The Almanac

Countdown to Halloween

The hours are slipping. Here is exactly how many remain, and what to do with each of them.

The Decorator's Calendar

A loose schedule the editors keep on the studio wall, week by week. The current week is lit.

1. 60 days out

   Draft the mood

   Pin references. Pick one aesthetic from the fifteen we publish. Order anything that takes weeks to ship: inflatables, large animatronics, custom wreaths.

2. 45 days out

   Source the bones

   Pumpkins (heirloom and carving), beeswax tapers, exterior lights, the porch wreath. Audit last year's storage bins. Throw out anything broken.

3. 30 days out

   Dress the exterior

   Hang lights at dusk, when you can see them glow. Stage the porch tableau: lanterns, the bone-pile, the painted gourds. Refresh the front-door wreath.

4. 3 weeks out

   Stage the interior

   The mantel. The dining tablescape. The bar cart. Light a test fire of every candle to confirm the smoke and the scent. Photograph in daylight for the algorithm.

5. 2 weeks out

   Carve a rehearsal

   One test pumpkin to remember what the knife feels like. Buy candy. Build the playlist. Walk the route a trick-or-treater takes.

6. 1 week out

   The final pass

   Replace candles. Wipe the cobwebs you actually want to keep. Set the playlist on a queue. Photograph every room one more time in golden hour.

7. 3 days out

   Carve the keepers

   Pumpkins last 4 to 7 days carved. Now is the right moment. Coat the cut edges with petroleum jelly to slow the rot.

8. Halloween night

   Light the room

   Candles lit at dusk. Music low. Door cracked. The whole year compressed into a single perfect evening.