Haul Out the Halloween Decorations

When the leaves begin change, or the calendar gets to the middle of September, it's time to put out the festive decor. (Seasonal candy dishes are a great way to always have candy out without feeling guilty. It's for guests). There's no point in living if not for holidays. As long as I can remember, I've always been the first one with my decorations out. As a child, I used to beg my parents to pull down those musty old boxes from the attic the weekend after Labor Day. The Halloween boxes always had such a distinct smell, the sweet stench of rotting costumes and melted face paints. Every once in awhile I'll get a whiff of that comforting scent and it takes me back. 

Remember these guys? You still see them everywhere around this time of year, most recently sticking out of a vodka display at Jewel-Osco. Yes, you're absolutely supposed to put those hinged limbs in inappropriate positions, like this one on my fridge. I found this little gem at a thrift store for a quarter. 

This one is another Halloween staple. These card stock cut-outs have been an American tradition since the 30s. We had all these growing up, but the years of Scotch tape and sun-bleaching made them fall apart. As an adult, I have started collecting these prints made by the Beistle Company.  This witch was always my favorite for some reason. 

Often called die-cuts, these old decorations are sort of hard to find nowadays. I saw a few on Etsy and in vintage stores, but at ridiculous prices. After doing an embarrassing amount of internet research, I found out that they do still make these but not very many stores carry them anymore. I've had some luck at mom-and-pop party supply stores though. Last year when I was visiting home, I hit the Beistle-jackpot at the biggest Halloween store in the Midwest, Foy's in Dayton, Ohio. Not only did Foy's have all my old favorites, but they were like a dollar, so I bought way too many. 

My plus-one has demanded that all my die-cuts remain in the kitchen. 

For obvious reasons - These are by far the creepiest. They were once part of a long chain of other odd-looking pumpkins.

Put it all together, and the result is somewhat like an elementary school classroom.