Halloween Creep Is Real; Is It Too Early To Decorate: Block Talk

Just around the corner in an average neighborhood in America, a 20-foot skeleton looms over styrofoam headstones staked into the still green grass. A life-sized horse-drawn caisson stands sentry. A witch tends a caldron that belches smoke when someone walks by.

This ghoulish display went up over the Labor Day Weekend, when the proud purveyors of fright had idle time to dedicate to getting every last witch, ghost and goblin positioned just so.

No longer is it enough to costume the kids for trick-or-treating and themselves for adult parties, Americans are lavishly costuming their yards and houses. Halloween has become a major holiday for home decorating, ranking second to Christmas.

While many people begin decorating for fall in September, Halloween-specific decorating usually begins in October.

Perhaps it’s fear of missing out, or FOMO, as the cool kids say on social media, but it seems as if Halloween displays are going up earlier than normal this year. Decorations range from non-threatening jack-o’-lanterns with happy smiles to displays of blood, gore, and violence that scare small children.

What do you think? Are decorations going up too early, and are they over-the-top? We’re asking for Block Talk, Patch’s exclusive neighborhood etiquette column. Just fill out the form below. As always, we don’t collect email addresses.

About Block Talk

Block Talk is a regular Patch feature offering real-world advice from readers on how to resolve everyday neighborhood problems. If you have a neighborhood etiquette question or problem you'd like for us to consider, email beth.dalbey@patch.com, with Block Talk as the subject line.

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