Do it yourself Free
One weekend, a sheet of plywood and some string lights. Costs almost nothing and still stops traffic.
| Spot | What to get | How big | How many | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A |
54 in. Witch Cauldron on a Tripod (opens in a new tab)
Amazon
The star. It stands chest high, so give it sky behind it rather than a hedge. A tripod silhouetted against the house reads from the sidewalk; the same tripod in front of a shrub disappears. The green eyes in the pot are a detail and not a light source, so put a stake in the grass angled up through the legs and let that do the lighting. The legs spread wider than the pot, so keep it a good foot off any path edge.
|
4' 6" H | 1 | $31.99 |
| B |
Pre-Lit Witch Hat Garden Stakes, 3 pack (opens in a new tab)
Amazon
3 pieces
Sidekick, left. These stake into the ground rather than hang. Space them unevenly along one side of the walk and use whatever slope you have, so no two sit at the same height. Three hats evenly spaced on level ground stop being a coven and start being runway markers.
|
1' 11" H | 1 | $54.99 |
| C |
12 in. Solar Jack-o-Lanterns, 2 pack (opens in a new tab)
Amazon
2 pieces
Sidekick, right. Right of the walk, matching the left. Keep both off the driveway edge.
|
1' H | 1 | $17.21 |
| D |
Green Solar Path Stakes, 10 pack (opens in a new tab)
Amazon
10 pieces
The approach lights. Both sides of the walk for the last 36 ft up to the door. You do not need to light the whole 55 ft. Starting the run partway up pulls the eye toward the house instead of stopping it at the sidewalk.
|
1' 3" H | 2 | $51.98 |
| E |
Orange Incandescent Mini Lights, 300 count (opens in a new tab)
Amazon
300 pieces
Roofline and porch. Gutter line and porch. Use the biggest bulb you are willing to buy. At this distance small twinkle lights turn into a faint smudge.
|
2" H | 2 | $51.98 |
| F |
Bare Arch, Dressed
Build it
The halfway moment. Over the walk, and dress it with bare twisted branches down both legs rather than anything bought: this theme is a clearing in a wood, not a party. Then hang from the crown, because that is what the arch is for. A lighted hat suspended over the path at head height does what a hat on a stake in the grass cannot, which is float. Tie it by the point so it hangs nose down and can turn in the wind. Keep everything above 6 ft 6 in. and keep the middle of the opening clear. Green light from the far side, aimed back at the road through the arch, so people approaching see the branches in silhouette against it.
|
7' 4" H | 1 | $31 |
2 things need an outlet, about 2.2 amps all together. That all fits on one 15 amp circuit, you are fine. Outdoor GFCI outlets only, and leave a drip loop in the cord at every plug so rain runs off instead of in.
You will also need
The cord is the part everybody forgets, and stores run out of them at the peak of every season. Outdoor rated only, and plugged into a GFCI outlet.
- 1× 25 ft Outdoor Extension Cord, 16 gauge (opens in a new tab) 2 plug-in pieces across 1 spot $16.98
- 1× Outdoor Timer with Photocell (opens in a new tab) Switches the whole display on and off on its own $14.98
- 1× AA Batteries, 8 pack (opens in a new tab) 5 AA needed, none included $8.99
About $40.95 of hardware, on top of the $239.15 of decorations. Buy it once and it comes back out every year.