How to decorate your home for Halloween..

While we’re not quite as crazy about Halloween décor as our American cousins, there’s certainly an increasing desire to do more than pop a pumpkin on one’s front doormat over Halloween. For many, it can seem like a lot of effort to go to for one night, but we say why do it for just one night?! Adding some fun, spooky décor to your home for the few nights either side of Halloween will raise a smile with your children and, hopefully, your neighbours too, and we love to make people smile.

Here’s our guide to the top x things you can do to dress your home for Halloween…

1. You have to have a pumpkin, or three

There’s no need for us to go into detail here. Choose your pumpkins, draw your design on the side, carve out the top, scoop out the seeds and cut out your design. There are oodles of brilliant ideas on YouTube if you are at all creative. Use a real candle, or choose an LED version.

2. Hang up a few ghosts

You will need a few balloons, an old sheet or two, some cotton or wool thread, some PVC glue and a thick black marker pen. Take an old sheet and either leave it full size or cut it into two. Two is a little easier to work with, to be fair, but if you want a big ghost… Draw big black eyes and a gaping mouth, then drape over the blown up balloon to find the best position. Make a spot mark in the centre of the balloon, where you will need to hang it from, and remove the sheet. Then use your thread to create a firm loop stitched into the sheet, long enough to suspend it from a tree branch or archway. Use the glue to stick the balloon into the sheet, where you previously positioned it, and give it plenty of time to dry. 

3. Create a cemetery in your front garden

Surely there’s nothing spookier than a cemetery? You can make your own tombstones using foam and paint, but actually it’s easier, less messy and poses less risk to life and limb (those foam carving knives are sharp!) if you simply buy them online. You won’t be surprised to hear Amazon has a wide assortment.

4. Make a scarecrow

A feature in more than one scary movie, the scarecrow might require some effort on your part, but once he’s dangling from a stake in your front garden, it will be worth it. Find some old trousers, a shirt and a hat, stuff them with newspapers or straw and use an old pillowcase to create the head. Any face drawn on an old pillowcase is sure to be a little off, but the more lopsided and wonky the better. And then just a week later you can call him Guy and burn him on a bonfire! Win win.

5. Hand spiders webs, and spiders

You can create most people’s utter nightmare using fake spider webs scattered with plastic spiders, for less than a £10 spend at Amazon. Your neighbours may never speak to you again and your children refuse to come home, but hey, it’s Halloween!

6. Choose smiles over spooks

Rather than go down the route of terror, why not make Halloween a jolly affair? String orange lights around your porch, and fill a corner with carved pumpkins, autumn leaves and mini pumpkins and gourds. The supermarkets have pumpkins of all types right now, or you can find fun fake goodies in the shops. Going down the ‘real’ pumpkin path could lead to some interesting soup options, however, so we recommend that! Add an autumnal door wreath and you’re good to go.

Happy Halloween!

Eddie – Friday 13th October 2023 – (Image used from JP & Brimelow marketing team).