I wasn’t going to do it. This year I was going to refrain from writing
about my decorations. I had firm intentions to sit back and enjoy them and keep
it all to myself. But then I got mono and that idea went right out the window.
I had planned to have the decorations up no later than the 25th
of September. Here it is the 4th of October and they are still
waiting to go up. When you barely have the energy to sit upright, putting
twenty some odd boxes of decorations where they need to go can seem like
climbing Everest. Every day I put a few more things where I think they need to
go, then I sit back and lament that it might just take me all month to get things
done. But today I had a breakthrough.
Originally I had the entire spare room floor covered with Halloween décor.
There were two paths through the knickknacks otherwise every square inch was
utilized. Today I can finally see floor. It was a group effort and I probably
overdid it but it was worth it. At least I’m telling myself that now. Things
still aren’t up and in place, but they are at least closer to being that way
and that makes me happy.
I have been in a bit of a funk. Since I felt so bad I didn’t really feel
inspired to decorate. Prior to contracting the sleepy plague, I had grand plans
to do something different this year. That idea got squashed real quick. So
there I sat, looking at everything and feeling overwhelmed. Yes, I know, I’m
not curing cancer or solving an incredibly hard math equation that will enable
us to live on Mars, but to me decorating is important. I really couldn’t tell
you why. Sure, my mom decorated our house when I was a kid, but nothing like I
do now. I fall somewhere between Martha Stewart perfection and crazy Halloween
hoarder.
The past few years I’ve actually tried to downsize. I take everything out
of their boxes, everything, and ruthlessly go through them. I ask myself
questions like; have I ever used this or when was the last time I did? Am I only
keeping this out of sentimentally or will I really use it? Example. One of my
past jobs was for a comic book warehouse. It was AWESOME! They had the best
stuff in there and not just comic books. I loved that job sooooo much. I did it
for two summers and it was a dream. They got crazy cool stuff in the warehouse
at Halloween and some of my paychecks went directly back to the company. My
favorite acquisition was a Halloween snow globe. The base was a pair of
skeleton hands wrapped around the glass ball. Inside was black snow with a
skull in the middle. It was something to see, my description really doesn’t do
it justice. I proudly displayed it every year until one fateful season when I
went to open to box to take it out and found that the glass had shattered. I
was heartbroken and I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away. So I took off all
the excess glass and displayed it as is. A few years later on of the fingers
broke off the hands. Then the skull got lost. I kept that broken down globe for
far longer than I should have. I finally threw it away a few years ago and it
was disposed of with high honors. Every year as I dig through the boxes I keep
hoping to find the snow globe miraculously recovered and waiting for me.
Obviously I don’t, but its memory lives on.
It’s like that with my decorations. They are family. Each one has a story
to tell. I don’t just buy stuff cuz it’s Halloweeny. It has to stand out or
mean something. Like the rapping ghost that my mom bought me when I was a teen.
It is the most ridiculous thing. You press the button on its stand and it
lights ups, shimmies and raps. I have no idea why she thought it would be
something I would like, but I can’t seem to part with it. It has become a part
of the family, from the dysfunctional side.
I look forward to taking my holiday treasures out of their boxes. Since I
can’t hurry up and decorate this year I have greatly enjoyed sitting and
looking over all of them and reminiscing. Right now as I type I am in the
middle of the floor surrounded by them. There are new friends and old. I have a
small sack full that will be donated and I’m both proud of myself and sad. I
always feel like such a traitor letting things go.
Then there’s the decorations we lost in the fire 5 years ago. I miss those
things like a phantom limb. I had a full Halloween village that I had spent
years curating. Only two houses survived and let’s be honest, they weren’t my
favorites. But, is has been fun finding replacements. I buy a few more bits and
bobs every year and now my town looks less and less like the vacant bad side of
town and more like the bustling monster metropolis it should be.
But where do I find all these marvelous things you may ask? Everywhere, is
my answer. They are both homemade and store bought. They can be edible (though
not really anymore after 15 plus years), fragile, squishy, sturdy or soft. Some
are scary, some funny, others sweet, cute and everything in between. The
furthest a decoration has ever come is from Romania, no joke. I shop at various
places online, in stores of all types, I check discount bins, and sales. Some
are gifts, some I’ve gotten for free with a purchase and some have mysteriously
turned up on my doorstep.
If I had to pick my very favorite decoration, it would be the haunted house
that my grandmother made for me. It was ceramic and she painted it brownish
grey with blue trim. Inside were three color changing bulbs that made a noise
every time they switched over. I loved that thing. I’m pretty sure it was some
sort of a fire hazard, but I miss it horribly. It’s still my favorite even
though it is gone. I haven’t had the heart to pick something new, but if I had
to choose I’d say the Halloween train that my dad bought me last year would be
a definite contender. So, while I sit here and dream that magical Halloween
elves will be coming in during the night to decorate my house, I’m curious,
what is your favorite Halloween/fall decoration and how long have you had it?
