Set up in stages. Start with lights. Change them all out (we do ours for the first day of October).
Then in the next week, small additions: maybe the fence goes up if you have one, and if you don't, consider adding. The visual barrier is a great psychological deterrent for some reason. Most kids or teens would think hard about crossing over a fenced area just because subconsciously it does make them feel like they are trespassing/violating a closed space.
Add in the cheap or easily replaced stuff within the first week. And then wait and see how that goes. Anything you add that you really like or would have difficult replacing, you may want to hold back until the week of Halloween. You likely can get a good idea if you give it til about mid October with the cheapy stuff, but if you can't stand the staged setup idea, make sure to secure the good stuff well. Zip ties, wire clothesline or other methods to tie them down or hang in trees or on the house structure, and mark/brand all the cool stuff in a not easily accessed location (take photos) so you can identify it if disappears and shows up in someone else's yard. Light up well.
I personally won't put out any prop that I would be upset about losing unless I'm in my yard with them, but that's me. I kind of love the idea that my yard looks "nice enough" with the basics and cheap stuff, but then really gets amazing the night of Halloween, and then it's GONE by the morning. Sort of more magical that way.
Then in the next week, small additions: maybe the fence goes up if you have one, and if you don't, consider adding. The visual barrier is a great psychological deterrent for some reason. Most kids or teens would think hard about crossing over a fenced area just because subconsciously it does make them feel like they are trespassing/violating a closed space.
Add in the cheap or easily replaced stuff within the first week. And then wait and see how that goes. Anything you add that you really like or would have difficult replacing, you may want to hold back until the week of Halloween. You likely can get a good idea if you give it til about mid October with the cheapy stuff, but if you can't stand the staged setup idea, make sure to secure the good stuff well. Zip ties, wire clothesline or other methods to tie them down or hang in trees or on the house structure, and mark/brand all the cool stuff in a not easily accessed location (take photos) so you can identify it if disappears and shows up in someone else's yard. Light up well.
I personally won't put out any prop that I would be upset about losing unless I'm in my yard with them, but that's me. I kind of love the idea that my yard looks "nice enough" with the basics and cheap stuff, but then really gets amazing the night of Halloween, and then it's GONE by the morning. Sort of more magical that way.
