The Halloween Porch: How I Make It Spooky Without Making It Cheesy

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There is a very fine line between “Ohhh, your porch looks spooky” and “Halloween threw up on your house.”

I try very hard not to cross it.

Now, don’t misunderstand me. I love Halloween.

Give me a skeleton. Give me a witch’s hat. Give me flickering lights and something slightly creepy sitting in a corner where BigDog will forget I put it and scare the shit out of himself later.

I’m in.

But I’ve learned that I don’t actually want more Halloween decorations.

I want the decorations I use to make the whole space feel different.

That’s especially true here in Arizona because October is when we finally start getting our outdoor life back. While half the country is beginning to pack up the patio furniture, I’m looking outside thinking:

Oh good. We can live out there again.

So when I decorate our porch and patio for Halloween, I don’t want to cover up the space we love.

I want to make it a little darker.

A little moodier.

And just spooky enough.

I Start With What’s Already There

This is probably the biggest thing I’ve changed about seasonal decorating.

I don’t empty the porch and rebuild the damn thing for Halloween.

The outdoor rug stays.

The chairs stay.

The plants stay.

The regular lanterns and lighting stay.

I’m decorating the porch I already have, not creating an entirely different one for 31 days.

And that immediately keeps things from looking cheesy because most of the space still looks like us.

Then I start layering Halloween into it.

A black pillow here.

Something creepy on a table.

A skeleton sitting where a perfectly respectable guest should be sitting.

That’s usually enough to start changing the mood.

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Lighting Does More Than Another Bin of Decorations

If you gave me a choice between buying ten little Halloween decorations or one really good lighting piece, I’d take the lighting.

Every damn time.

Lighting changes everything after the sun goes down.

Warm string lights already make a patio cozy. Add a few flickering candles, a glowing witch hat or lantern, and suddenly that same patio feels completely different.

You don’t necessarily need another plastic pumpkin.

You need shadows.

That’s where Halloween starts getting good.

And because we’re finally spending evenings outside again in Arizona, I want lighting that I’ll actually enjoy while I’m sitting out there—not something that only looks good from the street.

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Pick One Thing That Makes People Look Twice

This is where I think Halloween decorating gets fun.

Every area doesn’t need a decoration.

I’d rather have one weird thing that makes somebody stop and look twice.

Maybe it’s the skeleton.

Maybe it’s a cauldron.

Maybe it’s a creepy cat lantern sitting among perfectly normal porch decor.

That becomes the joke.

Everything else supports it.

And yes, I am absolutely the woman who would put a skeleton in a patio chair like he’s been invited over for cocktails.

At 68, I’ve earned the right to amuse myself with my own damn decorations.

The Big Impact Piece

One statement piece can do more for a porch than a cart full of little decorations. I love something like this because it creates the whole spooky mood—and I can pull it back out every October.

This is also where I would rather spend a little more money on one item I’ll pull out every October than buy five cheap decorations I’ll be tired of before Halloween even gets here.

Let Your Plants Do Some of the Work

Here’s one nobody talks about enough.

Your plants are already decor.

Especially once evening hits.

Put a lantern behind a big plant and look at the shadows.

Move some pots together.

Add a pumpkin or two around the base.

Suddenly the greenery you’ve had outside all year starts looking a little mysterious.

And in Arizona, where we aren’t exactly surrounded by piles of crunchy autumn leaves, this helps me create fall without pretending I live somewhere I don’t.

I’m not trying to turn Arizona into Vermont.

I’m decorating Arizona for Halloween.

There’s a difference.

I Like a Little Witchy. I Don’t Need a Theme Park.

There’s a version of Halloween decorating where every available surface has something on it.

That can be fun.

It’s just not what I want anymore.

I want somebody to walk onto the porch and notice things gradually.

A light in the corner.

Something hanging above them.

A skeleton they somehow didn’t notice at first.

A cauldron tucked beside a chair.

That’s creepier to me anyway.

Halloween doesn’t need to scream.

Sometimes it can just sit quietly in the corner looking suspicious.

Texture Keeps It Feeling Grown-Up

This is where the boho girl in me takes over.

Instead of relying entirely on Halloween-specific decor, I like bringing in texture:

• woven outdoor rugs
• throws
• pillows
• baskets
• wood
• metal lanterns
• weathered planters
• darker fabrics

Then the Halloween pieces have something to live with.

That’s what keeps the porch feeling like our home rather than a temporary Halloween display.

And the nice part?

Most of those things stay after October 31.

Take away the skeleton and witch hat, change a pillow or two, and suddenly we’re back to cozy Arizona patio season.

No complete redecorating required.

Don’t Forget the Damn Front Door

The door is one place where I’ll let Halloween announce itself.

A wreath.

Something black.

Maybe a little witchy.

But even here, I’d choose one strong piece rather than covering every inch.

The front door gives people the first clue about what’s coming.

It doesn’t have to tell them the entire story.

My Halloween Porch Rule: Edit Before You Add

This might be the most important part.

When I think I’m finished decorating, I look at everything again.

And sometimes I take something away.

I know.

Who the hell am I?

But there’s a point where adding one more pumpkin doesn’t make the porch better.

It just makes it have one more pumpkin.

I’d rather have five things I really notice than twenty things fighting for attention.

That’s probably why my Halloween style has changed as I’ve gotten older.

I’m not trying to prove I decorated.

I’m trying to create a feeling.

Spooky Doesn’t Have an Age Limit Either

Maybe that’s part of why I still enjoy doing this.

Growing older hasn’t made me want less personality in my home.

Quite the opposite.

I know what I like now.

Boho.

Warm.

A little weird.

Sometimes witchy.

Occasionally there’s a skeleton drinking on the patio.

Sounds about right.

Your home doesn’t have to become quieter because you got older.

And Halloween sure as hell doesn’t have to.

Put out the skeleton.

Turn on the weird lights.

Make the porch a little spooky.

Then pour yourself something good, sit outside and enjoy the damn thing.

Because that’s what I’m doing.