Start a Great New Halloween Tradition
It's no surprise that Halloween is a much-loved holiday. Celebrated by kids, of course, but many adults enjoy the fun of this holiday too. Would you believe Halloween has become the second biggest decorating holiday in the United States, surpassed only by Christmas? It's true!
So join in the fun with a great new Halloween decoration that you, and your children, will love - the Halloween Tree!
Just like a Christmas tree, a Halloween Tree is decorated with any sort of ornament or item that is in keeping with the spooktacular Halloween holiday. And you can have fun making your own decorations, or purchasing ready-made items, the possibilities are endless.
Big or small, artificial or real - the Halloween Tree is something you will really enjoy!
The best thing about Halloween Trees
The best thing about starting the tradition of a Halloween Tree is that it affords you the chance to enjoy this fun holiday even longer.
Bring out your Halloween Tree early and start getting in the spirit of the season. Put it up in September and begin with just your autumn-themed decorations first, then when October comes bring out the "spooky" Halloween-themed stuff and decorate some more.
It's two times the fun that way!
How to get started
There are several things to think about
First you'll need to determine how big or small you want to start out with your Halloween Tree. A free-standing 6 foot tall focal point is great, but so is a smaller 2 or 3 foot tabletop version too.
The space you have available can be a deciding factor, as a large tree can take up almost as much room as a Christmas tree.
I personally started with a tabletop display, but once I had collected more and more decorations, I eventually graduated to a larger tree after a few years.
The adorable little tree pictured here is tiny, but if that's all you have room for it still counts as a Halloween Tree!
Starting off Small
For the best effect, your 'tree' should be at least 24" to 30" tall
Should you choose an artificial or real tree?
The pros and cons
Next you'll need to decide if you want an artificial tree or a real tree. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.
Artificial trees can be made out of plastic, wire, resin, or other man-made material. Obviously, storage of an artificial tree or tree branches is something to consider too, as is the initial expense.
Real tree branches have the benefit of being pretty much free and easily disposable, but if you bring your own home from the woods, you do have to think about insects and such. However, there are real branches available online, such as Manzanita or curly Willow, which have been dried for commercial use and are bug-free.
You'll need to decide what works best for you.
Artificial Halloween Trees
If you've chosen to go with an artificial tree, they come in variety of shapes and forms, as well as many sizes from little mini ones to 7' tall giants.
If you're going to start off small, I recommend a tree that has a height of at least 24 to 36 inches. Any smaller and it may look dwarfed by your decorations. Remember, half the fun of having a Halloween Tree is coming up with all the fun decorations to hang on and in it - so give yourself a tree that's large enough to hold them.
Real Halloween Trees
From nature or store-bought
If you want a natural look, you may want to consider finding your own branch or branches out in nature to bring inside for your Halloween Tree. But, you should never cut live branches for this project - the tree might not like it, and it might leak sap depending on the variety of tree. It's best to find fallen branches for this use.
If you do use natural 'found' branches, brush them off with a stiff brush and remove any loose bark and dead leaves. Little critters that you can't see might be living on those leaves. You can leave your branches 'au natural' or spray paint them black if you like.
If you'd rather purchase preserved and cleaned branches for your tree, look for ones that are strong enough for you to decorate, like Willow and Manzanita.
Which would you prefer?
Decorating Your Halloween Tree
This is when the fun really begins
My favorite thing about a Halloween Tree is coming up with fun (and creepy) decorations for it. Some I'll make myself or improvise out of found objects, some I'll buy at a store. I especially like to shop the after-Halloween clearance sales for treasures for the next year.
No matter where you get your decorations from, you can't go wrong. Just have fun with it.
Some great decoration items include:
- Black spiders
- Artificial spider 'webs'
- Mini skulls
- Skeletons
- Bats
- Crows or ravens
- Black ribbon
- Orange twinkle lights
- Ghosts
- Mini pumpkins
- faux berries
- Artificial leaves
- small link chain
- skeleton keys
Anything goes
Use your imagination, be creative!
Fun and Creepy Garlands
Have some fun stringing your Halloween Tree with little twinkle lights and some spooky garlands like these:
The Father of Halloween Trees
I've been decorating with Halloween Trees for many years, so imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon this article:
It's about how it all started, and the man who considers himself the inventor of the Halloween Tree.
What can I say - he's a man after my own heart.
Halloween Tree Showcase
P1030803 - halloween tree (Credit: Ambernectar 13 on Flickr.com) Source
Do you think you might start a new tradition at your house with a Halloween Tree? Let us know...