I’ve always wanted to go all out decorating my house for Halloween. Nothing kitschy like an inflatable Snoopy wearing a witch’s hat or goofy-smiling jack-o-lanterns on my front porch—I’m talking full-blown scary! 

The closest I ever came to this was in college. My now-husband Sam and me, my best friend Brittany and one other roommate shared a house a few blocks away from CMU. Each year, we threw a Halloween party. 

Like most college students, we didn’t have the funds to spend on sophisticated Halloween decorations. Mostly, we strung out a lot of fake spiderweb around the house with orange lights and a few cheap decorations. Some years, the boys buried a “dead body” in a pile of leaves near the sidewalk. 

We set up strobe lights in my front yard and blasted ambient drone music from the speakers in my living room, which were so big they made the house vibrate. We brought up scary sound effects (cawing crows, moaning ghosts, cackling witches, etc.) on YouTube and set it to loop. 

One Halloween, Sam bought a green man suit—a full-body skin suit that covered his face. He added a pair of black pants and a candy-striped jacket he found at Goodwill and sat in a chair on my front porch holding a bowl of candy for trick-or-treaters.  

Kids approached my house slowly. The older ones taunted my husband who sat still as a statue while the younger ones made sure their parents were close behind. Both were unsure whether the green man was real or not. So they hesitantly reached into the bowl for candy…

Sometimes he’d move to scare the older kids or curious young ones. For the more timid trick-or-treaters, I’d reach into the bowl and pull out candy for them. 

As we were cleaning up the spiderweb and putting away the Halloween decorations, a few neighborhood kids came to my door asking about the man in the green suit. 

Some of my friends deck out their homes with timely décor for Thanksgiving, Christmas and the changing seasons. But none of them decorate for Halloween. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve decorated my home for any holiday since (except for a Christmas tree).

I’d like to think of myself as a minimalist, but really I’m just a lazy decorator.

Medicare doesn’t have to be scary

The ins and outs of Medicare might seem scary, but don’t let the idea of making changes to your plan spook you. Even if you’re happy with your current Medicare coverage, it’s important to review it yearly, as things like cost, plans and in-network providers and pharmacies change. 

Make sure to give yourself plenty of time to review. Open enrollment starts October 15 and ends December 7. For free, unbiased help with Medicare, call your local SHIP office. In Mesa County call 970-243-9839, ext. 1. In Montrose and Delta, call 970-765-3129.

Get in the BEACON Guide

Planning is underway for our 2023 BEACON Guide in Mesa County and Montrose & Delta Counties. Do you know of an organization or resource that should be listed? Pass along their info by clicking here, emailing [email protected] or call 970-243-8828.