My Favorite Halloween Decoration Isn’t Spooky at All
If loving this garland is wrong, I don’t want to be right.
I’m aware that stringing dozens of laminated photos of my children in Halloween costumes across my dining room every October is a little… much.
But look: some people collect vintage teacups.
Some people decorate with gourds.
I make emotional photo crafts that make me cry while I hang them.
We all have our things.
It All Started With an Orange Bin
Every fall, I drag the orange Halloween bin down from the attic. (Well, usually Evan drags but he was busy today.)
Inside, we’ve got the classics:
pipe cleaner spiders
the rolled up string that we make the fake web around our front hall with that our cats are SUPER into
those black cardboard cutout bats I refuse to throw away even though they're kinda torn up
and, most importantly: the photo garland.
This thing started nearly two decades ago, the first time I printed out a photo of Sadie in her cow costume — 6 months old and the cutest cheeks you ever did see — and thought, “Well this deserves its own holiday keepsake.”
I saw this printable like 15 years ago.... AND UPDATE --> I'm hearing that link doesn't work anymore, so I made one of my own for you. You can download mine here.
Just print it, cut it out, and laminate it (I have this lamination machine - my GOODNESS I use it a lot)
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
And then…
I did it again the next year.
And the next.
Some Highlights from the Garland Hall of Fame:
Annie as a construction worker (after she ditched her turtle costume in a savvy Halloween party costume trade)
Sadie as a Lalaloopsy doll, which I accidentally called a “Labubu” when I was hanging it up today, much to Sadie's amusement
That one year the dog got her own laminated card, because obviously her dracula costume deserved it
Each one gets clipped to a black ribbon that stretches across the dining room wall, and every time I walk by it, I feel like I’m flipping through a pop-up scrapbook of our family’s life in costumes.
I Know It’s A Lot. But Also? It’s Everything.
This is the kind of tradition that sneaks up on you.
You don’t plan for it to be a thing. (Well, maybe you kinda do.)
You do it once. And then again. And then suddenly? It’s 19 years later and you’re crying.
What can I say? I love October.
And photos — these little frozen-in-time moments — are my favorite way of saying,
“Look how much we’ve loved.”
You can download my Halloween Costume Photo Garland Printable here.
P.S. Headed out for some leaf-crunching fun this fall?
🍁 Grab my free Fall Leaf Day Shot List — it’s the perfect printable checklist to help you capture your kids playing in the leaves, without overthinking your shots (or missing the moment).
Whether you're heading to the backyard or the pumpkin patch, you’ll walk away with frame-worthy fall memories — all taken with your phone.
👉 Download the Fall Leaf Day Shot List here
Coming Soon: Family Iconic – Holiday Card Photo Edition 🎄
I’ll be launching my Family Iconic: Holiday Card Photo Edition — my stress-free guide for taking your holiday card photo with just your phone.
Real tips. Real light. Real families.
No fake snow required.
Stay tuned — this one’s cozy, clever, and made just for you. Sign up for the waiting list to hear when it launches. Planning on late October!
