# How much do you do each year?



## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

Each year I seem to work my butt off and do a lot of work, but never seem to get it all done and feel partially defeated by time/budget. 

Last year was my first year (neighbor lended extra hands when I needed it) and I carved 4 tombstones, built one oblique, built a free standing grim reaper, built a maze in my garage, turned my front porch into an additional room, edited sounds for 4 rooms and outside audio, put together a cemetery fence, built a fog chiller, corpsed 2 bluckies and skull, carved EVIL MANOR sign, and a few other small odd/end props.

This year (pretty much by myself) I've built: a pop-up, all new cemetery fence, fence columns, re designed/built the maze, shiatsu grave grabber, fake fire place with embers/flames, Flying crank ghost, drop panel with mirror, a couple of PVC armatures, built a fake bathroom, added lighting to my EvilManor sign, evil mobil for my nursery, made several modular 4x8 panels for interior and exterior walls.

Even after all that I feel like I have so much left to do. 

Is this just the nature of the beast? Is this pretty much what everyone does every year or am I an over or under achiever?


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## HalloweenZombie (Jul 22, 2007)

We all go through the same thing. Many of the projects I completed this year were supposed to be done last year. The important thing is that the people that come to see your display don't know there are things you didn't get done. They just appreciate what you have done. It took me years to accept that. Now that I have I'm not stressed out for the big day.


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## Spooky1 (Aug 25, 2008)

My list of things I want to do grows each year, and now that I've found this forum I'm getting even more ideas. Compared to me though, you are a serious over achiever (sounds like you have a much more serious haunt than I do). I just try to add a couple of new things each year. I usually don't start on Halloween projects until the middle of summer, though I think that's about to change(LOL). There's alway something else to do or buy, you just need set realistic goals and save a little time for other things now and then too.


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## pyro (Oct 7, 2006)

wow i thought i was bad--this being my 3rd yr. i slowed way down if i get the stuff done it gets done, as long there is something new -then thats good- my 2nd here i need to get bigger and better, i went nuts, plus the weather didnt help any,, 1 week before i was almost done----some stuff didnt make it, then i said to myself--self your nuts killing your self its suppose to be fun...im having fun now


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## eanderso13 (Apr 10, 2008)

After two years of not getting everything done, or having to "dumb down" dome of the effects to get a prop finished, I think I've got a good balance this year...my problem is the weather is not cooperating! 

This year was going to be full size mausoleum (about half done) with rising Nosferatu (done) inside, a giant "scarecrow" type thing (done), a haunt rules sign (95% done), 3 new fence sections (done), adding the new finials from the group buy (done) and the rest was modifying fence columns from last year to sit in a level yard and not blow over in the crazy Kansas wind (75% done) and modifying my cauldron witch to stir smoother and giving her a creepy table with some creepy jars (75% done).

So I think that's pretty good, but then the other day my Fiancee came home with a dot room she bought at an estate sale that had a bunch of Halloween stuff. A freakin' Dot room! So now I want to put that up in the garage but I must...resist...the temptation.....


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## corner haunt (May 21, 2008)

This year will be my 4th year of a Halloween party / haunt. We do it a little different and better or bigger each year. I don't do that much detail work as I never have the time and much of it is lost because it is viewed at night and it is to dark. Our graveyard is always a hit, and 20+ of the stones are just flat non carved foam with some writing on them. Maybe 10 are store bought but they are just cheesy cheapo ones. But with all of them together, some strobes, fog, and some spooky sounds it does the the job just fine. As others have said people don't know if there is something else that YOU wanted but just didn't have the time to do. To them it looks great!


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## sedgewickhotel (Nov 25, 2007)

This is my first year... I had planned on doing two phases worth, a september phase and an october phase.

Sept Phase: 6 cemetery columns/posts textured and painted w/ lighted lampposts on the two tall ones, cemetery arch, cemetery gates, cemetery fencing, fog chiller, sarcophagus, 8 tombstones, 1 urn pillar, 1 bust pillar and lighting/sound network.

Oct Phase: Thunder/Lighning effect, 2 toe-pincher coffins, 1 rounded top casket, mortuary facade, ~100feet of mortuary walls to encompass the interior of the garage for the party...

I am about 80% through with my september phase, on schedule but I am now out of money. I'm about $1200 in already. How? i don't know. So much for phase 2. Looks like the garage will have to settle for a load of jute/dorp and some orange string lights.


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## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

Being a single to parent to an active 7 year old I defintely have to make time for other things. 

My first year I realized just because I'm not happy with something doesn't mean my guests won't enjoy it. I have ideas from last year that still won't make the 08 season.... I also learned that as long as it's not obvious that somethings missing they won't notice, but I still wonder how much better it would have been had I done it they way I envisioned it.Oh well there's always next year. 

As far as the budget goes I quit keeping up with it after I exceeded my initial planned budget last year in the second week of building (August). Overall I think I ended up spending about 4 times what I planned. This year I started early and just buy a little at a time.


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## eanderso13 (Apr 10, 2008)

Yeah, it's hard to remember sometimes that it's all new and amazing to people on the outside. We put up our fence and cemetery arch yesterday and as I was finishing up something on a column a guy drove by with his whole family and stopped to tell me how excited everyone was and how he used to do a small display that the kids loved but it was nothing compared to mine...and that's with only a fence up!

I also find myself planning a year in advance for some props so I can nab supplies and stuff at after-Halloween sales and troll craigslist and freecycle all year looking for the things i'll need for later.


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## 1031fan (Feb 6, 2007)

6000 square feet, 22 rooms, not one single black wall, juggling a fulltime student workload and job....hearing the screams from my haunt a quarter mile away.....priceless lol


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## sharpobject (May 7, 2008)

This will be my first year with an actual "haunt" - so it's been a long road for just basic things. I see all the wonderful possibilities on the forum - and then look around at my graveyard and I think it's just so bare. I have to keep telling myself "it's just the beginning". We put out the cemetery yesterday w/ fence. I have my spider victim done - just need to make the web. Today we finished the boarded up windows and for of the 6 of them are installed. In 2 weeks my brother will help me paint the new shed to look like a mausoleum. I'm mid pumpkinhead. I need to make the body for my talking boris greeter. If I'm able to get the started projects finished, maybe I'll have some time to try some of the more fun stuff - like corpsing a skelly. Regardless - I'm having a blast.


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## Evil Eyes (Aug 23, 2007)

Great job Joker! Believe me, whatever you do is 10 times more than anyone else does and they will really appreciate it. Most people are lazy and don't want to take the time. Your haunt looks great.

I became obsessed many years ago. Started with the outdoors when the kids were small. Now that they are older I go all out and decorate the complete first floor of my home. New curtains go up, pictures, lights, life size figures that I put together, and each room has a theme. I collect antiques and thrift store items all year and repurpose many items so that I have an extremely unique home like no other. Not a square inch of my rooms is left untouched. It takes weeks of working all hours to put it together. I have a storage unit and basement and attic full and it just gets worse every year when you are bitten by the bug. I am fortunate enough to have an extremely large house which I try to change up and add new things to every year. It has gotten out of hand though with the amount of people wanting to see it. I may charge admission this year and I am worried about things being stolen or broken so I need more security. Give it a few more years Joker and you'll be like me. The madness never stops!


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## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

Evil Eyes said:


> Great job Joker! Believe me, whatever you do is 10 times more than anyone else does and they will really appreciate it. Most people are lazy and don't want to take the time. Your haunt looks great.
> 
> I became obsessed many years ago. Started with the outdoors when the kids were small. Now that they are older I go all out and decorate the complete first floor of my home. New curtains go up, pictures, lights, life size figures that I put together, and each room has a theme. I collect antiques and thrift store items all year and repurpose many items so that I have an extremely unique home like no other. Not a square inch of my rooms is left untouched. It takes weeks of working all hours to put it together. I have a storage unit and basement and attic full and it just gets worse every year when you are bitten by the bug. I am fortunate enough to have an extremely large house which I try to change up and add new things to every year. It has gotten out of hand though with the amount of people wanting to see it. I may charge admission this year and I am worried about things being stolen or broken so I need more security. Give it a few more years Joker and you'll be like me. The madness never stops!


I think the only thing keeping me from being more like you is renting. I'm currently looking for either a permanent location for my haunt or my own house. In all honesty (and probably crazieness) I'd rather have a home for the haunt with an ideal location, and then work towards buying a home later.:googly:


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## Toktorill (Sep 15, 2007)

The "nature of the beast" seems to be more, More MORE! After you challenge yourself to make one good prop one year, the next year you can't help but make something even more spectacular.

I don't usually feel "defeated" by budget- I start by scrounging for whatever parts/ materials I can get my hands on, and build the best props I can with what I have. This becomes increasingly easier as I save so much from one year to the next- so this years $200 in materials is just on top of the $1500 worth stored in my garage. Time gets a little tight, but if you get a few choice pieces done and spend what's left filling in some details, you'll be a lot happier with the total project.

I personally do NO home decoration. My wife and I are volunteer coordinators for the local boys 'n' girls club- but just for their haunted house. When we materialize with an evil glint in our eye at the end of September they give us an empty storefront in a local mall, our little budget, 3-4 weeks and a dozen volunteers on evenings and weekends.

Given that, we have quite the fun time...  Our last years haunt was an Indiana Jones theme: We had a large jungle scene: fake boulders, trees, snakes, rope bridge, swamp monster, tomb entrance, spider room, corridor w/ wall spear traps, torture room, Tomb, Skeleton in rags whip and fedora, endless hallway (large "bottomless pit" prop), volcano scene, hallway, 6' rolling boulder, treasure room w/ large (2x3x4') treasure chests, hidden exit door, "real" treasure chest w/ candy for the kids.


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## cerinad (Jun 23, 2008)

Oh i feel your pain Joker!Last year was the first year i actually built anything. Usually i just bought my props. I didn't really do much last year except some skull casts, a witches cauldron, and some tombstones, and boarded up windows.This year I have built 3 witches to go around the above mentioned cauldron, a grave digger, a fortune teller, a swamp witch, outfitted bluckies with pvc so they would stand, 5 wreaths, a rot inspired scarecrow, a vampiress head, witch jars, and i just finished my cemetery fence,started my colums today. I will not get everything else i want to do done this year..So i know how you feel.As long as everyone has a good time all the work will be worth it. Hang in there and good luck with everything.


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## lewlew (Mar 15, 2006)

How much do I do each year? hmmm... More than I should and not nearly as much as I want.

(Sorry, it's just the smarta$$ in me. I can't help it.)


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## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

lewlew said:


> More than I should and not nearly as much as I want.


Well then from one [email protected]$$ to another I can definitely relate to that statement.


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## wandererrob (Aug 8, 2007)

Joker,

You sound roughly like every haunter I know, myself included. We've always got bigger plans than reality will ever allow. And I too find myself disappointed but what doesn't get done. But then the TOTs show up and the reactions make it all better and totally worth the effort. 

It sounds like you got a LOT done both this year and last. More than I did I think. I too just got going last year for my haunt. I snagged my old props from my parents' house, which consisted of maybe 8 tombstones I've made years ago and a couple of strobes, a blacklight and a fogger which turned out to have died in its long slumber. This was midsummer last year, we moved to our house in April.

By Halloween I had 40 gravestones, 15 LED spotlights, some haunt audio, some signs, a few lit carved fake pumpkins and a store-bought but modified ground breaker. It was a hit in the neighborhood. I still got nowhere near done what I wanted to though.

Last November we bought the majority of another haunt that was closing up and have been working frantically trying to incorporate it into our existing haunt. Right now I'm in the midst of building a rock wall out of foam to match the 2 vacuform walls we bought. Very time comsuming project, but it's working and it's dirt cheap. 

My FCG, is 80% done. I've got 20 more gravestones half done. Working on building a nice audio hauntscape using 6-8 speakers all doing different things. And I've got the Prop-1 ready to roll with my newly rigged breakbeam to trigger our talking skeleton. And I've got the MIB coffin hacked to my liking and ready to roll sa well. 

I've still got to work on building my lighting and running power to the shed for all of this.

The short answer is, I try to do WAY too much. LOL!


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## Ghoul Friday (Oct 6, 2007)

The years have taught me to do an initial list of prop/decorations I want to make. Knowing that I won't have enough time to do everything I want to, I then prioritize the list with the 'must makes' at the top, 'love to makes' after, then the 'by some miracle' items at the bottom. I use cost, difficulty and time (and obsession) as deciding factors for what makes the 'must makes'. I never make everything on the list, but as long as the 'must makes' are done, the place looks cool. I may still have a moment of "Man, that would have been better if..", but it doesn't sting like it used to at all. 

And yes, other people are always impressed with what you Do accomplish. We are our harshest critics.


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## Aelwyn (Jul 7, 2008)

This year is my first year to decorate outside. I have an eensy weensy front yard, so the small amount of tombstones, the jack-o-lantern scarecrow, a couple ground breakers, and my witch will definitely suffice.

Inside is another story. Have most of the stuff for the Seance room and bloody bathroom. Now it's a matter of decorating the main living room/dining room, and stairway/hallway upstairs. *sigh*


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## Moon00 (Oct 7, 2007)

Ghoul Friday said:


> The years have taught me to do an initial list of prop/decorations I want to make. Knowing that I won't have enough time to do everything I want to, I then prioritize the list with the 'must makes' at the top, 'love to makes' after, then the 'by some miracle' items at the bottom. I use cost, difficulty and time (and obsession) as deciding factors for what makes the 'must makes'. I never make everything on the list, but as long as the 'must makes' are done, the place looks cool. I may still have a moment of "Man, that would have been better if..", but it doesn't sting like it used to at all.
> 
> And yes, other people are always impressed with what you Do accomplish. We are our harshest critics.


We did something like that this year as well, making a list of what we wanted to do and then prioritizing it. 
One of my main issues I wanted to avoid this year was trying to do too much and then having to rush trying to get everything done in time. Which has been happening the past few years. Now we have a list and a schedule of what we're going to work on and finish each week from most important things to the least. So far it's been alot easier and I feel like everything is going smoother because we're more organized. Of course I always feel like there is more left to do and find things that I could have added to our display to make it better but I don't worry about it. 
We didn't do much of anything last year and people were still excited and amazed over the few props we did do. So I know even if I don't get everything done that I want to do this year our display will still look great to those on the outside looking in.


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

I always think my stuff looks like crap and that I should have built more stuff. I have almost no budget (under $50) so I am a huge garbage picker. I have to say that this whole Halloween-display-on-a-budget has taught me the Zen Of Halloween...LOL. I have to search for stuff year 'round (to keep costs down) and be much less anal retentive about what I can vs. what I can't have. I spent the 1st few years **really** envious of the money others had to spend and the electronics they made. I still occasionally have sprts of envy, but I am pretty much happy with what I have. I was so sick of mentally beating myself up each year and getting grouchy about it....
Now, I try to focus myself onto doing much less (so I am not pissed off about all the projects I never got to finish) but making what I DO have as great as it can be. Putting too much pressure on myself to build too many things while doing all my Mom Duties was making me nuts from August to October. Now, I try to cut myslef some slack so I can have the challenge of trying to get everything done by 10/31 without the stress of making it feel like WORK. It's supposed to be *fun* stress, dammit....LOL.

d5


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## Empress Nightshade (Jul 25, 2004)

Joker,

in the past I have worked myself until I had one foot in the grave and if someone lit a match to me, I'd have burst in flames due to the amount of alcohol I was drinking to cope.

Thank goodness I've gotten a handle on myself this year. No more drinking and I'm taking everything in stride. I had to change....or die.


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## Papa Boo (Apr 16, 2008)

HalloweenZombie said:


> We all go through the same thing. Many of the projects I completed this year were supposed to be done last year. The important thing is that the people that come to see your display don't know there are things you didn't get done. They just appreciate what you have done. It took me years to accept that. Now that I have I'm not stressed out for the big day.


You are right on. But I still haven't gootrn over feeling like I failed when I keep scaling back from my goals each year. This year we will use about 75% of what we planned.
Frustrated!


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## turtle2778 (Jul 9, 2006)

Yeah but 75% is GREAT!! This is my 2nd year haunting outside, but my first year in this house. My husband said no one will know what we did last year. He was wrong, the first day we started putting stuff up a lady drove by and said "were you the folks from 5th St?" Yes I said. She says, "I thought I recognized that display I cant wait to see what new things you do this year" Which is awesome that she recognized it, but sucks that I felt like seeee people DO want to see new things. So this year we added more fence, a gate, a cemetery arch, more tombstones, better lighting, sound, and from what my husband says a mausoleum on the porch. And to top it off i now own a hearse   I agree with everyone who said SCHEDULE it has helped me TONS. I also came to the conclusion that this is supposed to be FUN. And its always fun until the last couple weeks so I decided not to sweat what I dont get done. I only have so much money and time and know how. I am only 1 person that can do only soo much. What i dont get done will get added to the top of the list for next year and then I will prioritize it next year. Im going to enjoy things this year. Ive only had one instance of flipping out and thats WAY ahead of the game for me LOL.


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## dna1990 (Jul 18, 2008)

I have at been at it a number of years, each year is completely new. When people compliment us on 'wow this looks great', I want to reply "yea, but you should see what it looked like in my _head _all summer". I ALWAYS overplan the amount of work or effect to be achieved, compared to the time and energy needed to make it happen.

I often too, 'dumb down' an effect at the last minute - and it kills me to do so.

One thing I am trying to do more, is 'integrated testing'. (yea, I come fom an IT background in real life). But so often in the past I would do a small 'experiment' or proof of concept with a sample in the summer, early fall. And then move on to something else. Then in early Oct, when i tried to put the 'whole thing' together in full scale - always something would turn out wrong and cause MAJOR delays.

I should also say that my display is 100% front yard, and I don't usually put it out until around the 20th.

But what this left me was a short time to do major assembly - and still have time to 'put the finishing touches on' and integrate pieces together. So just the weekend, I moved a major piece out of the garage onto to at least the back driveway. I plan to 'complete' the whole effect where it stands. Judge it over time and adjust each night as I work on it. Then when I roll it out to the yard, all I have to do is place it and fine tune lighting.

Setting a scope is important though. You have to decide sometimes, is it better to have alot of stuff that is 75% ready, or fewer items that are closer to 100% of what you had envisioned.

There are lots of posts that warn against overbuilding, overengineering, etc. It is true that most of your visitors will see it only for a few minutes and in darkness. Having a bent-over nail, or a light that is not just the right color - isn't going to make/break their experience. But I am one who builds for me first I think.

I too have a 7 year old. He helps alot, but that too will slow a process down some. But I am insistent that this be a good thing, as I would rather do this in order to teach him how to design/build stuff rather than for the purposes of 'entertaining' the neighbors for a night or two. <<--Note to self.


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## Death's Door (Mar 22, 2006)

I do way toooo much. Not only do I decorate the front yard, I decorate the inside tooo. I am still working on some final touches for my gothic dining room this year. I want to make each room to have some personal Halloween touches. I will be working on the bathroom to give that it's touch.


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## Lilly (Jun 13, 2006)

I make more and more very yr ...I need a life LOL


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## NickG (Sep 12, 2006)

to answer the question "how much do you do each year" - the answer is: "a bit more"

sometimes the "more" is drastic, sometimes not. Overall, it seems like I grow it by 25% every year. 

This year, wooden cross tombstones to replace gray painted ones, 1 not-so-deep and 3 partial not-so-deeps, 2 standing slightly modified bluckies, a new haunt sign, a couple of plants for the witch shop, and possibly rig krough's '06 graveyard soundrack, which I couldn't do last year because I didn't have anything to play it on. I would do more, but the budget is very limited this year. 

last year was a big year, with a MIB, rebuilt FCG, reusable spider web, partial toe pincher, thunder and lightning, witch stirring the cauldron, and the witch shop potions / props just about tripled. 

year before was lighting, continuous fogger & chiller, hacked 55gal couldron, grave grabber, witch shop, nearly doubled the # of tombstones... etc

(you get the idea)


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## jaege (Aug 23, 2009)

Being a shameful newb, I bought (yes, as horrible as it is to admit) all of my stuff until this year. I have a lot of stuff. This year I am trying to make up for lost time and have already built two columns, 8 fence sections and a gate, a coffin (which will be a lid banger as soon as the motor gets here), have started an FCG (just waiting for the styrofoam head to finish it), foam boards for the windows, fat white candles, locks and chain for the gate and the coffin, a grave peeper and I will make a fog chiller. I plan to replace a bunch of the stuff I bought, like gravestones, eventually. Next year I plan to have an FCG spider, a set of the singing pumpkins, and another prop that I have an idea for.


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## Zombies R Us (Jul 9, 2009)

After 16 years in the same house I have added each year to the stock of Halloween props, needless to say I have an entire "shed of the dead" where I store my outside haunt items and a basement load of plastic bins labelled "eyes", "bats", "severed limbs" etc... I had a friend who once remarked I must be the only one he knows who has that type of collection. Little does he know that this forum exists! I feel like a rank amateur alongside some of the members here. I am continually amazed at the amount of talent and craziness for the holiday that exists here. Kudos to all of you for your passion and obsession. It's nice to know I am not alone.


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## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

joker said:


> Each year I seem to work my butt off and do a lot of work, but never seem to get it all done and feel partially defeated by time/budget.
> 
> Last year was my first year (neighbor lended extra hands when I needed it) and I carved 4 tombstones, built one oblique, built a free standing grim reaper, built a maze in my garage, turned my front porch into an additional room, edited sounds for 4 rooms and outside audio, put together a cemetery fence, built a fog chiller, corpsed 2 bluckies and skull, carved EVIL MANOR sign, and a few other small odd/end props.
> 
> ...


Here I am 364 days after starting this thread in my 3rd year of haunting I've taken on the task of building a 5000 sq ft haunt in a fund raising effort for a local charity:googly:

I guess it is the nature of the beast


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

We have to financially, physically & mentally take the year off from haunting. Well, from doing THE BIG HAUNT anyway: front yard, porch, entire front of house. It was too much & too stressful and I was getting very run down...sicker and for longer each year. This year we've scaled back to almost nothing except a few scares and a few light, sound & fog effects. No props (maybe boarded up windows- we'll see). Honestly, I feel really bad about not doing much; I feel like kids will be bummed. It feels odd to have 46 days left, I'm all excited about Halloween and I have almost nothing to do. However, not watching the weather forecast every 3-6 hours (to watch for high winds/headstone blow aways) will be a nice change. Maybe I will make more shrunken heads to give away instead. They were a big hit last year, which was the 1st year I made them.


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