Halloween Decorations
Start with light. Two carved pumpkins with LED lights inside and one string of orange lights make a porch look done from the street. Add one big piece, a skeleton or an inflatable, and stop. More is not better. Below are the decorations that earn their place, and the stencils that go with them.
Last updated 2026-09-02
The porch in three moves
One: two pumpkins, carved or painted, one each side of the door, each with an LED light. Two: one string of orange or purple lights along the rail. Three: one big thing. A five-foot skeleton, an inflatable, or a tombstone set. That is a finished porch.
Outdoor pieces that hold up
Plastic tombstones with ground stakes. Posable skeletons. Inflatables with a built-in fan. Lawn stakes with lights. Anything made of cardboard or thin fabric will be in the neighbour's yard by morning.
Inside the house
A paper bat garland along one wall. A black tablecloth. Candles in jars, LED not flame. A bowl of small pumpkins. One room done well beats every room done a little.
Light without fire
LED puck lights inside pumpkins. Flameless tea lights in jars. Orange string lights on the rail. A fog machine on the step if you want to go further. None of it gets hot, and all of it runs all night on a timer.
Pumpkins are the cheapest decoration
A real pumpkin costs less than any plastic decoration, and a stencil turns it into the thing people look at. Two free stencils and a free starter pack are below, no email needed.
Decorations on Amazon
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Lights for the pumpkins
Some links on this page earn us a commission. It costs you nothing. How that works.
These cards open Amazon once this site has its own Associates tag. Until then nothing here links anywhere. We do not borrow a tag from another site.
Questions
- What are the easiest outdoor Halloween decorations?
- Two carved or painted pumpkins with LED lights, one string of orange lights, and one large piece such as a skeleton or an inflatable.
- How do I light a pumpkin safely?
- Use an LED puck light or flameless tea light inside. They do not get hot, do not blow out, and can be left on all night.
- When should I put Halloween decorations up?
- Most people put them up in the first two weeks of October. Carve pumpkins in the last week so they are still fresh on the night.
- What Halloween decorations survive rain?
- Plastic tombstones with stakes, posable plastic skeletons, and inflatables with a built-in fan. Cardboard and thin fabric do not.
- Do LED pumpkin lights look as good as a candle?
- A flickering LED is hard to tell from a candle from the street, and the pumpkin lasts longer because nothing inside gets hot.
The pumpkin still needs a face
Two Halloween stencils and a five-design starter pack are free. No email, no catch.
