A box labelled front door beats three boxes labelled lights, fabric and props, because next October you will be decorating the front door, not the lights.

Photograph each arrangement before you take it down and drop the photo in the box. Wrap fragile pieces and keep string lights wound on something rather than knotted in a bag.

Browse our seasonal and party range, and outdoor and string lights for the path.