Do it Yourself Halloween Decorations Ideas – Creating a front yard setting that is both awesome and creepy to amuse, scare and delight the trick-or-treat crowd is easy, but it does take some time. At one time, we used to have “the best house on the block” for Halloween. We never put out the decorations prior to Halloween–that way, it was always a surprise for the doorbell-ringers, most of whom were local kids. We’d begin right after school let out, and be finished by a little before dinner, just in time for the first round of the youngest groups. This worked out well, as it is usually not quite dark by then, and is less scary for the toddlers likely to show up with parents then. We did not have the budget for much in the way of purchased mass-produced decorations, so we used our imaginations, and came up with all sorts of things from stuff we had in the house or laying around the backyard.