Yard Decorating - Need New Approach

[SpookyBlackKat]

I'm calling on my Halloween board for some help and inspiration. Each year we do a theme in our yard and have become known as the "Halloween house" in our neighborhood. Last year we tripled the number of ToTs from the year before. This year, I'm screwed and I'm afraid my house will be egged by these disappointed kids if I don't give them SOMETHING.

However as most of you know, I'm largely pregnant and due date is 10/28. I'm hoping I go into labor around the 20th but it's completely out of my control. Regardless, I know I will not be in the mood/able to decorate the way everyone is used to. Even if I was, there's no way I could work up the energy to take it all down.

That being said, I can't totally skip out this year. There's no way the kids would let me get away with it. I'm trying my best to pull out all my clever ideas and come up with something festive, low key, low cost and that will allow me to escape the holiday season without being a total disappointment. If we are in the hospital on the big night we already have folks on standby to hand out candy, so the house will not be completely abandoned. But I know a bowl of snickers will not cut it either. Nor would I want to let the neighborhood down like that. Even at 9 months pregnant, it's not my style. I work hard for my reputation as the Halloween Lady!

So what do you got? Keep in mind my demographic is approx 3-8 years old.

[NeverMore]

Rent yourself an LCD projector, get a Hallowindow DVD and project it onto your window or the garage door. The kids will be so fascinated with it they'll forget to egg your house. Very little effort, lots of entertainment.

You could always build a bunch of egg catapults and retaliate if that doesn't work.

[Tee]

Wow! I want a Hallowindow DVD =) That's way cool!

Along the same lines, if you've got a garage door, you can open it up, tack a sheet across the opening, and run some sort of projected Halloween movie (or cartoons, for younger kids) from the inside. It's like a neighborhood movie screening. A friend of mine does it every year and he's always the talk of the neighborhood.

[Rising Dead Man]

Wow! I'd pay my right arm to use that animation. Then do a sick zombie costume wih only one arm. The part with the guy lurking behind the window scared me even the second time watching it. By far better than Big Scream TV!

Congratulations on your Halloween baby! Can you get someone else to do the ideas and decorating since your not feeling well?

[Pumpkin56]

Not sure what you have on hand or what your budget is or what your energy level is , but maybe a haunted forest type of thing? If the age group is 3-8 that might work. I saw some light-up purple haunted trees (granted they weren't insanely tall or anything) at Walgreens--I think they were 10 bucks for 3 or 5 of them. I also noticed that Spirit has some cheap zombie garden gnomes for $14 or $15. Maybe those things coupled with some overhead spider webs and a few pumpkins? Might be amusing for the kiddos.

Congrats on the Halloween baby!

[MacPhantom]

Put on a crazy white haired wig. Put an empty chair on your front porch, and then yell at it for cursing at you. People will be too preoccupied wondering where you're hiding your Smith & Wesson to egg your house.

[SpookyBlackKat]

To those who posted legitimate responses *cough*everyoneexceptMac*cough* ... Thanks! I really like the idea of projecting either a DVD or movie on the garage. For those that have done this or seen it done in the past, do you think it would be worth my while to create a little viewing area? Maybe a couple bails of hay to serve as seats? I would imagine if I threw a movie up, several kids would want to camp out for a while to watch. Thinking The Great Pumpkin maybe?

[Tee]

For those that have done this or seen it done in the past, do you think it would be worth my while to create a little viewing area? Maybe a couple bails of hay to serve as seats? I would imagine if I threw a movie up, several kids would want to camp out for a while to watch. Thinking The Great Pumpkin maybe?

Well, I know my friend who does it every year always has a bunch of people (and not always just kids =) sit on the sidewalk to watch for awhile, so bails of hay might be a really cool idea =)