Decorating Your House for Halloween – Spooky Season 2022

Every year, it seems that when the clock turns 12:00AM on September 1st, it only means one thing for many Canadians: Halloween season is upon us. Now in mid-October, we’ve seen that department stores have been putting out seasonal merchandise since July, giving everyone ample time to prepare. With Halloween just around the corner, it is time to evaluate the different decorations and projects that you can take up, as well as the prices. How overboard should you go? Is there such a thing? We’re here to encourage you to have fun, not judge. Go for it.

Many people likely have early childhood memories of the house on their block that stands out every year. Maybe it is you. Maybe you want it to be you. While Canadians tend to be a little less elaborate in their decorations than our US neighbours who set up awesome Olympic Level displays in the Southern States like Florida, we are still creative and can have lots of spooky fun. ?In either case you should probably avoid terrifying neighborhood children. While sitting outside disguised as a scarecrow to jump at kids might sound funny, you might get a lightsaber to the head.

Who says string lights are only for Christmas? Depending on the colour you choose, especially purple, orange, some green or alternating, your house will exude that extra moody glow with the right lighting. If the old rule to only stop at houses with lights on still exists, you can expect a lot of visitors. Canadian Tire sells string lights in different shapes, like skulls, pumpkins, and more.

Something homeowners should look out for are the fake spider webs that stick to walls, usually made of cotton, as well as faux rope spider webs. These have been an environmental concern, because in previous years, pests like rodents or birds regularly get caught in these and are unable to escape. A great alternative are the “warning” or “danger” tapes, similar to those of a crime scene. These can be taped around your garage, trees on your lawn, around your porch, on your door, or anywhere it will fit. The tapes adhere to any surface using regular packing tape, and it won’t leave damage on your property. ?

A good classic are lawn decorations that look as if they are coming out of the ground. Common ideas include zombies, grave stones, witch legs, skeletons, and more. For $20 CAD, Amazon has a rather grotesquely realistic zombie garden statue that looks like he is crawling from the grave. ?

A smoke machine is a fantastic idea for creating an eerie Halloween vibe. For $41 CAD, Walmart’s online store has a 500W LED smoke machine that will make your property look like it was in the Thriller music video. Another fantastic option is Canadian Tire’s Mini Fogger Machine with 400W LED Lights for $79.99 CAD.?

If you are avoiding adhesive window decorations for fear of damage, fear not. Many window decorations now use suction cups. Fake blood splatters and bloody handprints can be bought from Amazon. Made with a sticky rubber material, these blood splatters stick onto your window and come off in one piece. Window posters are also common; these can look like there is a spooky silhouette coming from your kitchen window. If none of these appeal to you, the same string lights can be arranged around your window to create a spooky ambiance.

A relatively inexpensive and damage-free idea are inflatables. There are some great inflatable figurine at the Canadian Tire as well. This cute Inflatable Ghost Holding a Baby would set you back $149.99 CAD but its totally worth it.

Inflatables are silly, won’t scare children, and are affordable, making the ultimate triple threat decoration. There are many options that can be found at your local hardware store or even on Amazon. ?

Definitely try including a few Halloween carved pumpkins in your display!

Support your local small arts & crafts shops or individual craftsmen (and women) who create real masterpieces out of this fall fruit.

You can have fun carving one yourself. It’s a great entertainment and a creative outlet for the holiday, which is bound to make your neighbourhood squirrels and chipmunks very excited for the bonus Halloween meal.

Most Halloween decorations are relatively low cost and easy to remove with the only scaring they do is to your trick or treaters, not your wallet or your walls. With some care and a little luck, they can be taken down and stored for next year making it easier to add to your collection as time goes on.

Remember, just as the passing of September marks the beginning of the thrilling Halloween season, All Hallows' Eve marks the turn for the cold and bleary winter.

Before then, let’s have some good old-fashioned Halloween fun!

*All Halloween house décor images taken around Etobicoke, Ontario on Halloween circa 2019.