When Do You Start Decorating?

[Zombie-F]

I think the subject says it all.

I start working on the indoor stuff sometime in late September and try to have it all done by October 1st so I can spend October concentrating on the outdoor stuff.

For outdoor stuff, I start on the first weekend in October by putting out a few items. Each weekend, I put out more and more stuff to sort of tease people and give them a reason to keep stopping and looking. Then, when I'm sure there won't be any rain until Halloween, I bring out the rest of the stuff... the good stuff... the stuff that can't get rained on.

When do you start decorating?

[Sinister]

It varies in our household. Last year, Hurricane Ivan sort of knocked the festive mood out of everything, so I did little in the way of decor. I'm hoping a good portion of my medical woes are over by mid or late September so I can start in that month; if not, I suppose I'll have no choice but to start at the beginning of October. Man! I can't wait! I sure hate the Summer and always look forward to Autumn rolling around, my favorite time of the year!

[Vlad]

I've always put out the cutesy door decorations, wind socks, etc., early in Oct. But I take off from work and put up the real display on Halloween morning. That's when all the cutesy stuff comes down, lol. This year I'll be doing my massive front hedge with the purple and orange light strands in early to mid Oct..I might even start flying the axeworthy all month also, that's way out of the reach of vandals and thieves.

[Blackdawn]

I put up the basic grave yard the last night in September here. Then the fun stuff gets added bit by bit all month long. We host a huge party for the kids (65+ last year) the week before Halloween. That is the first time everything is set into motion for the season, kind of our sneak preveiw / use the kids as test subjects night. People tend not to mess with our stuff , probably has something to do with the gravestone marking the place of the last person to touch it :D !

[Vlad]

You're so lucky Blackdawn, I could never leave my things out that long without having them tampered with. Sigh.

[Mollins]

Well This year all the building starts very soon, hopefully in this week as Im back in school next week, the actual decorations dont go out untill the day of halloween

[Blackdawn]

My heart goes out to you Vlad, most if the teenagers on my street have grown up waiting to see my Halloween.They are kind of protective of the whole thing. We have kids that come home from college for our Halloween party still. One brings her kids back to attend. Halloween is a neighborhood affair. The old ladies bake cookies and come to see the kids, the old guys are always around to push buttons on props and see what would make them run better. Parent's come to socialize and just let their kids have a good old fashion Halloween. I guess that is what has kept me safe all these years.

[lipstikgrl]

well since we finally got a trick or treater last year. i will decorate starting september

[The Collector]

Around the first weekend in October I set up the graveyard and start adding piece by piece until Halloween and then it's the whole 9 yards of props...The inside gets decorated fairly early - it keeps me in the Halloween spirit...Can't wait to start setting up this year!

[SuFiKitten77]

This year I actually have a house with a great porch and yard to decorate, so I will start in late September so I have plenty of time to get everything set the way I want it :D I love Halloween and Autumn, also have to get all plans in order for a Halloween Party ;)

[Don of the Dead]

Oct.1st for the graves and cheap decorstions, day of for the exspensive stuff.

[Rhiannon]

Been buying and making alot of new stuff this year and am already putting the inside stuff in place....would probably freak out any nosey neighbors peeking in, but I'm aiming for a big party this year before Halloween and like to obsess over it as much as possible...makes my other half nuts...

[Zombie-F]

Unless our other halves are as in to this as we are, I think we all drive them nuts. :p

[writer93]

I usually start around the first week of October. About October 1st if I have everything ready.

[halloweengirl]

Last year I set up the last week of Sept.Yeah...my neighbors thought I was looney.But I dont care....they werent the nicest of people.This year,I would like to have things set up around the 1st week of Oct.

[writer93]

I noticed alot of people say their neighbors think and look at them like they are looney. Lol I dont know why, but here nobody really pays attention. One of my neighbor's is elderly and she don't pay attention to anything, and my other neighbor's do the same as me. I wish the whole neighborhood would begin around October 1st, but I guess I can't be THAT lucky lol.

[DeadSpider]

Unless our other halves are as in to this as we are, I think we all drive them nuts. :p

Yep... mine was right ready to divorce me last year... of course, until the night of the dance when he suddenly flipped the coin and was all gushing to anyone who would listen to him about how his wife had made everything, and wow she's so amazing... only to flip the coin again, and tell me he didnt want to see any halloween projects before June, and would prefer August. - So I went elsewhere to build. haha

Can't say I can totally blame him. I had a 6 foot creepy tree right smack in the middle of the dining room from July to October.

[slimy]

I see nothing wrong with a creepy tree being left out all year.

I'm going to start this year setting up last week in Sept. Rooftop items and pvc fencing first, then graves and more expensive stuff later. Some will have to wait until day of, but will have a lot of stuff out early.

[Denhaunt]

I think that you start off on October 1st with the little stuff. that means that I'll put out the cemetery fence accross the front yard and put up a few of the tombstones. Meanwhile, inside the house the webbing, wall covering, candle making, and prop positioning has begun.

By week two I've got my undead army ready to invade and they are spending every night creeping out one by one.

By week three the inside is done and spooky as hell and the outside is begining to draw crouds and low whispers. The undeads LED lights are going now and the fog machine is kicking in for the stray jogger to see and wonder at while he enjoys.

Stay tuned for week four...coming soon

Trick or Treat!!!

[Lady Nyxie]

Denhaunt... candle making... tell me more, please.

Originally my plan was to have house cleaned up/out by now and start decorating September 1... kind of got pushed back. Will do front window first (won't light until beginning of October) because Halloweentown goes up against the window on top of the full size box spring. Then the plan was to go balls out on decorating, but now that I read some of these posts, I like the suspense and adding some each week concept. The inside is what I decorate most and I think I will empty out a storage tote each day or so.

Being single has it's advantages... no one tells me when I should or should not put stuff up, take it down, build it or where I should store it.

[Da Weiner]

This year I'm going to start in the middle of September. I usually work on a little bit of both - outside and inside. I usually buy my hay, cornstalks and orange and black Halloween bows and when I feel I need to get outside for a while that's when I start decorating the porch and walkway. I have my Halloween music,a bottle of sparkling wine, and snacks while I'm pulling out everything from the boxes while I decorate the inside. It's the kick-off to the season for me even though I'm already buying things now in August.

[ghostie]

Each weekend, I put out more and more stuff to sort of tease people and give them a reason to keep stopping and looking.

I think that's brilliant. This is going to be our first big year with outdoor props. Last year we had a small graveyard and an fcg over it the week before. This year I'm going to leave the inside untouched because I'm lazy and after my big party last year, I was burned out before Halloween even arrived. Very bad. I kind of like a break visually from the decorations too.

But I think I will do the outdoor decorating piecemeal too. Tease them with the fence...maybe a day or two later the whole yard graveyard will pop up...Then maybe the bluckies. About two weeks before we'll bring out the fcg's at dusk and bring them in around ten so they're more of a figment of peoples imaginations. Then on Halloween morn we'll bring out our witch, large reaper, and animated accessories for the big night...:ninja:

[Wildomar]

Last year I didnt actually put out anything until mid morning on Oct 31 since my better half made demands of me to revamp the bathroom... she was 6 months pregnant and I aint crazy enough to engage in one of those homonal arguments. That was way too much set up for one night!! :eek: But typically (this year included) I start really getting involved with the projects by early August. By October 1st, the first of the boxes are down from the rafters and the lighted doo-hickies (flicker flame canadalabras etc.) and pumpkins are in the windows. This is a recent neighborhood for my wife and I (moved in two years ago) so I am not sure how much I trust the neighborhood kids to just look but not touch. Guess I will find out this year... although last year we were declared as being "so pimp" (said with some satisfaction) by one of the neighborhood teenagers... I think that was some form of approval. ;) We'll see. :D

[writer93]

I usually have everything im going to have out around the middle of October. In the past I have waited until the middle of October to even start, but not anymore.

[wormyt]

I will be starting after this weekend. Kids and I going outta town but when we return...watch out. Usually the end of Sept is when I do begin but Im gonna have to start now because of working two jobs now and my time is cut short for decorating. Cides Ive already ad folks asking me if I will be doing up my yard again and when. Soooooooooooo cant let folks down ya know. So Little by little I will transform my yard by the end of Sept lol

[otherworldly]

I've started inside already and outside I'm going to start putting things out Oct.1 - at least that's the plan. We'll see if I can wait that long!

[lord_tici_taci]

My usual schedule is this Late Augest-Mid September:dollar store props; Mid September-October:bluckies, old tombstones, a few of my cheaper creations; then two weeks of putting out most of my static props and lights; third week is more expensive "bought" things (ACC products); and finally the animated or fragile props the day of Halloween.

[Denhaunt]

Denhaunt... candle making... tell me more, please.

Originally my plan was to have house cleaned up/out by now and start decorating September 1... kind of got pushed back. Will do front window first (won't light until beginning of October) because Halloweentown goes up against the window on top of the full size box spring. Then the plan was to go balls out on decorating, but now that I read some of these posts, I like the suspense and adding some each week concept. The inside is what I decorate most and I think I will empty out a storage tote each day or so.

Being single has it's advantages... no one tells me when I should or should not put stuff up, take it down, build it or where I should store it.

Hey Lady Nyxie,

Candle making is fun and can save you a little money around this time of year. Most arts and craft stores have all the stuff you need. Just get some wax (parafin), dyes (they sell little pieces of colored wax for this purpose), and even scents (if desired). Heat up all the ingredients in a pot and (carefully) pour them into the mould. You can shape the candles with home made moulds or store bought -we opt to make ours with toilet paper rolls but I'm sure you could get much more creative (skulls, pumpkins, etc...). It might be a good idea to buy a "cheapy" pot for this because the wax is oily and kinda leaves a smell.

Hope this helps -have fun!

[Spooklights]

I usually start decorating inside in the middle of September, and I do the yard the last weekend in September. I thought that was kind of early, since I'm the only person in my neighborhood who decorates, but I see a lot of folks have their decorations out sooner. Maybe I will put mine out earlier this year. I enjoy seeing the place decorated, so why not?

[Dreadnight]

I'll usually put a decayed pirate bucky up on the window ledge above our garage, facing the street, about two weeks before H night. That's the teaser.... just to build the excitement for the kids in the neighborhood. Then I do a three-day gradual build up, putting out more stuff each day before Halloween. The wrecked ship will be out the day before Halloween. This way, I'm all done by Halloween day and on that day I can take photos, concentrate on makeup and costumes for the live "pirates", and hook up the pneumatics.

[writer93]

Anybody begin decorating outside yet? It's September 2!!

[slimy]

Don't remind me that it's September already. Not enough time.....go back to August for at least a week.

[GhostlyBride]

I wanted to start decorating the other day, but was afraid I'd get funny looks from the hubby(he's not into Halloween as much as I am.. :D ) :o but now I just might start small(silk autum leaves and the like, not quite Halloween-y yet) and gradually add to that(for the indoors, that is, the outdoors won't get worried about until later, and will just be the usual fake spiderwebs :) though maybe I might throw together some kind of spooky figure to sit on the porch this year.. )

[Da Weiner]

Now that Labor Day is over, I do put up a fall wreath on the doors and fall silks. Just priming the pump!!! I have been already getting looks and grunts from the hubby especially when I come home with something Halloween from the store. Even though he is OK with my "Halloween Thing", he probably feels it may be tooo early yet. That's his problem - not mine.

[Johnny Thunder]

We planted our first mums of the season this past weekend (now that some of the summer flowers are past their prime), and I planted a huge purple mum in the barrel outside our door. I stuck a little scarecrow in too. That's as far as I've gotten so far.

[Zombie-F]

I started decorating yesterday. I dug the hole for the signpost in front of the house and planted it in its spot. My wife was not the least bit surprised. :p

[nicole]

the only thing that I have done is get some mums for the color. We are camping this weekend and the theme of the weekend is halloween. you dress us, decorate you campsite, and win money for stuff. all the kids TOT on saturday night. really neat stuff. after this weekend is when I will start setting up.

[HauntedHacienda]

I like to start in the 2nd weekend of October, just to make certain that we are completely ready to go.

[Moon00]

We're still pretty new to doing home haunts so our display has been pretty small the past couple years. Usually we put small things out the first week of October, like pumpkins and such and then set up the full display the morning of TOT night (which unfortunately is on the 26th rather than the 31st).

However this year our yard display is going to be larger and more detailed. So I think we'll start setting up lighting and things like that the second week of October and then start setting up props the week leading up to TOT night. That way everything gets set up correctly without having to rush.
Rushing has been one of our main problems in previous years by setting everything up too late. I always run out of time to do little things like taking photo's and video of the display and decorating our foyer nicely which is where we actually hand out the candy.

[sharpobject]

Couldn't wait - lots to do. Put up the cemetary, put out some coffins, made and put up the boarded up windows. I have lots of projects in the works to add - so I wanted to get an idea of how it would look.

[Uruk-Hai]

I've got a party planned for the 26th so I'll be setting up on the Saturday before Halloween. Some stuff will go up earlier like the indoor window display and my new haunt sign (if I can finish it!) but most will be that day. After the party some things will be put in the garage for the week and then everything will be set day of. In previous years I've always left the lights til last as depending on where the props get set up the lights will shift but I think I'll set them up early as well and if I need to to move them around I can.

[Spooklights]

I'm happy to say that I'm decorating right now. Just the inside of the house...the yard will get started this weekend. Weather looks like it's going to be good, so why not? I had a Mom tell me, last year, that she wished I would decorate a little earlier, because her kids pestered the life out of her, wanting to go by my house to see if my stuff was out yet. It's great to be popular!

[Devils Chariot]

I got some of those white light up pumpkins at target and put them out in the living room on sunday sept. 14th.

[corner haunt]

I decorate a day or 2 before the event. We have a party too, so if the party is before Halloween, that is when it gets done.

[rbrittigan]

I put up the enclosure about 2 weeks out (portable garage, 10'X20')
I hang black cloth everywhere on the inside & open it from the back, leaving the front zipped. Signage goes out week of - I have that week off. :)
That's when everything gets setup - nobody messes with the stuff - of course, I live across the street from a cop...

[eanderso13]

My fence, columns and arch are already up...did it last weekend at my fiancee's constant nagging (I guess it's OK when she nags about putting Halloween stuff up). The FCG will probably find it's place in our front window this weekend and be on a timer every night for all the walkers to gawk at.

[Turbophanx]

My HOA says no decorating more than 30 days before or after the holiday. So OCT 2nd they go up.

[Spooky1]

My HOA says no decorating more than 30 days before or after the holiday. So OCT 2nd they go up.

My HOA has the same rule. My wife also says nothing before October. We've got to finish our MacGuiver project first anyway. So I'll start with a few things indoors first, then start outside a week or two into October. The bulk of the outside stuff goes up Halloween day.

[kevin242]

September 27, 2008. The Pillars of Pain and fence are going up...

[Spooky1]

Not soon enough!

[Daddy's Little Corpse]

I go to work on window decor, wreaths and such as soon as I can-- which means I have to double check with the other house occupants to see if it's okay with them. Usually early to mid-october. Everything else goes up on Halloween day, but this year since we're building a fence I guess that'll go up a couple days ahead of time. *crosses fingers*

[joker]

Either the last weekend of September or first weekend of October. At least for the things the general public sees. The maze for my walk through get started much earlier.

[divaann]

Usually about now is when I start to put up my fall-ish decorations. It is usually my leaves, mums and pumpkins and scarecrow. I want to give the front porch a good pressure washing first so maybe that will come Saturday. Then as the days tick closer to the big day I put out my more spookier stuff. I think though I'm going to wait till about 2 weeks before to do this. I want to wait till after our we go to Gettysburg so there won't be any vandelism. Not that we had some before but better safe than sorry. Also being that here on Hickory Hill we have terrible winds that tend to blow things into the fields and I don't want to come home and find things blown away.