When little ghosts and goblins come to haunt for treats, show them the way by turning the walkway into a lit path to your door.
Trick-or-treating is fun for both the tricksters and the treaters. Little ones love running from door to door and knocking, something they aren’t allowed to do any other time of the year. It’s exciting to don a costume and become a superhero or a scary monster or elegant royalty for an evening. Handing out treats is just as fun, as the parade of fancy and fun comes to you, no travel required.
By now you probably have your spider webs, ghoulies and jack-o-lanterns all set up. But what about the walkway? Lighting the walkway can be a complicated and expensive project. Halloween lighting doesn’t have to be. Here are three ways to line the walk to your door with lights that little feet can easily follow.
Cups and tea lights
Any colored plastic picnic cups will do, but orange or lighter colors will allow more light to shine through. Turn the cups upside down, then take a permanent marker and make a variety of jack-o-lantern faces. Two eyes and a mouth is all you need. Vary the shapes and sizes. Do this with enough cups to place one every 12 to 18 inches apart along the walkway. Place the tealights on the ground and cover them with the decorated upside-down cups. Make sure to buy one battery-operated tea light for each cup. Don’t use candles, as they will melt the plastic and pose a fire hazard for pretty costumes. If your area tends to experience strong breezes, place a stone on top of each turned cup.
String lights and leaves
This is probably the simplest and quickest solution: line the walk with string lights. You probably have these supplies already. A string of white holiday lights will work. If you have any fall leaves around, spread them along the string. Don’t overdo it; a thin layer of leaves will allow the light to shine through. Line the lights just off the edge of the walkway. That will give the illusion that the walkway is floating a bit and it will keep the lights out from under tiny feet. Side note: If you have solar lights lining your walk already, buy cups or mason jars that may fit over them. You can white-wash the inside of the mason jar and glue black paper eyes and mouths on the outside.
Candles and mason jars (or white lunch bags)
If you have a walk that won’t be used by trick-or-treaters or if your walk is very wide and the flames can be kept safely away, votive candles in mason jars are a classic decoration for any occasion. You can wrap the mason jars in cheesecloth and glue two black eyes on each of them for a quick and easy ghost. The same can be done with white paper lunch bags, but you’ll need sand or kitty litter to anchor the bag and to place the votive candle in. A jar or bag placed every 18 to 24 inches will give a nice luminary effect. Always be careful with open flames and check the township ordinances before you use votives outdoors.
A lit path is a wonderful way to welcome the little ones to your home. Give them the full runway treatment and they may just double back for more. Happy Haunting!