If there is ever a time of year
when the ghosts and goblins roam the streets of the
modern world, that time would be Halloween. Today's
ghost and goblins are probably a little more frightening
than at any other time in history but they are often
tempered by a princess seeking frogs and a few witches
and wizards along the way. Halloween is a great day to
be a kid but can also be a great day for grown ups as
well. Decorating for Halloween can be almost as fun as
going out and begging for candy any day of the week.
Besides, having a well decorated home for this holiday
gives you the perfect excuse to scare the evil out of
some young ghoul or vampire that thinks he or she has
the market cornered on frightening. The really cool
thing about decorating for Halloween is that it is not
one size fits all. You are perfectly free to find some
very scary home decorations for this delightful holiday
or take on a kinder, gentler, more kid friendly style of
decorating. Either decision is yours and yours alone and
should carefully monitor the scare-ability of your own
children when deciding. You certainly don't want them
afraid to come home.
For a more frightening Halloween scene you will probably
want to use some strobe lights, frightening music and
sound effects, dry ice in order to incorporate spooky
fog, and plenty of spider web type netting in order to
give those who dare approach your door bells a complete
and thorough case of the willies. Doesn't this sound
like so much fun? Coffins with headless straw men are
also a great addition as well as skittering spiders and
the occasional chainsaw or two. A glow in the dark
hockey mask may also be a good choice. Bodiless heads
suspended by fishing wire are also quite the highlight
for a true and robust fright.
If your goal is to create a kid friendly Halloween
atmosphere there are cheerful pumpkin decorations that
can be found in many shapes and sizes as well as Casper
the friendly ghost, Frankenstein piņatas, and countless
other fun party favors that are designed to bring
entertainment and delight rather than terror and far.
String pumpkin lights around the porch for added
lighting and another friendly face in addition to
keeping plenty of candles and lanterns lit nearby. Not
all trick or treaters are older kids who appreciate a
good scare so keep this in mind as the little ghosts,
goblins, princesses, and super heroes arrive.
For adult gatherings all bets are off when it comes to
home decorating for Halloween. There are all kinds of
themes that can be followed from the incredibly zany and
outrageous to the frightening or flamboyant. The biggest
suggestion in these matters is to have fun at all times
and bring the be the life of the party rather than
having the decorations upstage your efforts. Far too
many people spend more time concerned with how they will
decorate their homes rather than wondering how they will
decorate themselves for the festivities. If you find the
perfect costumes all eyes will be on you and not your
decorations.
Favorite suggestions for adult parties would include
strobe lights, much like the frightening scene described
above, low additional lights, perhaps black lights near
the food and drink area of the party. More dry ice (if
tolerable some people have difficulties with the smell
particularly those with allergies or asthma so you may
want to avoid this inside your home and leave it for the
exterior). Bales of hay in the corner make excellent
additional seating and can contribute to the
harvest/autumn/Halloween atmosphere you are attempting
to create. Just remember that the underlying goal is for
you and your guests to have a great time. Have good
food, good music, and good friends, and the decorations
really and truly should be a secondary concern.