This year’s Halloween display is one for the books, for sure! I’m afraid I went way over budget, a sort of last hurrah as I turn 65 and am shifted from essentially free healthcare via Medicaid, to rather expensive Medicare. Before this milestone becomes a headstone, I made a final foray into seasonal tchotchke.
Pride of place goes to my new life-size Reaper statue, which was the most expensive single decorative item I have ever purchased, by several orders of magnitude. Had I stopped there, things mightn’t have been too bad, but I followed up this purchase with a virtual buying spree, ordering everything online from vintage blow molds to glow-in-the-dark bats. In-person purchases were up, too, as I scoured the increasingly diminished brick-and-mortar retail spaces for yet more grist for the Halloween mill.
As I result, not only did I add several new installations to the outdoor display, but the guest room is now fully decorated, and I had to open my own bedroom for display as well, to accommodate all the newbies.
What follows is the next best thing to an on-site tour, minus the hot mulled cider and spice cookies. Enjoy, and Happy Halloween!
A bat’s-eye view of the dying room, err, living room, decked out in Halloween splendorOverview of the living roomView of the front door entrancewayThe archway into the kitchen/dining area
As a celebration of the dead, Halloween decor naturally inclines to the macabre; skeletons, as the physical remains after death, are a common theme.
Overview of main skeleton displaySkulls predominate on these shelvesSkeletons and Grim Reapers cluster in gruesome reverie
The surviving nonphysical component after death is often symbolized by a ghost, another major Halloween theme.
Overview of the main ghost displayAn enclave of the Vintage ’50’s Children’s Halloween Party scene is embedded in the ghostly hostGhosts, ghosts, and more ghosts!Detail of a ghost shelfSurrounded! These kids little know what horrors await when they step out that door
What would Halloween be without witches? And where there’s witches, can cats be far behind?
Overview of witch/cat displayThree new blow molds accent this corner, with witch, skull stack and cauldron lighting up the displayCats and skeletons share the prime real estate above the TVOverview of witch/cat displayThis new metal porch sign fits snugly into the existing displayCats on pumpkins guard the approach to the stairway
The kitchen and dining room is an eclectic mix of themes.
Most of the paper goods in the collection find their way into the kitchen, as this large witch image attests, flanked by some of the new GITD batsA more 3D witch alights on the chair by the archway, complete with feline familiarThe door to the laundry boasts a mini-skeleton collectionA view of the kitchen side of the archwayMagnets and window clings adorn the refrigerator, topped with a collection of metal jack-o-lanternsA collection of wood block pieces over the kitchen sinkThe dining table set for my 2025 Boofest party
Moving along on our tour, it’s time to assail the second floor!
The hall is home to vampires, bats and wall hangingsThe vampires have a new master, eyeing them watchfully from aboveDetail of the vampire collection
Bloodsuckers of all types dominate the upper floor; the bathroom is the Kingdom of the Spiders!
Don’t get too comfy on that commode; you never know what might drop in!Ooops! We’ve surprised Clyde in the midst of his ablutionsA cackle of witches
The guest room has become the “HH Suite” for the holiday – here you’ll find Haunted Houses, Headless Horsemen, and the Halloween Hutch!
Overview of the bed displayPart of the metal haunted house collectionCeramic cookie jars and resin hauntings aboundOverview of the headless horsemen collectionHeadless horsemen detailWindow treatment in the guest roomHalloween Hutch overviewThis close-up shows shelves divided into cats in pumpkins, skeletal imagery, and vampires
So much to display, so little room! My bedroom was taken over by the collection this year, too!
No rest for the creepy!The vampires are on candy duty for trick-or-treat, with boney treats for all!The skeletons have already finished their shift at the door, now kicking back with a few bedtime stories and fave videosGhoulish trick-or-treaters approach with trepidation, but Mama Ghost is watching from behindA quiet moment with the family cat
That’ll do it for the haunted house, but there’s lots more in the cemetery garden!
Funding shortfalls have led to drastic cuts in the landscaping budget; you might say we’re down to just a skeleton crew!Passing an idle moment with a few furry friendsIt’s hard to keep a good ghoul down!
Dead Lovers Lane received a makeover this year, after the triple trunk birch clump was largely removed, necessitating a consolidation of the bat tree, and making space for another couple enjoying the pleasures of the flesh, sans flesh
Our old reliable foursome, caught in flagrante relictoA new couple makes their debut, egged on by the Spirit of CarnalityOur Creeping Tom got an upgrade this year, in the form of a penile implantTalk about a boner! A section of spinal cord does double duty as a skeletal phallus
From the tasteless to the tasty – Trock-or-Treaters queue up for their share of spiders & mice.
A tentative ToT reaches for his treatThe ongoing drought has prevented me from using the cemetery fencing for years with the ground too parched to insert it, but a last-minute deluge softened it enough to bring out the spooky railing
The most heavily populated section is the Last Stop Cemetery, used as a communal gathering space by the skellies.
The dog walker, complete with pooper scooperA bit of drama here: will the dog drop the bone and go for the squirrel?Mama shows Junior the birdbathSunday in the Park with GoryChillin’ with the boysOffering a helping handBereaved father brings his twins to visit their decaying mom on Dead Mother’s Day
The display on the top of the sandmound got a major upgrade this year, with the new Reaper statue and several accompanying skellies.
The approach gives glimpses of what’s to comeRevelers at the Dirt Nap Cafe enjoy their usual aperitifNot all birdbaths have birds…The Reaper rules!Our frustrated gravedigger can’t seem to catch up – no sooner does he dig them in, than they’re crawling out again!
Alex Miller is a professional writer and astrologer, author of The Black Hole Book, detailing deep space points in astrological interpretation, and the forthcoming Heaven on Earth, a comprehensive study of asteroids, both mythic and personal. Alex is a frequent contributor to “The Mountain Astrologer”, “Daykeeper Journal”, and NCGR’s Journals and “Enews Commentary”; his work has also appeared in “Aspects” magazine, “Dell Horoscope”, “Planetwaves”, “Neptune Café” and “Sasstrology.” He is a past president of Philadelphia Astrological Society, and a former board member for the Philadelphia Chapter of NCGR.
Wow! Alex, you out did yourself!! There’s a lot to look at! A kids delight
for sure! …and the kid within:) Thanks for sharing – smile ‘Happy Halloween!
Wow indeed! You have been very busy! The Reaper was worth it! I don’t understand the intricacies of US health care but I hope it all works out for you. Great job! It should be on the TV news or something so even more people can enjoy it! Thanks Alex!
3 comments, add yours.
Rosemary
Wow! Alex, you out did yourself!! There’s a lot to look at! A kids delight
for sure! …and the kid within:) Thanks for sharing – smile ‘Happy Halloween!
Laurien
Wow indeed! You have been very busy! The Reaper was worth it! I don’t understand the intricacies of US health care but I hope it all works out for you. Great job! It should be on the TV news or something so even more people can enjoy it! Thanks Alex!
Susan
This is fabulous! So glad you went all out. Love Dead Lover’s Lane. Thanks for giving a great treat. Happy Halloween and Blessed Samhain.