I picked up a bag of $2 spiderwebs from the store to decorate our porch for Halloween. I cannot even remember the last time I decorated with spiderwebs. I was most definitely a child. Let me just say, stretching that stuff was one of the most entertaining decor elements I have used in a long time. I was giddy like a little kid.
For years now my husband and I have talked about roasting hotdogs and opening up our front yard to neighbors and friends on Halloween as a source of community. We have a few other neighbors around that night including one family who sits out front of their house the whole night with their walkway lit up inviting trick or treaters to come by. We finally decided to join in and have opened up our home to others in attempts of building up our neighborhood and creating a trick or treater friendly atmosphere.
So just a few days before Halloween (yesterday) I put out Halloween decorations. If you know me at all, I am most definitely a well planned ahead decorator. Usually come the end of September I would start thinking about fall decorations. This year I was just too busy and overwhelmed and allowed myself to let it go. What resulted was decorations on a whim and it was such a refreshing creative moment. No pressure. Just fun. It was decorating for me and for neighborhood kids and less about decorating for a blog audience.
Sometimes we need a refresh to the things we used to enjoy that slowly become an obligation. Every year I strive to have a stress free holiday season only to end up stressing myself out. As we move into the rest of this season, I want to take note of this carefree attitude and remember that this time is about being available to people and not just a laundry list of traditions.
Fake pumpkins and black birds create a spooky but welcoming atmosphere. And I just love our little skeleton bride and groom.
Though I still have two more bins full of fall related decorations, I settled on a few key pieces that created a big impact. It doesn't feel overdone. Just simple and spooky.
We may get rained out this year on Halloween, but if not, I look forward to the community that is to come through spiderwebs and hotdogs. And if you are in the mood, go get yourself a $2 bag of spiderwebs. Unleash your creative free spirit!
