I'm enjoying them, the Houzz transition has been a good move overall, I think.

It seems like there are fewer decorations the last few years. The economy, worries about P.C. maybe?

As children, my brothers and I set up a haunted house in the basement of my parents ranch at Halloween, I'm sure many of you did, too. A co-worker's daughters have been putting one on for a few years, so the traditions do carry on.

I don't do much anymore now that DD is grown and gone. We're too far out of town for trick or treaters. We used to drive the DD to the big houses near the golf course in town, that's where the best candy was given!

Barb

We did the same thing, Barb! We took our daughter to Parker and she ran around our old neighborhood. We're so far out that no one trick-or-treats here. This is Alayna's last Halloween with us, she leaves for college in January after finishing all of the credits she needs for high school in December. We didn't do any decorations at all, have tons in the basement, just couldn't get into it this year. Tonight is White Fence Farm for fried chicken then Anderson's Farm for zombie shoot and Terror in the Corn. We've done Anderson's Farm every year since she was around 10, hopefully she'll come home for fall break and we can continue the tradition for a few more years....

I agree - Houzz has turned out to be a good move.

I decorate for Halloween, even though we usually only get around 20 or so kids. When my daughter moved back, she would put lights along the eves of the house. But now that she's gotten her own place last year, it's back to just the porch ;^) I've been going the direction of Dia de Muertos/Day of the Dead this year. I like the idea of remember our loved ones who have passed. So I had a skeleton ghost we've had for years, and I put some DOD tattoos on it along with a flower head wreath. Not exactly what I'd like it to look like, but think it gets the idea across (although a little on the creepy side!)

I'll work on this theme earlier next year to get it more to my liking.

Well it's almost 6:30 and no trick or treaters yet! Hope we do get some, as have my skeleton head basket bull of bagged treats (I found this skull basket at a thrift store a month or so ago and couldn't resist buying it - it was only $3. This is where the Dia de Muertos theme got started for me).

I remember the Halloweens as a kid seed a lot bigger deal than today. The streets were crowded with kids and parents and we would bring pillow cases instead of bags so we could get more candy.

Now it's hard for us to even hand out a whole bag of candy in one night, and I am pretty generous with it. Lots of folks decorate, but I think most people do the indoor trick or treating things that they have at schools, churches, and other places. It would seem the going house to house style is fading.

I think it's kind of sad, really. Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays.

Of course you can't have Halloween without jack o lanterns!

DD took on the task of bringing the monster to life.

Steve