No one can deny the coziness and cheer that comes with Christmas decorations. The tree filled with warm white lights, seasonal fluffy throw blankets in every room, and stockings hanging from the mantle create a vibe that you just don’t get any other time of the year. It’s magical — but Halloween decor is better.
I’m aware that the difference between Halloween and Christmas aesthetics is (quite literally) black and white, but I stand by my statement. Halloween decorations are just more fun. Let’s be real, collections of snow globes and nutcrackers have nothing on skeleton arms reaching out of the garden bed and black cauldrons filled with ornaments and remote-controlled fairy lights to look like potion bubbling over. There’s no contest here.
You can’t ignore the color schemes for the two holidays, either. The classic Christmas colors are red and green, which are just kind of meh (I personally decorate with a silver, gold, and white theme for this very reason). Over the years, Halloween has evolved beyond the basic black and orange to also include fluorescent green and vibrant purple, which together mimics the way a glow stick looks in the dark. What’s more fun than that?! It’s like a rave with ghosts and candy.
Outdoor Halloween decorations are superior to Christmas. More and more people are going all out and decorating their house with 1,000 lights for Halloween. For the most part, the average family seems to put about as much effort into their Halloween lights as they do their Christmas lights — and I am here for fun.
There’s a different level of dedication at Halloween because it’s decorating for the trick-or-treaters who will have to brave walking through the yard in order to reach the candy at the front door. Frankly, I’d say the stakes are higher. Go big or go home.
There is so much creativity involved in the outdoor Halloween displays, too. Some homes totally transform to look like haunted houses. Others create spooky scenes in their yard with animatronics, fog machines, and classic jack-o-lanterns. There’s a white house in my neighborhood that hangs big black spiders all over it every Halloween, and even though the concept is simple, it looks amazing. You just don’t get the same thrill from a yard full of fake snowmen and inflatable Santas at Christmastime.
To be fair to those of you who are feeling indignant over my feelings on Christmas decor, I should disclose that I am one of those people who loves all things spooky. Halloween is the one time of year when I don’t feel like I have to tone down my adoration of creepy things. I can have a mantle covered in fake cobwebs, skulls, potion bottles, and spooky books, and it’s considered totally normal. But the reality is that it doesn’t have to be October for me to gravitate toward the paranormal or supernatural (you should see the podcasts I subscribe to). I’m just as excited for Wednesday and Beetlejuice in April. But Halloween is my Super Bowl.
I still have love and appreciation for Christmas decor, and I can respect how someone may prefer those warm fuzzy feelings that come with the winter holidays over the jump scares of Halloween. That’s just not who I am, though. I would rather stroll through the neighborhood with a hot cider looking at haunted front yards than drive around with a peppermint hot cocoa to see even the best Christmas lights display. Give me pumpkins over pine trees, black cats over reindeer, and fake headstones over fancy garland. Halloween decor is just better.
Ashley Ziegler is a freelance writer living just outside of Raleigh, NC, with her two young daughters and husband. She’s written across a range of topics throughout her career but especially loves covering all things pregnancy, parenting, lifestyle, advocacy, and maternal health.
