Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!

[Osquito]

Anyone else really excited for Halloween?! Or All Hallow’s Eve, Samhain... What plans have you got for costumes, traditions or fall decor?

DS (5) and I love it! I think I love it more than Christmas, tbh, my partner couldn’t believe I had a mental countdown of the days until Oct 31st (72!)
I dislike most of the merch in supermarkets and am not a fan of ‘gory’ stuff, but love the dressing up, autumn leaves, candles, sweets and that tingly feeling in the air when you go out trick or treating. I also like the theory that dressing up meant the otherworldly folk wouldn’t realise you were a mortal (so wouldn’t kidnap you, or worse).

Brexit will have happened. I'm expecting actual marauding zombies. I will be barricading myself in with all the chocolate, spare diesel, tinned food and stockpiled meds while sticking knitting needles in a Boris Johnson doll.

My ds's on the other hand are planning gas mask based costumes.

Yes I found my people!!

My Halloween tree is probably more decorated than my Christmas tree 🎃

@Funghi honestly? No idea. Leaning towards creepy cat. Believe it's supposed to be a candy bowl but planter is so much better!

Love it!!!! 🎃 👻 it’s feeling a tiny bit autumnal in Scotland and the schools are back up here!

I love it, but Mabon celebrations are still to come yet.

@SecretWitch
We live in New England and the leaves have started changing. The light has taken on that mellow golden look.

I am so jealous. I have such a hankering to spend a fall season living somewhere in New England (possibly Vermont) and experiencing a true American Halloween. Is it as good as the movies make it out to be or is that all just a myth?

My birthday was last week and I spent my birthday money in TKMaxx on a giant ceramic pumpkin that lights up, a smaller silver ceramic one and a glittery cat-on-a-pumpkin. I would love to go all out and decorate the house, but I am slowly building up my stuff year on year.

Have ordered a witch costume for dd from wish. Maybe I should see ig I can find a broom...

"bellinisurge

You do know that something else is supposed to be happening on 31 October 2019, don't you?"

Oh darling you remembered?! I don't want a huge party, just champagne and nibbles for two or three hundred of my closest friends.

In reality we could all trick or treat in Johnson and farage masks.

It's my birthday, so I look forward to it and like the autumnalness and the pumpkins etc but I'm not fussed about the rest tbh.

Hate it and see it as another thing to tick off a list, something to just go along with ‘for the sake of the kids’.
We do pumpkins and the dc go out with costumes and trick or treat (only on doors with decorations or a pumpkin out).
That’s as far as I’ll go!
Previously have done big parties for the dc with decorations all over the house but we now have a birthday just a couple of days after and I can really do without the hassle. Only bother now for him as he’s the youngest and it’s still exciting for him.

I’m a huge fan of devil cat, Percy. I’ll be stealing your idea to use Halloween decorations as year round planters.

Currently at DisneyWorld and off to Mickey's Halloween party tonight so very excited!

When do u all decorate for halloween?

So happy to hear others are looking forward to it! What films put you in the mood? Obv The Nightmare Before Christmas (which I also like to watch at Xmas), but also Practical Magic, Beetlejuice and Casper (the Ricci film).

Larlar Last Oct was our first in this house and we’d been away right before, so I ended up decorating out front on day itself. I’d like to do it the Sat before 31st this year (especially if it gets the kids around excited to see it) but DP isn’t a fan and thinks it’ll be asking to get trashed by unruly teens (there are a few in the area known for that behaviour).

Anyone seen the work of Christine McConnell?

Outside I decorate on the day (although some of the heavier stuff gets moved into position in the days beforehand - I've got a smoking witches cauldron and a graveyard set up). Some of my homemade decs aren't especially weather resistant (my witches legs can get a little soggy) so they have to go out as late as possible.

I did window silhouettes last year, they went up earlier as once I'd cut them out I didn't actually have anywhere to store them.

We have a charity haunted house a couple of streets away from us, they start decorating early October as it takes them that long to get it all done

Hocus Pocus is my go to film Osquito

got to love a bit of Bette Midler!

@Funghi there is another great one I've spotted online, a kind of day of the dead figure in the same style. Need a trip down to my local. Keeping my distance at present as I came home with a coffee pod holder last week....

I either spend Halloween working, or once all the younger ones have been round and had their share of sweets I go to sitting in the dark ignoring the door so I don't have to part with the rest of the sweets.

I love Halloween.

We love Halloween😀
Only prob is we moved last year and can't do all my decs like we used to.😭
But we got lots of guisers and they liked our decs and pumpkins so looking forward to this year.

You do know that something else is supposed to be happening on 31 October 2019, don't you?

@bellinisurge I think OP is purposefully making an analogy of the horror of Brexit. Or detracting us from it. Or a journalist looking for ideas.

Or just plain mad.

I'm doing a brexit pumpkin anyway

With you OP, absolutely love Halloween.

@Osquito the best Halloween film has got to be Scream 😱. Without a doubt! Followed closely buy "I know what you did last summer".

I can't wait for all the Halloween activities in our local area. We're in Hampshire and theirs a place called Rogate Pumpkin Patch that is really great fun for kids, travelling fair, crafts, games, giant bubbles, face paint etc- it's so good! So I'm looking forward to going to that. Also pumpkin picking at our local farm then carving & decorating them. Our local playgroup does a great Halloween party too- I bloody love it!

We're currently renovating our house, our living and dining area is going to be HUGE when we're finished and I've said we'll definitely be having a Halloween party when it's all complete. So excited 🍂👻🎃