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Neighbors reactions when setting up

4225 Views 35 Replies 32 Participants Last post by  njwilk
Just curious how everyone's neighbors react when you are setting up. We will see them checking stuff out as they drive by, but I notice many don't comment on the Halloween stuff if we say hello. "Hey, how are you?" "Good, you?" "Great". No mention of the giant building facade we are putting up. Or the big black reaper we were just carrying around the yard. Just seems so weird to me! Maybe they all just think we are nuts. Which is fine with me. :)
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They slow down and rubber neck, some even stop then leave, funny stuff.
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I started setting up later this year, so I get a lot of "It's about time" and "We were wondering if you were going to do anything?"
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It's been positive this year, many "looks good" and wondering if we are doing the garage haunt this year (yep and they usually give thumbs up or say "good to hear it").
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We have been the topic of conversation in our neighborhood. People who rarely say anything are coming out of the woodworks and making it a point to come to our house and talk with us. I love this time of year.
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They slow down and rubber neck, some even stop then leave, funny stuff.
This is pretty much what I see. Plus kids riding their bikes past the house a dozen times a day. LOL
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We have one elderly lady on our street who strongly disapproves of any decorating we do for Halloween. I can't remember what I was building the first time she stopped by a couple years ago but she asked "exactly what is your plan here?" I couldn't tell what tone it was said in so I answered her. She then proceeded to tell me that this was satan's holiday and I should be ashamed. She let her dog pee on my grass then went back home. I just stood there with my mouth open in shock. Then I ran inside and complained about her to my husband. We now tell our son "look! That's where a wicked old witch lives!" when we pass her house.
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A lady two houses down from me said that her girls loved my decorations. They have put some out themselves.
All of our neighbors enjoy what we do, including the elderly ones who live on either side of us. They always stop by when we start putting things out and the one lady comes over with her grown daughters and goes through the haunt on Halloween night. Never had any negative reactions.
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We have one elderly lady on our street who strongly disapproves of any decorating we do for Halloween. I can't remember what I was building the first time she stopped by a couple years ago but she asked "exactly what is your plan here?" I couldn't tell what tone it was said in so I answered her. She then proceeded to tell me that this was satan's holiday and I should be ashamed. She let her dog pee on my grass then went back home. I just stood there with my mouth open in shock. Then I ran inside and complained about her to my husband. We now tell our son "look! That's where a wicked old witch lives!" when we pass her house.
Sorry but I had to laugh. I could just picture you (although I don't know what you look like) standing in the yard with your mouth open after you have been blasted by an old woman AND THEN she lets her dog pee on your yard. Insult to injury...that's what that is...but funny as heck. :D

Marie
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Everyone in our neighborhood so far seems fine and I bet alot of them are relieved that someone is doing halloween so that they don't have to I bet.
Years ago when I lived on Clay St. ,the main road through this small town, I made a set of phoney window shutters on my 2hd floor window with a huge home-made skeleton positioned to look like he had opened the window from inside of the house and was scanning the road.
I cringed as I saw drivers jump on their brakes and saw the drivers behind them be forced to do the same or crash into them!
Then some would slow down to a" creep" and slowly turn up a one-way street going the wrong way!
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Our neighbors seem genuinely supportive of our decorating. Only once did we get a semi-dry remark about cars turning around in one older fellow's driveway, and that wasn't even that bad. We have some that are big fans and stop by regularly to see what is going up.

When Hurricane Sandy approached two years ago, my husband and I were out struggling to bring our most valuable props in the day before the storm... and out of the blue all the neighborhood children and some adults showed up and broke down our entire display and dragged it into our house in about four hours. (It took us three weeks to put it up.) They will never know how much we appreciate that. Our house sustained a little wind damage, I cannot imagine how much in ruined decorations we would have had without their help.

We call them The Kids That Saved Halloween since then. :)
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My neighborhood is always excited to see what is being put up. Never had any negative remarks on the display. If someone is driving by while I'm setting up, they will ask what the next project is on the list and when they can expect it to be done:D
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We have one elderly lady on our street who strongly disapproves of any decorating we do for Halloween. I can't remember what I was building the first time she stopped by a couple years ago but she asked "exactly what is your plan here?" I couldn't tell what tone it was said in so I answered her. She then proceeded to tell me that this was satan's holiday and I should be ashamed. She let her dog pee on my grass then went back home. I just stood there with my mouth open in shock. Then I ran inside and complained about her to my husband. We now tell our son "look! That's where a wicked old witch lives!" when we pass her house.
I laughed thinking "Yep and we sacrifice animals that pee in our yard".

We have people slow down and look and the neighbor kids walk by more often than before. We get a few thumbs up or extra smiles while we're out in the yard.
Our direct neighbors, like it fine. They'll give me thumbs up or nice comments. As far as the town, lot of people drive by everyday to see what's new, quite a few stop and look at the display, we are on a corner lot that gets quite a bit of traffic going by daily. People will stop and take pictures once in a while or ask to walk around. Anyone walking by when I'm out there stops and talks for a bit. I've had only one off comment this year and I just let it roll off my back and kept trucking.
This is our first Halloween in this house and in this city! Yay! We only started to set up yesterday, but we had one woman stop her car and say "love the yard! So much spirit!" Yay! And then a kid who was going door to door selling chocolate almonds told us he loved our decorations, and that they were "really cool" yay! First day of decorating and two verbal compliments in our new neighbourhood! Wahoo! We also got a lot of strange looks though...and our direct neighbours didn't say anything, but promptly mowed and blew the leaves off their front lawn...clearly they want no part in my leaf strewn Halloween fun haha (we have to share a front lawn space, so now there is a glaring line between the two properties....I think it's hilarious! Sadly, no one on our street has so much as a real pumpkin out. :( (I did see one pumpkin leaf bag though..... -.-
In general, when people walk by with their dogs or kids ride their bikes past the house while I'm setting up, the reaction is just a blank, dull stare, since that's how a lot of the populace tends to react to any novel stimulus. But every once in a while someone will toss out a compliment and that always gives me a boost.
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I actually had a few neighbors come and help this year. It's been fantastic. Cant wait for Halloween !!!!!!!!!
I will never forget the reaction of my neighbor across the street the year we decided to move from a yard haunt to garage haunt. All day that halloween he must have been watching and waiting for any sign of anything halloween. Late in the day he happened to open his front door as I was walking into the garage. Yelling across the street he said "Hey, no coffin? no nothing?" I opened the door to the garage and a puff of smoke billowed out. This man instantly turn into a boy and went yelling to his kids and wife... "It's inside!!!!!!!!! He moved it inside!!!!!!!!!!" LOL... And every year it just gets better and better. Happy Halloween :)
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