I never really got into Halloween until I had Ford. Don’t get me wrong, I love an excuse to enjoy a Reese’s Cup or Almond Joy Bar (what’s your candy of choice?!) but other than that, haven’t done anything too exciting since I hit my mid-20s.

Now that Ford is at such a fun toddler stage, I wanted to do some decor to get him excited and to start our holiday traditions.

My mom always went all out with holiday decor growing up and it always made everything so much more fun. From the over-the-top Easter Basket hunt to spooky Halloween decor + annual pumpkin carving and all of the Christmas cookie decorating/tree triming and movie watching marathons… she made everything feel special even on the years when they couldn’t go above and beyond. I want to be that mom for Ford. The kind that creates exciting traditions that brings joy and excitement to the holiday.

A few things she taught me when it comes to holiday decorating…

Stock up on quality essentials you can use year-after-year
Score for deals on a few “fun” items that will make an impact without spending too much
Customize your decor/costumes/etc. to make them feel special and customized

I didn’t have much Halloween decor to start with this year, so wanted to focus on a few key basics that were simple enough to use each year and would be fun for Ford. I ended up with a few really fun pieces that I found at Party City, along with classic “pumpkin” decor that I have picked up at my favorite local stores. I decided to pick “one” focal area to go all out and for us it was our living room.

What I ended up getting:

Bats - I’ve seen bats everywhere this season and love the simple Halloween look that the simple cutouts can create. I love that this set came with larger black bats (they are glittery) and a gray gauze cloth that I used to drape across our mantle. Could also work on a table!
Skeletons - These white skeletons can add a fun and spooky touch to your decor. I found these salad skeleton hands and thought they would look cute popping out of our regular home decor. I added to our farmhouse candles, but also think they would be fun coming out of a treat bowl or even a flowe arrangement!
‘Boo’ Sign - I love simple signs that can be easily integrated into our home deocr. I had to have this ‘Boo’ sign because it’s one of the words that Ford has been saying on repeat lately! And the simple white ghost with gold lettering looks classic, not cheesy.

Not decor, but I also stocked up on a few fun “treats” for Ford since he’s still too young for candy. I love that stores are offering more non-candy options now! I went with Go-Go-Squeeze pouches in Halloween themes for his upcoming school party, along with finger puppets, art packs, stickers, etc.