The Halloween Guide

The brownstone across the street from my apartment building has an actual Halloween tree erected visible from their front window. What is a Halloween tree you ask? A pine tree (similar to those used as Christmas trees) with orange lights and ghost ornaments. Some people might find this spirited or charming or even endearing, others might say, "a little too much", but I find it confusing and anxiety-inducing. When it comes to the Holidays, Halloween kick starts the craziness, and by craziness I mean I can't find Advil in the drug store anymore because 5 aisles have been dedicated to plastic decorations. My advice is to stay calm, don't get overwhelmed and keep it simple. Think about buying decorations that aren't disposable so you can use them year after year, like the following:
John Derian decoupage bat plate ($59-$95), or his 13" spider web serving platter ($185).
I'm a big fan of the above "Bury and Discover" Dreambook ($30), a hard bound book covered with screen-printed cotton with silver foil stamping—display it on your coffee table as an instant decoration! Buy it right here from Poketo. Also available from Poketo is the Andrew Jeffrey Wright Technicolor skull t-shirt ($28), not too shabby as a last minute costume.
For the library or den, how about a coffee table book entitled Ghostly Ruins: America's Forgotten Architecture which you can snag at Amazon for $20 by clicking right here.