I love to decorate for the holidays…any holiday! But I totally understand that not everyone shares the same passion…not due to lack of enthusiasm but sometimes not knowing where to begin! It can seem overwhelming to go all out with holiday decor…not only can it be expensive but what goes up must eventually come down which can cause us to avoid the hassle! I can’t imagine not decorating for Halloween, but as the years keep getting busier I don’t want to be under unnecessary pressure to create a holiday fun-house! And I don’t want to feel the need to out-do myself each time a holiday rolls around…those expectations add too much stress to what should be fun times with family & friends! Fortunately there are some simple ways to add some minimal holiday touches to a home…they’ll still look just as festive and won’t cost as much either! I’d like to share some Halloween ideas that are easy to put up AND easy to take down…’cause I really understand the dread of packing all those decorations away! So decorate as much or as little as you want…but you don’t need to pass on ALL the fun! I hope you can get some inspiration from my pared down decorating this season…my much simpler displays are still enough for me to feel the whimsy of this season without all the effort!
simply spooky…
one of my favorite things about Halloween is the CANDY! not just because i like to eat it…but it looks so festive all by itself in a pretty bowl or container! the only down-side to decorating with trick-or-treating sweets is that the containers will often times need to be replenished unless you’ve got some serious will-power! the up-side is, you can use the holiday sugar to make an effortless Halloween display! i used two glass containers filled with candy to decorate my dining room desk! a tall candlestick topped with a nest (from my spring decorating) & crow makes a simple but festive addition! the cute dollar spot treat bags make it even more festive & possible for guests to fill a sack before they leave!
if you love Halloween as much as i do, you most likely have a few favorite decorations tucked away in the attic! i have a small collection of antique trick-or-treat buckets…three to be exact! i used to display them in my china cabinet each holiday so they wouldn’t get damaged when the boys were little…but it’s time to mix it up a bit and set them out where they can truly be enjoyed. i decided to add them to my buffet which already lends itself to Halloween since our old skull hangs above it…
now you might say this doesn’t look super simple…but my point is that a couple favorites gathered together can make a simple display look anything but! i just criss-crossed two wool garlands and hung a paper fan from the bottom of both ends! a utilitarian tin sits in the middle, filled with fabric pumpkins and a strand of paper garland tucked in around them…
and on each side…bowls filled with inexpensive wrapped candy also hold a vintage treat bucket…
battery candles make their faces glow without the risk of burning my antique favorites! you don’t need a vintage collection…you could set any decoration you love on top of the candy! and by incorporating things that you may normally have out (like my serving bowls) makes set-up AND clean-up so much easier!
the third treat bucket gets the same candy treatment as his counterparts but this time on the small table in my foyer…
and hanging behind him is an inexpensive cardboard banner that’s actually hanging from the nails holding the photographs on the wall! so easy!
and you may remember my living room mantle (that i shared in late September) covered in paper fans & banners. it’s another example of using simple items to make an easy & spectacular display. but since it definitely screams “Halloween” when you enter…the rest of the room needs very little! i use my cast iron urn to hold pumpkins & gourds all the time…this year i swapped out the real variety for a terracotta version that typically sits outside! my patio lantern filled with fairy lights makes a minimal holiday display to the hutch in my living room without fighting with my more decorated mantle!
and speaking of real pumpkins & gourds…they’re always a great option for a simple set-up! pile them in a bowl or on a stand and you’ve got a wonderful fall display! you can even tuck in some leaves or berries right from the yard!
there’s plenty of time to enjoy some autumn whimsy…so get decorating!