2000 years ago the Celts and Romans marked the end of the harvest season with bonfires and other forms of firelight and celebrated the souls of passing spirits. Illuminating out of the darkness has long been an integral part of modern rituals such as Halloween and Dia de los Muertos, harkening back to early forms - Samhain, Feralia and Pomona.
Dressing up the home for Halloween today continues the ritual of coming together as neighbors. Whether you go big with your decorations or more modest, the simple act of doing so includes you in a communal gesture of warmth and abundance. At Illuminations, our mission is to help you discover new ways to live every day by candlelight, discovering new rituals and ways to celebrate your loved ones and create community.
The key to creating an impact with any decorating is to create focal points, and Halloween is no exception. When you think of where you draw the most attention to the front of your home at Halloween, you can identify specific opportunities to create strong focal points:
Front yard and walkway
Steps
Doorway
Front windows
We have many solutions to help you make a splash in any of these areas of the home and create an inviting welcome for your trick-or-treaters this year.
Front Yard/Walkway
Key Items: Lanterns and Stakes
- Define a boundary or a path by placing lanterns along your yard’s edge or alongside your front walkway, illuminating the way to your front door. Lanterns such as our Bat Lanterns can be placed on the ground or hung from lantern stakes.
- Place novelty stake lanterns like our Bat or Skeleton Stake Lanterns along a pathway or as part of a focal display in your yard.
- Combine novelty electric lights with candlelight to create even more fun!
Steps
Key Items: Lanterns, String of Lights, Garlands, Stems, Novelty Candles, Halloween and Harvest Props
- Use lanterns to line either side of the steps up to your front door.
- Mix and match with gourds, pumpkins or other props that celebrate Halloween and the Harvest
- Faux spiderwebs are always a nice touch for railings and banisters. Dress these areas up even more by adding strings of lights and garlands
- A nice centerpiece that is relative in size to the size of your front porch – made by combining lanterns, votive cups, etc. with harvest items and Halloween props is always a nice touch. Just make sure it is safe and not in the path of young trick or treaters!
Doorway
Key Items: Sconces, String of Lights
- In addition to spiderwebs and hanging Halloween creatures that can be hung around a doorway and from an overhang, add to the drama by hanging sconces and strings of lights.
- We have many solutions to get you started! Changing your front porch light from the normal bulb to a spooky red or blue will complete the effect and really help your candlelit entrance pop!
Windows
Key Items: Lanterns, Votive Cups, Tealight Holders, Novelty Candles, String of Lights, Halloween/Harvest Props
- Make your front window(s) a focal point too! This is often the first thing people will see when approaching your house, depending on how big you go with dressing up your yard. There is unlimited potential to dress up a window space:
- String lights around the frame of your window to illuminate those spooky spiderwebs. Our Color Changing Eyeball and Flame String of Lights will do the job equally well.
- Make a focal statement by using your window space as a stage for a Halloween centerpiece.
- Homes with bay windows can especially take advantage of this opportunity.
- Line multiples of candlelit items like lanterns, votive cups or tealight holders along the edge of your window sill. Just make sure you can do this safely!
- Create a haunted village! We have easy to shop, complete solutions to help you build a grand haunted village that will leave your neighbors aghast with spooky delight well after they visit your home.
The main thing to remember is to make sure your decorations not only create an inviting Halloween environment, but a safe one as well. Make sure to place all candlelit decorations where they’ll be kept out of harms way from small hands and costumes. Use your imagination and go wild! The simplest display can cultivate strong community sprit as well as the most outlandish. Create displays that are fitting for your personality and have fun decorating!
