Our family has always loved to decorate whenever there’s a holiday.  One big family favorite is Halloween.  We’ve found a few great ways to add a little more of the Halloween magical allure to our outdoor decoration with candles.

A few years ago we started using candles outdoors as part of the usual ghostly, witchy, cobweb and spider theme. 

• What we do is use an assortment of candles (in outdoor holders) in different places instead of the electric decorative lights.  For instance, we will hang a number of candle lanterns on trees in the front yard that give an uneven dancing light to the surrounding area.  It’s even better if the wind blows a little.  This produces a swinging and flickering light pattern to our yard that adds a sense of spine tingling aura to the rest of the decorations.  Of course these are placed well away from any of the decorations that might be flammable, like cobwebs and hanging ghost decorations.

 

• What would Halloween be without pumpkins?  We include at least two carved pumpkins,with lighted candles inside, in the decorated yard.  These are placed so that they are clearly visible from the street and our front walkway.  The more grimacing the better! We place them slightly elevated using stepstools draped in black giving the pumpkins the sense of floating.  We make sure that the stools are solidly planted and not tipable and that the pumpkins are also solidly anchored.  I do use ceramic or pottery pumpkins when time is running a little short.

 

• We don’t turn on the front porch light.  Instead we use an outdoor candle holder hung under the porch light.  The effect…TOTAL EERIENESS!!..We also put one or two candles (with a fragrance) near the front door. We like using vanilla and chocolate chip cookie scents thus giving our trick-or-treaters a whiff of the goodies to come when they ring the door bell.

 

The effects produced using candles as a part of our outdoor decorations has been so favorably received, that friends and neighbors have started incorporating them into their Halloween themes as well.  One added benefit that I need to mention is our light bill doesn’t suffer as a result of a love of holiday decorating.