Thread: Wait to put out decor? I'm two ways about this

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Hey, all my fine Halloweenies.

I have a dilemma. Or, well...for an H'ween fanatic it's a dilemma. (For anyone else, it's an indication that therapy and perhaps medication is in order.) Basically, I don't know whether I should wait until almost H'ween to put out all my stuff.

I used to put stuff out in September, literally...around here, though, people def. think that's weird, plus I got tired of it by October, which was a disappointment. So I arrived at the first of October for my outdoor setup. Generally, I've been putting almost all of it out at that time. I "tweak" things or maybe add something I find, buy or make up until H'ween but pretty much, the whole basic setup -- graveyard, playful skellies, pumpkins -- is up all at once, the first of October.

Some people on here have pointed out that they like to wait because the kids all come to their house to see what the setup is like that year, and they wouldn't really need to do that if their parents had driven them past the house a bajillion times before H'ween and everything was all set up in its gory and wonderful splendor. (Or, that's the upshot. Nobody has exactly said that, but it's a thought I've had, too.)

As for me, I've been trying SO HARD to get people around here *more* into H'ween and I've hoped that people driving by would think, "Wouldn't that be fun to do?" and go ahead and do it themselves. So I've been putting stuff up early -- I mean early by the average person's standards.

But...that means my setup is never a total surprise to the neighborhood. It also means that even I'm "used to" it by H'ween, making the actual day not as impactful, which I miss. But if I don't do it...the environment itself doesn't give me that "it's getting closer to H'ween" feeling I miss from the northeast, so that's another factor. The decorations give me the feeling instead.

I'm stuck, not sure what to do this year. I was going to set up a bunch of autumn stuff and maybe the basics of a cemetery, but without the candles and without embellishments, in early October but wait for H'ween night to pull out a few really awesome things. Does that sound like a good plan? Basically what I'm worried about is that if I don't put stuff up in advance, people won't see it and won't make a note to stop by to ToT.

This should NOT be that important.

But somebody humor me.

I start putting out the Fall decor first. Right after Labor Day. Then over the course of the following 2 weeks I put out all the rest of the Halloween stuff. Ive never got tired of it.

Used to put up my stuff on Oct. 1 but, like you, thought it was a tad bit early and wore off a bit of the surprise.

This past year, put it out Oct. 15th. Liking that much better.

i am like almost Sept. 1st and just simply ingor it and add more to it.

I start on or around Oct. 1st.
I would like to do the inside in Sept. to alleviate stress, but have yet to really get that to happen.
It takes me all month to finish because almost everything has to be put together. I have limited storage space so take apart my props and put in bins. That means lots of work putting things together. And to make that even more difficult, hubby will help "put away" the stuff to get it done faster and shoves shtuff in the bins willy nilly no matter how close of an eye I try to keep on him.
Plus we get rain so can't put out weather sensitive items and lord knows we get the occasional hurricane, too. Those make for a lot of last minute scramble. I tweek and add all month long, don't get bored with it and hate to take it down!

We set up our cemetery fence and tombstones a couple weeks in advance and the lights. The actual props get drug out and placed Halloween day. It makes for a lot of work but gives you that sense of surprise and also allows you to have it look like Halloween a few weeks before.

Last year, I started setting up the last week of Sept. Seemed too early to me, but I have to do it all by myself and it takes almost 3 weeks to get it all up. The neighbors love it when I start and have made comments as to how they love the anticipation of what is going to be put out next.

I tell myself every year that I'm going to wait til mid- October, but in reality set- up actually gets earlier & earlier. Heck, in a few years, I could be setting up in July.

Good luck, tho.

btw- by Halloween, I am very sick of looking at it. But the kids never are.

It takes me a month to put up and a month to take down....I start with the inside the first week and try to have the outside done by the next.....I put out all the foggers and more delicate items one week before so i know it all runs and looks how I want.
Then i hope the wind doesn't blow it all away, the rain doesn't ruin it, and the snow doesn't freeze me or the kiddos
I worry about this all way too much too! you're in good company!

September 1st-I can't wait any longer, besides I get to enjoy my stuff that much longer.
I too hope other people will see it and put stuff out. My neighborhood is very scroogy with the decorating. They can think I'm nuts, I don't care!

We always start putting things up on the 1st of October and then tweak bits of it as the month goes along. I don't get bored of the decorations, and I like to think that having them up the entire month of October gets the neighbourhood kids excited to come to our house on Halloween. I'd like to think that they tell their friends that there's an awesome house in their neighbourhood and that gets us more trick-or-treaters too.