Buying Halloween Décor the Week Before

 Yes, I’m that mom.

My kids have asked (practically begged) for us to put up decorations for the last few years. My excuses for not doing so have finally run out.

We built our current home about four years ago. Before that, lived in four different homes in less than three years. Needless to say, we really never had much in terms of holiday decorations because I did not want to buy things that may not match or look right in our “forever” home. Add in the fact that I can easily fall into laziness if given the chance and we remained decoration-less, much to my kids’ dismay.

Now that we are in our “forever home”, I’ve found new ways and reasons to procrastinate on buying any decorations. We live out in the woods and we don’t get a single trick-or-treater at Halloween, so why do we need much more than our Jack-o-lanterns on the front porch to great guests? We tend to go to the homes of family on Thanksgiving so we don’t need much for that holiday. Sure, we have plenty of Christmas decorations to add to the house but that’s an easy one. There’s no blow up Santa on the front lawn, however, and a wreath is all the (very distant) neighbors get.

This year, however, we decided to buy two skulls and a tombstone for the fireplace mantel. Whoa, slow your roll.  We even threw in a string of purple lights (the store was out of orange, since um yeah, we are only a week out here folks). Alas, it’s very simple and looks great.

You know what looks even better?

My kids smiling faces. It’s weird what a couple skulls and some twinkle lights can do.

My husband is even adding some spider web around the upstairs banister as I type this. Boom.

I’m chalking up “buying non-Christmas holiday decorations” as another one of those things that I procrastinated on way too long. So many times I make things to be a much bigger deal in my head thinking I have to get it perfect only to find I just wasted time and should have done it and enjoyed it. Ugh.

What do you do for non-Christmas holiday decorations? When do they go up and come down?