The first time I saw a Halloween tree was in a coffee shop. It was adorable. I admired the creativity. I was inspired to put up a Halloween tree in my own home. My mother was coming for a visit, and I knew she would love the idea of decorating a tree with lots of Halloween goodies.

My mom was suffering from dementia when she visited, so I was hoping to evoke a multitude of memories from past Halloweens. Growing up, my mother enjoyed Halloween immensely… making costumes, visiting the small local pumpkin patch market, carving the family pumpkin, greeting trick-or-treaters, and even a few Halloween pranks. She made it such a fun holiday for us with many happy memories.

Six years later, in 2022 my daughter asked if we could do another Halloween tree. YAY! In a big shoe box, I had saved all the goodies from 2016 to decorate a tree.  This time we decorated the tree while watching The Nightmare Before Christmas. We had such a fun night together!

Guess what?! In the Fall, my daughter requested to put up a Halloween tree again. We now have another tradition for Autumn… decorating our Halloween tree!

Tip: We use a smaller 6 foot tree (takes up less room and requires less goodies for decorating) and put it on an old trunk to give it height. An even smaller tree would work just as well.

Using lights is a must. We use  vintage candy corn lights. Our first ever Halloween tree had purple and orange lights from the dollar store.

After the lights are all hung, is the ideal time to add spider webbing. It helps to hide any of the lighting cords. Putting it up after the ornaments would hide them too much. Plus, the webbing helps with hanging things.

Tip: A little bit goes a long way. Stretching it thinner looks better.

Garland comes next. We like to use more than one kind of garland for color and variety.

Tip: Alternate the different types of garlands, draped at a diagonal going down the tree.

Now for the fun part… Halloween ornaments! Here are pictures of various things that we use, including pumpkins, bats, skeletons, spiders and more. Dollar stores have all kinds of goodies.

Tip: Many dollar store items come in packages with multiples. This is a money saver in filling up the tree.

We like to use both big and small items as ornaments. Some of the goodies are Halloween decorations that we already have.

The final touch is a tree skirt. We use a pumpkin throw blanket with purple netting on top for a bit of sparkle and color. The ideas are endless for skirting.

I hope you were inspired with all kinds of ideas for your own Halloween tree! Whether you choose a cutie style, more on the creepy side, or a little bit of both, decorating a Halloween tree can be a source of Fall family fun with lasting memories. Plus, the tree is already set up for the holidays. You’ll be ready to change it for Christmas and/ or Thanksgiving. My daughter has challenged me to keep it going year round. One of these years I just might go for it! Having a tree up definitely adds a touch of comfy cozy to our home. May your home be filled with comfy cozy touches as well!