[NormalLikeYou]

We have a neighbor a couple of houses down from us who's lived there for less than a year. She had company tonight & they were hanging out in her driveway. At one point one of her visitors walked up the street, paused for a bit & then walked back. I thought it was a bit odd. Then I realized what our conversation as we planned the placement of our Halloween tombstones (and it was dark at this point) must have sounded like. "We can put "Fred" here. And "Katrina" there and "Let Her Rot"...

 

[DaveintheGrave]

That's pretty funny. Bet they'll be surprised soon when you get your yard set-up!

 

[Ophelia]

Thanks for the chuckle! I'll admit, I do kind of like being the new one in the neighborhood. All of my old neighbors knew what to expect, I love breaking new ones in!

 

[stick]

I have two new neighbors this year. So this weekend will be something new for them when it all come out.

 

[Ravenfell Manor]

We're dealing with new neighbors this year as well. Sadly our good friend who lived directly across the street moved away this summer. She was always part of our Halloween. In fact she would turn off her lights and come over to our house to hand out candy instead. Thankfully she will still be coming this year to take part in our production. But the new neighbors are a mystery. How will they feel about how massively over the top we are for Halloween?

This isn't quite a normal year for us as sickness has kept us from doing anything new. Otherwise they would have already been subjected to our insanity, as I usually start building new props and such in the front yard as early as Aug. Our other neighbors are quite used to it and usually come walking by every day to watch as things slowly come together and try to decide what things are as they slowly take shape. I have had skellies in the yard sort of hanging out since Sept. but as of this weekend we began bringing out the big structural pieces- columns, mausoleum, fencing, etc.

The new neighbors have sort of glanced this way but it is difficult to tell what they think. They haven't seen anything yet. I really hope they appreciate the holiday. I would hate to have Halloween haters right across the street. To each his own I guess, but I would really like to avoid and drama or animosity. We tried to insist that our friend screen possible home buyers, LOL! But sadly she was kinda desperate to find buyers. Oh well! We shall see.

Good luck with yours!!

 

[HallowweenKat]

My new neighbor sort of startled me when he called Halloween & Christmas "pagan" & that they don't celebrate them. Although he said they'd get some candies for the kids.

 

[Always Wicked]

forget the neighbors.. how abt your father in law.. getting out of his car the first time he has seen you setting up and he immediately said.. .. "dont you think this is a little overboard"... his son and I have only been married 2 years.. the hubby doesnt mind .. he was warned i loved halloween before ...lol....

 

[annamarykahn]

don't worry what the neighbors think ... just do your thing ... i have a few in my neighborhood that don't "approve" of my yard haunt/display, but that's their problem not mine ...

amk

 

[sookie]

I had one years ago who didn't like Halloween, but she just stayed inside and turned her lights off. Most of my neighbors love it and hang out across where the pool is and watch covertly Halloween morning. Then when I am done they wander by and walk back and forth all afternoon lol

 

[DavyKnoles]

Personally, I feel blessed in this neighborhood. First of all, there's a ton of kids living on the block, which is definitely a good thing (it's not unusual to stop doing yard work sometimes and go skating up and down the street with them instead). Not only have a couple of them stopped to ask what we'll be doing new at Rose's Haunted Graveyard (that's what we named our haunt) but a couple of parents - y'know, adults? - wandered down to ask the same thing. And our next door neighbor, who never did much of anything for Halloween, has been decorating the heck out of his house ever since we started our haunt. He even brings his whole family and makes it an event to hang around and watch the fun.

 

[Palladino]

I live in a great neighbourhood. I know a lot of the people on my street and we all greet each other, often by name. My neighbours on both sides are fine with the Halloween insanity. One of them has lived there since I moved in. He doesn't give out candy or get involved but he always comments nicely on the display and never complains. The guy on the other side was new two years ago but he has no problem with it either. There are some new neighbours across the street but they have a houseful of kids which is great! I don't anticipate trouble from them although the haunt may be a bit scary for the littlest ones. Even the people in the next block walk by when I'm setting up to admire the displays.

 

[Blarghity]

I've been fortunate in not only not having Halloween haters on my street, but I've been a trend leader for most of a decade now.

For a long time, I didn't decorate at home because I was involved with various charitable haunts. But a decade ago, I got fed up with fighting at the door every Halloween. I like big dogs and they've always tended to be territorial. So I got sick and tired of wrestling with them at the door with a big bowl of candy in my hands. So I moved the candy distro outside on the front steps. The next year neighbors next door and across the street did the same. The year after that, about a third of the families on the street were doing it.

A couple years after that, I added non-jack-o-lantern carved pumpkins. Those spread the next year as well.

Then I started playing old suspense and horror radio shows every Halloween to entertain myself in the ToT lulls. The next year, someone started playing scary sound effects, and the year after that two people added campy Halloween music. I've since switched to Midnight Syndicate and the like because all the other stuff drowns out my stories. lol

I did witch lanterns one year and now Halloween lanterns line the street.

I put out reapers and skeletons about 3 years ago, and each year, more of those appear on the street.

Last year, I did the ultimate candy bowl, a steel casket with a skeleton, and the rib cage stuffed full of candy. Let the kids pick their own candy out, rather than handing it out. It was the hit of the neighborhood. Can't wait to see how people attempt to compete with that! However, I doubt they'll get have the town's police force coming around to check it out.

I do know I already have people (friends in other towns) planning on copying it to some extend.

But no matter what they try to do to compete with my awesome candy bowl. They won't win. I'm adding a haunt to my display this year, in the form of a spider web tunnel, filled with dropping and jumping spiders and a few other things. Little kids can still come up the driveway to avoid the scares, but they'll have to get past my new groundbreaker. Not your typical groundbreaker, either - it is breaking out of the dirt in a wheelbarrow. There is also a remote control spider to chase kids around.

And in 2015, when some of them again think they'll catch my coattails, I put up the haunted shack in the driveway. Maybe by that time, they'll learn their lessons and volunteer to help instead of competing.

No rest for the wicked! Catch me if you can!