A few short months ago, reports of rampaging Karens and perpetually rising COVID-19 infections were briefly interrupted by the arrival of some very impressive Halloween decorations.
2020 saw the appearance of Home Depot’s 12-foot-tall skeletons, the surprise darling of the Halloween season. The massive decorations could be found towering in nearly every yard willing to shell out $300 for a truly impressive piece of decor. Whether due to the daunting hurdle of somehow packing that thing into a Halloween tote, or just to illustrate the seemingly perpetual threat of death in 2020, these decorations are hanging around months after their intended holiday has passed.
We were alerted to this fact by Washington Post reporter Maura Judkis, who wrote an article—which ran under an award-worthy headline—about the enormous decorations back in October. (“Keeping up with the Boneses.”)
Judkis has been tracking the skeletons’ progress through the holidays, as people use all that pent up creative energy repurposing their new favorite multi-holiday decoration. Don’t think people can make a Thanksgiving skeleton work? Hold my Oktoberfest pumpkin ale.
The skeletons shifted from ominously looming over fences and peering through windows to begin teasing Halloween’s sister holiday: Thanksgiving. Suddenly, the skeletons were hunting fowl, rather than human. A number of creative people found ways to flawlessly transition their towering Halloween decor into the next American tradition.
Once Thanksgiving was finished and done with, 12-foot-tall skeleton owners were faced with a decision: Find a home in their over-stuffed garage for the biggest holiday decoration most of us will ever own, or pull off yet another transition into the year’s final holiday month.
And thus, numerous Christmas-themed skeletons are cropping up around the nation, bringing in the holidays in a truly unique style.
Immense skeletons have made appearances as the Grinch, Jack Skellington, and even a nutcracker.
They’ve also shown up to assist with tasks around the house. Hanging Christmas lights can be a pain in the easiest of years, so help from a 12-foot-tall stand-in can’t be unwelcome.
Even when they’re not helping around the house, the enormous skeletons make a striking addition to any winter holiday setup.
The holidays, like everything else, are sure to look a little different this year. Not just because COVID-19 continues to leech the joy out of everything we love but also due to the continued reign of the season’s best—and largest—decorations.