Skeletons, Spiders, and Cobwebs Oh My!

I am ashamed to admit, I have been a pretty bad mom when it comes to decorating for the holidays. I like holidays, I really do, but I think I don't appreciate spending money on something that will spend 90 % of it's life packed in a box in the attic (never mind the boxes I have that spend 100% of their time packed away, I'll deal with that hypocrisy at another time).

Don't get me wrong, we have a Christmas tree and some decorations, probably far less than the average person. But as far as Halloween goes, it has been reduced to some pumpkin candles, placemats, and a couple of prizes we won at a ward Halloween party. I think last year I didn't even get out the 5 things we had. It could be because we were sick all that month, or it could be that Halloween tends to catch me by surprise here in Phoenix largely because it comes at a time of triple digits and when I still sweat making the bed.

But this year it finally hit home how much I have deprived my kids of some of the joys of the holidays when I saw how excited they got making Halloween decorations for their room. Isabel acted like I had just given her lifetime supply of chocolate merely because I sat down and helped her cut out letters that spelled "Happy Halloween".

This is how their room turned out...

The last straw however, was when I entered the girl's room and found Isabel spreading out fluff from pillow batting to try and make it into spiderweb. While I gave her snaps for creativity, I felt pretty pathetic and promised to take her to the store. I was no expert in Halloween décor, but was pretty sure a couple bucks would buy her more fake web than she would need, and look like web instead of spider clouds.

So come Monday, we were on a mission to liven up our house with symbols of death, abandonment, and neglect. We got some web- in TWO colors no less-, spiders, and some orange lights for the window. Then they batted those long eye lashes at me, and convinced me to buy a sound activated poster of a skeleton emerging from a haunted door with flashing red eyes. Hanging this on our front door has brought a whole new meaning to our door mat that says “Welcome Friends.”

Our Screaming Door

Video -- Enjoying the door

The Final Product

(It's still not much but it made them happy)

 

The kids had a blast and I thought to myself who knew hanging fake versions of nasty secretions I tend to avoid, 8 legged creatures I abhor, and an ominous greeter from one of my nightmares, could be so much fun. Halloween is such a strange holiday.