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The Neighborhood is ruining my Halloween fun!

7K views 56 replies 50 participants last post by  cipher 
#1 ·
Back in the fall of 2014, I moved into a more expensive neighborhood than I previously lived in. Well, little did I know that the 100k price difference between the two neighborhoods was apparently "the line" between neighbors that had fun and ones that were stuck up. The people directly around me are supportive but the overall neighborhood is cutsie and trendy halloween decor each year not the graveyards and things I like to have. In the other neighborhood there were lots of kids and the neighbors would be out conversing all the time, not so much in my new neighborhood.

I am strongly considering getting rid of all halloween stuff. It's taking up my third car garage and I can sell it all and buy a convertible cash with most of it freely funded from the loads of stuff I have.

I just dont know what to do, last year was a disaster. I spent all day setting up to get 30-40 kids compared to almost 200 in the old neighborhood. I think this all is killing my spirit and my love of Halloween.

Any advice?
 
#2 ·
I only get from 9 to 25 ToTs, lol, and pretty much no one over in my area decorates for Halloween, besides a few houses with a few pumpkins, maybe a cute scarecrow, a fall wreath, window clings...that type of stuff. Regardless, we still decorate, inside and out, just for us! We enjoy it, so we decorate. We also have our Halloween decor up the whole month, that way many people get to see it rather than just the few kids we get on Halloween. I used to have good friendly neighbors...but not so much anymore. Some moved, other passed away, and now they are all new and antisocial. So I feel your pain, there. I can also see why you'd be upset at the loss of the amount of ToTs you are used to. The best I could say, is that if you love Halloween, decorate for yourself...and, also, even though you get less ToTs...think of the fun and Halloween spirit you are bringing to the ones you do get! Who knows, maybe as the years go on, you could get more ToTs by word of mouth that there is a cool house in the neighborhood?

If you really don't want to put on a big show of things anymore for your specific neighborhood, you could always just cut back a little, too...still decorate with only your fave decorations that make you happy! :D
 
#3 ·
I think you'll be sorry if you get rid of all your props. You have some really great ones. I love the pen writing in the book. Maybe take a year or two off. Spend a Halloween back in the old neighborhood. Get involved in your new neighborhood, and maybe you can get some of them excited about Halloween too. Don't give it up without a lot of serious thinking about it.
 
#4 ·
I spend nearly the entire month of October setting up, tweaking, and fussing over every detail for a mere 50-80 kids that come. Who cares that the neighbors are uptight and unsocial. You described my family there. lol. I do it for my own enjoyment, the kids that come by and the cars that stop to gawk are just a bonus. If you love doing it, then do the hell out of it. If you don't anymore then sell or scale down.
 
#5 ·
Maybe you could make subtle changes in your decorations to be more in sync with your new neighborhood. Can you incorporate some trendier stuff into your current collection? Maybe set the Martha Stewart-y stuff near the curb and then set up a more compact graveyard nearer your front door. I am assuming your move gives you a larger front yard? Maybe this is a good opportunity to set up a hidden gem for TOTs to discover.
 
#8 ·
Seems a little premature to throw in the towel after only 1 year in the new neighborhood. Would a few flyers posted in common areas increase foot traffic? Also, you could always invite your immediate neighbors over for a casual Halloween get together, grill some brauts, pumpkin ale, and socializing while enjoying the toters...we do that and it creates a party atmosphere that can make low tot numbers insignificant in comparison.
 
#10 ·
When i first moved to my town, Halloween was basically not celebrated. But we are a family of haunters and did what we do best. that first year we got around 10 tot at most, but every year for the past 20 years the word spread and the numbers kept climbing and the neighbors and town started following in the halloween spirit as well. now Nightmare on Barberry is the biggest halloween attraction in town with an average of 200-400 tot and patrons every year and we are not the only attraction in town anymore. It takes time and patience for word to spread but it will happen. now i get people who came to our house in the early years when they were kids bring their kids. Don't worry about getting to know the neighbors, I anti social myself and don't even allow people on my property except for halloween night, i just really enjoy my solitude, and your neighbors are probably the same way. don't take it personal, some people just like being left alone.
 
#48 ·
I agree. I've been doing haunts for a while now in my current neighborhood. When I first started, no one did anything in the neighborhood. Now there are probably around 20 houses now that has something other than just a light on. It does take a little while to get the numbers of patrons up. Last year I put a simple sign up on the main boulevard that stated: Brave Enough--Halloween, about a week before. So every school bus and everybody in the neighborhood knew something big was coming. The day of, I posted various signs around directing them to the haunt. I had around 300 people come through last year.

If it's something you enjoy, give it time. The kids remember and year after year, they will come back plus tell all of their friends.
 
#12 ·
well you had a similar thread about selling all your stuff a couple years back with lots of advice and suggestions, if your not happy with decorating and youd rather have a car, then get the car.

If you are happy decorating, do it for yourself, perhaps throw a party with the whole house done up, and or just get rid of the non essentials and keep key items that make you happy. Then you would have more space in your garage and less to worry about.

Every year the tots have been declining, we are not overly neighborly with our people here either, but the ones that do show up are very happy and appreciative. however, I do this for ME and my family. I love this holiday all year round and the joy of the decorations is what gets me. My family bemoans when we dont get a huge turnout, they want to have tots and their families recognize the hard work I do to set it all up, plus having tons of leftover candy is a bit of a drag.

But im fine with it all, I may have been bothered at first, but once I realized it didnt matter if anyone came or not as long as I got to spend the holiday with my family and doing what I love it made everything much better. If my family couldnt come, id be devastated, like one year their car broke down on the way over, but they managed to make it finally. I was so upset the car decided to die THEN, lol. But that was the only time I ever got upset thinking no one was gonna come celebrate with me.

Invite your friends and family for a big shindig, it will make you feel loads better. :)
 
#13 ·
Well , I know your pain exactly. Instead what we do is throw parties every year. When the kids were smaller they were all outside the home, (fun games scavenger hunts,etc) I invited all my immediate neighbors on my block. We hardly got any tot's, some years 5, some years 20, some years ZERO. So having a party really was fun for my boys and my entire family/friends.

As they got older, the parties were later in the evening, more dramatic themes/some fun themes (see my album) and more mature games.

Another thought, if your neighbors seem more interested, put some of your stuff on their lawn.

DONT THROW OUT ANYTHING YET - SOMETIMES THINGS CHANGE IN A YEAR or 2,3.
 
#14 ·
:( I have been the only Halloween house in my neighborhood and the surrounding neighborhoods for years. On Halloween night I have around 330 trick or treaters and people come from all over and tell me that they can't wait to see what I'll do each year. If I let the surrounding neighborhood dictate what I do, I'd be miserable and undecorated. You have to dance to the beat of your own drum, there is something to be said for being unique and one of a kind. I think this is your time to shine. Just wait, in future years your TOT crowd will grow and you will build a big following of people that love your style.:D
 
#16 ·
"Yer Stupid! " "That will never work!" Whata pile of junk!" "How do you sleep at night?" (Where do you sleep?") ... eventually became people trying to take the credit for my success! (Isn't that something!? )
Some people still don't "Get It" Too bad for them.
We have no tots, its a Haunted ,haunted house open every night of the year.
I have always tried real hard to Not copy other people's stuff. The house tour is also very different.
People drive many miles to get here (They kind of have to since we are in the middle of wonderfully quiet "No Where!" )

I laugh So much Here! Last night 4 previous "Victims returned ,then two young women,new to the town came in,they had no idea what to expect here,it was So Much Fun! "Money" is always needed and nice,but the hysterical times become etched in those memory banks and defy old-age forgetfullness!
I did it again last night . I made a man's face hurt from laughing So much! "Please stop making me laugh!"
the two Newbies Women did well and possibly thought the other four customers were all "In-on-it",they kind of were!
I do what I do here and I do have an audience and patrons and fans... if I had followed common advice. where would I be?
Do what makes YOU HAPPY! Enjoy every second of it,cherish it.
THE only way to live!

Jim Warfield Ravens Grin Inn www.hauntedravensgrin.com
 
#17 ·
I have been doing Halloween for about ten years now, weather permiting that is. I have a few friends over for a party and in all that time I may have had 5 toters. I do it because I like the designing and making of the props, and talking with like minded people in the forums. I do it because I like to . And some day if it becomes to much work for me I will stop. In truth I think most of us do it for ourselves and if we get some toters to enjoy it too thats just a nice extra. So if your having fun doing all the work that it takes and are happy with the results, keep on with it. I hope you hang in there, the people in your new area need to know about Halloween.
 
#19 ·
It's unrealistic to expect the same turnout at your location as you had at your previous address. If you have a set up that equals the value of a nice convertible car then keep at it, gradually(if you keep setting up in the coming years)word will get out and your numbers will go up, unless you have an HOA, you shouldn't care if it's not up to par with the surrounding cutsey,trendy neighbors
 
#20 ·
Years ago a young couple were looking at my house when one of them said:We used to have a Victorian house.... but we sold it .. and bought a Toyota....
"Priority's!"
If you want the fun of scaring people,a Toyota might do that for you,just drive it like a total Maniac!
 
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#22 ·
Years ago a young couple were looking at my house when one of them said:We used to have a Victorian house.... but we sold it .. and bought a Toyota....
Some of the original Star Wars figures are pretty pricey, so are you sure that it was not a toy Yoda that the selling of the house financed?:p;)

Worrying so much about having a similar display style as the neighbors sounds stressful... Go with what you find of interest, not the Joneses (Ackbars, Chins, Mugabas, etc.). If setting up is getting you down but you still want to enjoy Halloween, my suggestion is to take a break from doing so this year and visit a (hopefully) nearby area that really goes all out, a haunt or two, or a costume party. If you truly believe that a pricier car will make you happier, sell the goodies and go for it; maybe it will, since the high-and-mighty neighbors may very well like you better then.
 
#23 ·
I agree with boo who? Maybe you could tweak and downsize.

My new neighborhood is similar. I've always lived on a military base where everyone knows each other. There are a ton of kids and the bigger your haunt the better. We just got out of the military and are in our first civilian neighborhood. We moved in here in late September 2014 so I only got a smallerish scene set up and the neighbors acted like I had went overboard. They couldn't believe it. I thought what in the world would they have said if I had gotten the whole set up out!!! I was so surprised to see only a few houses decorated with like you said cutesy trendy things and a few Jack o lanterns.

I decided I do this for me and my family and the trick or treaters who have never seen anything like this before so I'll just be different. Maybe I can inspire a child to get the halloween bug like I did as a child

I don't live in the expensive neighborhood so maybe you could sell off most of your stuff, keep enough to set up a small display. This way you have the best of both. Something for you to enjoy but won't freak out your neighbors.
 
#24 ·
I think you're in the harshest part of MN in several ways, booswife! Haunts and decorations in general have gotten more detailed and more involved over the years, but even when I was a kid (closer to the Duluth area and up on the Iron Range) Halloween was a huge deal with decorations and community parties.
 
#26 ·
I have a similar story. The first year I was at my current house I got maybe 20 ToTs. Each year, more and more would show up. Last year 2014 was the biggest ever. I had a line going down the street the entire ToT time. Close to 500 kids and at least that many parentsl. Keep with it, word will spread. I have people that moved out of my neighborhood come back just for ToT. I can't tell you how many cars and vans pull up the kids hop out, they hit my house, and then back to the car/van.
 
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