Spooktacular, spooktacular!

To say that my husband and I love Halloween would be a gross understatement.

I come by it naturally. When I was young, pumpkin carving was the biggest event of the year (well, except maybe egg hunting at Easter), and my Mom took particular joy in greeting the kids at the door. I could always tell which little monsters she thought ranked highest in the costume department - they received handfuls of candy.

We rarely decorated our yard, though.

Big difference now that handsome hubby is in my life.

Two years ago, we began a collection of spooky outdoor decor. Last Halloween, a giant blow-up skull took center stage amidst talking skeletons, glowing ghosts, and a jar of dancing eyeballs. My husband even donned his creepy mask, and for the kids that were old enough, treated them first to a scare before dolling out the candy.

This year, we've gone all out.

Hubby and his daughter built an incredible (and realistic) seven-foot coffin out of wood, which we then painted in browns and greens. It's absolutely perfect for the yard, because we've added to our skeleton collection yet again. Several will be "hanging out" in our makeshift graveyard, partially hidden by the fog machine, or highlighted by the strobe light. A giant spider will drop from the doorframe. A ghost will fly across the sidewalk from two trees. The doormat will offer a spooky greeting, and the door itself will be splattered with fake blood.

It's the kind of thing the neighborhood kids have come to expect from us - and already, they've been peeking into the yard to see if we've set anything up.

Sadly, we live in a neighbourhood that doesn't allow us to leave our decor out overnight, and our spooktacular graveyard scene must wait until Sunday morning for its creation. But we've got plenty planned to round out the weekend - a visit to the Farm of Fear, a tour of the haunted houses at Screamfest, a pumpkin carving extravaganza, and at least one night curling up on the couch with a few horror flicks.

My spine is already tingling with excitement.

What are your plans for Halloween? Is it a big deal holiday for you and your family? We love ideas!

Oh. It takes a lot to scare me, but I confess, my biggest fear right now is that you haven't clicked here to donate to the amazing Candyland's fundraiser.

You can also donate by buying something from this mindblowing artist (who I am currently obsessed with). A portion of the sales from Rose Cooper's Etsy shop will be donated to Candy's cause. This artwork would make great gifts for the holidays...

(Like for ME, dear family...just saying!)

Ok, off to start my spooktacular weekend. Happy Halloween everyone. Hope it's perfect!

The Book In My Bag Today: Fantasy in Death, J.D. Robb