More than a night: The trends shaping Halloween 2026

With a little DIY flair, celebrating the Halloween season becomes less about perfection and more about creating those imperfectly memorable moments you’ll want to cherish forever. Stay inspired with fall crafts, natural materials and sustainable practices that will keep your Halloween season décor uniquely festive and memorable.

Trending Colours

• Warm browns
• Dusty oranges
• Earthy hues

Trending Icons

• Leaves
• Pumpkins
• Paper crafts

Trending Scents

• Sandalwood
• Nutmeg
• Smoky clove

Trending Costume Idea

• Scarecrow
• Garden fairy
• Woodland creatures

Decorating

• As you’re decorating for the Halloween season, let nature inspire you! Whether it’s collecting cool-looking leaves for a future arts and crafts night or collecting pine cones for your home décor, there’s a little world of wonder waiting outside.
• The little witch cottage with light and sound or the Hallmark scarecrow ornament are also totally charming and would fit in with your handmade pieces.
• Let the kitchen be the hearth of the home by having treat stations or special décor. You can hang seasonal dried herbs or display special-ingredient, seasonal recipes and your favourite baked goods. Hallmark's white marble pumpkin serving tray goes with everything!
• The best decorations are ones that were made with care and love. Instead of heading out for decorations, have a craft day (solo or with friends/family) where you can make one new piece of Halloween décor to display. If you’ve got littles, these kids crafts are cute and easy, and may require a nature walk!

Celebrating

• Is there anything dreamier than having a fall picnic in the crisp autumn air? Take your favourite fall treats or bring a deliciously refreshing fall beverage along. And don’t forget a cozy blanket.
• For a little fun tradition when you get home, give your pumpkins a loving ceremony where everyone can vote on “First Pumpkin Picked,” “Prettiest Pumpkin in the Patch” and more!
• Have a “Memory Pumpkin Painting Night.” Everyone gets to paint their favourite family moments and memories. Afterward, have a storytelling share out!

Connecting

• Create a month-long craft circle where friends and loved ones can gather for an hour or two each week to chat and craft together. It’s okay if it ends up being mostly chatting.
• Have a favourite treat exchange party! It can be a great, low-key way to get to know others and have them share a bit of themselves, too. Bonus points if it’s something they baked from scratch! These tissue paper pumpkin treat bags are a fun, easy way to wrap treats to go.
• Host a canning party to learn about the art of preservation. With the holidays around the corner, a little focus around how we preserve and sustain our minds, bodies and spirits could be just what everyone needs.

Gifting

• Buy them a gift card to a local farmers market or local craft vendor. Make it extra memorable by placing it in a super-cute DIY witch broom goodie bag or pumpkin surprise treat bag.
• From fallen leaves to seasonal flowers, you can do a lot with foliage. Consider pressing flowers and leaves, which can be used as an extra touch in your cards or can make lovely artistic additions on a handmade gift like a bookmark.
• Don’t throw out those pumpkin seeds! You can find recipes online, experiment and gift the best batches for loved ones.
• If they love décor with a craftsman vibe, think about gifting them the Hallmark glass pumpkin tabletop decoration or a charming, embroidered tea towel.

Halloween is full of opportunities to create shared traditions and take time to be present together. Whether you’re looking for new fall activities, décor ideas or want fresh ideas on how to celebrate Halloween at home, here’s your brief guide to celebrating Halloween with your crew and the people you love most.

Trending Colours

• Orange glows
• Muted pastels
• Varying shades of black

Trending Icons

• Friendly ghosts
• Playful pumpkins
• Classic and vintage characters

Trending Scents

• Pumpkin pie
• Cinnamon
• Brown sugar

Trending Costume Ideas

• Classic Halloween squad: ghost, bat, pumpkin, black cat, friendly ghost
• Storybook characters
• Apple orchard fun: tree, cider, apples, bees

Decorating

• Lean into memory-forward decorating. Whether it’s painting portraits every year on mini pumpkins or filling your Halloween tree with photos of costumes past, this trend is all about celebrating how lucky you feel to celebrate together.
• One of the rules of Halloween is that you can’t decorate without a playlist. Start off with some good tunes by creating a playlist where everyone can add their favourite fall music.
• Togetherness is what it’s all about, so as you’re decorating your home consider how you can make shared spaces the focus. Whether it’s a fort area, an outdoor clubhouse, a special secret sign or something else, have a designated gathering spot.

Celebrating

• Schedule weekly Halloween movie nights complete with showtimes, treats and more. You can even have different themes each week such as kid-friendly, B-movies, black-and-white movie nights, etc. A cozy blanket for Halloween movie nights is key!
• This is where the group photo becomes the celebration. Make it a moment where everyone gets to dress up and don’t forget to have some music on!
• Get the littles in on the fun by giving them the option to choose what’s on the agenda! When everyone gets a chance to shape the celebrations, memories are sure to be made. Need some ideas? Check out this Halloween bucket list!

Connecting

• When you’re looking for a soft day at home, why not turn it into a bake-and-share moment? Baking together is one of the best ways to not only learn family recipes but make memories, too.
• At the top of the month, have everyone contribute to an October bucket list. Then spend the rest of the month doing as many activities as you can.
• If you’re planning on doing a bit of hosting or having gatherings, consider leaving a guest book out where visitors and partygoers can sign their names (or costume character names) and leave a note about a favourite fall memory.

Gifting

• Take your pumpkin gifting up a notch by covering it with compliments and messages of gratitude that speak to the person. We have pumpkin painting ideas parents will love right here.
• After you spend an evening making fun, cute little boo bags, do a Boo Bag o’ Compliments exchange or fill one up for a friend. Hey, it’s not candy, but it’s sure to bring smiles and sweetness all month long!
• Give kids something that will give them serious giggles in the shape of a friendly ghost. This guy sings and dances and makes a fun trick-or-treating companion.
• A mug that suddenly shows up on your partner’s bedside table on Halloween morning, full of their favourite brew? How mysterious…