How to step up your Halloween display

Florida Politics editor Peter Schorsch loves putting up Halloween displays at his St. Petersburg house but didn't realize how much his neighbors loved the tradition until he heard someone ask, "Is the big pink house doing Halloween lights?"

• That's when he knew he had to step up his game.

His advice for decorations:

1. Be tasteful: Schorsch's wife, Michelle Todd, had a health scare this year and asked him not to do graveyard decorations.

• "I think there's a difference between scary and morbid," Schorsch tells Axios.

2. Don't rush: Schorsch says his collection has snowballed into three storage units of decorations. It takes him two days to get the stuff into his garage and about a week to actually decorate.

• "Then you've got to test all the inflatables, reassemble all your skeletons, get fresh batteries and make sure everything's working," Schorsch says.

3. Plan ahead: Don't just throw up spider webs and skeletons willy nilly. "You have to know where you want everything to go."

• And stick with a theme. Decide if you're going to have a pumpkin patch or a skeleton army, whether to be spooky or not spooky.

4. Don't be scared to get help: He credits Clearwater's Decorating Elves for professional help with his lighting.

Bonus tips for next year: Buy your inflatables early to avoid supply chain issues.

• Another trick: Check eBay first. "It's great for nicely used stuff and you don't have to spend a boatload of money," Schorsch says.