Halloween is full of scary stuff: Ghosts, haunted houses, the uncle in the baby costume.
But to really get into the "spirit" of it all, the trick is finding treatments for home windows that will scare up some attention.
There are plenty of ways to dress up your home for the spooky season.
Some people put pumpkins on the porch, while others opt for monsters on the mantle.
Yet some of the most visible places to target for Halloween are home windows.
Creating decorations for home windows is fun, easy and a good excuse to spend some quality time with the family.
All it takes is a little patience and a vivid imagination.
Oh, and a desire to frighten your friends and neighbors doesn't hurt either.
Weaving a Tangled Web If "web" makes you think of Google rather than ghouls, it's time to change your perspective.
Where there's a web there's a spider, something high on anyone's list of creepy critters.
By weaving away with some black ribbon and yarn, you can fashion some eerie webs to adorn your home windows.
You might even want to hang some spiders (the phony kind) from the roof to complete the effect.
Or better yet, just have the web in your home windows with no spiders in sight, so your guests wonder where they are, what they're doing and who their next victim might be.
Even Google can't do that.
Bats can be a Ball Spiders are creepy to say the least, but for a creature that really encapsulates the Halloween season, it's hard to beat the bat.
Using black poster board, cut out various sizes of bats and tape fishing line to their backs.
You can then hang them from a curtain rod above windows, stand back and admire your handiwork.
The line will be hard to see and with the right lighting behind them in the home windows, they'll almost be too realistic.
If you end up frightening yourself with them, just think how your guests will feel.
And if in the process they scare away some prospective trick-or-treaters, is that so bad? Patching up some Pumpkins Okay, putting pumpkins in home windows isn't anything new, but nothing says Halloween like a menacing jack-o-lantern giving you the eye.
Besides, there are plenty of ways to put a sinister new spin on an old tradition.
But first, you need a little pumpkin primer.
To secure a good specimen for home windows, choose one with solid, even coloring such as bright orange.
Make sure that it has no soft spots and the stem is securely attached.
Also be mindful of the shape.
While round pumpkins work well with basic designs like a face, you'll need one with a flat surface if you're planning something more involved.
Once you've made your selection, it's time to carve out a plan.
For a unique effect that isn't too labor intensive, place small pumpkins in the two home windows framing your front door.
You can also prepare four pumpkins of various sizes and stack them in one of your home windows from largest to smallest.
The expression on each pumpkin can be guided by its shape, giving every one a unique personality and creating a look that's mostly playful with a dash of the macabre thrown in for good measure.
Sure, the holidays have gotten too commercialized.
But there's still a way to get past that and make Halloween all about fun and family again.
Let your creative juices flow and conjure up some magical treatments for your home windows.
Just make sure you handle that pumpkin with care.
After all, he's not just another pretty face.