[DarkhavenManor]

After the huge success of 2014, I was so excited to begin planning for next Halloween, but I've had to stop planning seeing as we are now looking in to moving. As exciting as it is to move, I now feel as though I shouldn't be planning props, lights, or anything due to the fact that I have no idea what our new house will entail. I'll be counting on all of your pictures and videos of your 2015 progress to carry me through till I can finally begin planning and buying for the season. Anyone else ever been in haunting-limbo??

 

[cmerli]

I know the feeling. In 2014 we put the house on the market right in the middle of the season. This meant I could not decorate for the holiday. (the realtor said something about how dead things on the lawn might scare off buyers.) Since the house has not yet sold I am still on hold with new projects waiting to move.

 

[LairMistress]

I'm sorry to hear that. I have been there! When I got divorced a few years ago, I knew that we were moving halfway across the country, and exactly where we were moving...but I didn't realize that we'd be moving again shortly after. I did get to decorate a little bit that first year, but not much. I did not get to decorate for the next two years, though.

Last year was my first year "back" into decorating. I really missed it, and I still haven't gotten back into the swing of it. Now I'm only half excited and "meh, if it doesn't get done, it doesn't get done" about most things. I still love it, I just don't seem to have the time to make things anymore. Maybe as my kids get older, I will have more "me" time to do those things.

I hope that your situation starts looking up!

 

[Wolfman]

Don't be so quick to write off next season. Au contraire, the next place could be even BETTER to stage a Haunt. Hang in there...

 

[LaBruja]

Understand that limbo feeling. And look at the move as a chance to really take stock of all the crap..err..treasures..you have. ( I have been waiting for my job to end for almost 4 yrs now, I have packed up, shipped off to auction, donated to Salvation army, given to relatives, thrown in the dumpster..like two times now.Boxes are packed in one room and I get tired of looking at them so I go through them again,,get rid of more.I would do ebay or etsy if I had a dependable internet connection)

 

[DarkhavenManor]

Just went though all the boxes at the end of this year and got rid of a TON of stuff! I would've liked to see more go, but surprisingly, my mom was the one taking things out of the toss pile and putting them back into the boxes. Excited to have some new grounds to work on though once we find a place

 

[Tyrant]

A lot can happen between now and then. A lot of unknowns, yes. But unknown = potential.

 

[matrixmom]

Remember to check out your new neighborhood for haunt/tot potential!! Might be better than the first!!!

 

[LurkerNDdark]

Concentrate on a checklist for your new home:

outside outlets
storage space
balcony/porch/other architectual elements
minimum HOA interference with displays
high percentage of home with children

Your 2015 set-up could be even better than 2014.

 

[Blarghity]

minimum HOA interference with displays

Buy an older home so you can avoid this eternal hassle. They won't just interfere with your love of Halloween, they'll interfere with every damned little thing they possibly can.

 

[Terrormaster]

minimum HOA interference with displays

Or even better... Try to find a neighborhood WITHOUT a HOA. Because regardless how minimum they start out - they WILL be all up in your business eventually.

 

[StanFam3]

Yes, the year we moved from N GA to S GA had me in limbo. We did very little that Halloween, but went big the following year.

 

[DarkhavenManor]

Hoping that we'll get more TOT in the new place. We had right around 30-40 this year which was about twice as many as we usually get. Getting to see people's reactions to the display is the most rewarding thing, I'd love to see more!

 

[Defenestrator]

I can totally identify with this; we spent most of 2014 in limbo. Applied for the new job in January, and finally completed the move in September.

Once we moved, I had to get up to speed with the new gig, and get all of the stuff unpacked and situated (shockingly, I found that I had a LOT of Halloween stuff), not to mention nonsense like registering vehicles, changing financial institutions, etc.

Anyway, we knew it wasn't going to be our standard year (no big new props were built, no big party to throw), but we took what we had on hand, and made a bit of a Halloween gumbo with our jacks and skeletons.

I still spent the year doodling and sketching. I now have a book ready for 2015, and a whole new series of ideas to execute.

I guess what I'm saying is that it doesn't have to be a lost year at all....focus on the big stuff (the move, then new place), and continue to dream about Halloween.

You may not be able to do it all for 2015, but you'll have a big stockpile of fresh ideas for the following year, and you'll know a LOT more about your new neighborhood, and how to haunt it...

 

[booswife02]

I feel for ya. We did the same thing last year. I planned a big extravagant sleepy hollow set up for 2014 and we got orders out of the military over the summer. Ruined my Halloween plans. I still put out a small portion of it but nothing like I had planned. Our household goods didn't get shipped til Sept 15th. Moving to a new area we also don't have friends here yet. Couldn't really have my big party if we don't know anyone.

 

[lizzyborden]

That's what happened this year. I had big plans and a few props started and I came down with an extreme case of fatigue that I later discovered was one of my few symptoms of pregnancy. Needless to say my plans changed drastically. Next year is a bit in limbo too. My work year starts exactly a week after my due date and there's rumor that the business my husband works for will be closing at the end of the year.

 

[BlueFrog]

In just a few short weeks, I will officially be a survivor of The Endless House Move (Sept 2013 - present). My best advice is to use this time wisely as far as organizing and moving your collection. Now is a great time to purge props and costumes you no longer need; segregate those items into their own well-marked boxes so come next haunt season, you can easily locate and sell them. For those items you know you'll keep, group like items and mark the boxes with inventories of what is inside. "Like items" is however you need to define it: e.g., by theme, by prop type, or by storage location (indoor only vs. garage/shed). Proceed on the assumption that you won't have the normal amount of prep time next year as a result of the move, so do whatever you can right now to make your job easier on the other end. I also marked my Halloween boxes with big stickers of JoLs so they were readily identifiable from a distance; doing so should have made keeping them together easier even when using free labor.

Also speaking from experience: as much as possible, standardize your box sizes. I packed a lot of props in boxes that fit them well, but which were all different sizes which didn't stack comfortably. Big mistake. My personal preference is the "medium" packing box sold by both Lowe's and Home Depot.

 

[thenightmarefamily]

I have been there, i have 4 kids and when they were little i had to stop haunting for a couple of years, but now they are teenagers and they help in the build. it does get easier and even better when you can get a helping hand from the kids.

 

[DarkhavenManor]

More helping hands would be phenomenal! It's just me for setup and tear down. I will say though that my dad does help with the construction of some pieces, and he actually enjoys spending a day going out to all different stores shopping for props which can be fun with the two of us!

 

[Ghost of Spookie]

DarkHavenManor, I think you are throwing in the towel too soon on 2015! I'm sure you'll have a front door area and several windows and maybe a garage door you can think about decorating in the new "unseen" home. Get creative and pack for those kinds of settings now as you are going thru things. I've read a few members' posts where they got creative and set up Open Me First Halloween boxes with essentials. A few people moved in to their new homes right before halloween and still managed to decorate with some things by taking that approach. If you think you'll be moving to a house as opposed to an apartment for example chances are you will have some trees or shrubs and can plan for cobwebs and spiders or hanging bats or ghouls and ghosts. If you have a prop or two you can set aside in your Emergency Halloween boxes to position in a window, entryway, or porch you'll be ahead of the game and the kids will get the idea there's probably more to come the following year.

I know it may not be the set up you really wanted to welcome the new kids in the neighborhood to, but I sure bet they will appreciate that as busy as you guys were moving in and setting up your house that you took the time to put something out. And you'll still get to see the kids' faces when they come to the door for their treats.

Hope your family's move goes well and you have a lot of fun in your new location.