It’s starting up. You know what I mean. It’s time to whip out those holiday decorations and deck the halls, rooftop, eaves and front yard. It’s holiday decoration time.

Halloween really starts the whole process every fall. After a horribly dull dry spell – after all, the only significant holiday between spring and fall is the 4th of July – you can see the groundswell of house decorating begin. Out come the pumpkins, of course. You can see the little orange orbs all over the place. But some local folks take it upon themselves to go beyond the call of holiday-decorating duty and adorn their homes and yards with a mind-boggling array of everything Halloween.

You know the places I’m talking about. There’s the house right across the street from Sayre Park on Grand Avenue in Glenwood. Wow! Every year it just keeps getting better. This year, we’re treated not only to a gigantic plastic pumpkin in the front yard, but an even bigger plastic Frankenstein with green skin sitting next to it. There are all sorts of spooky goblins and ghosts hanging off the roof, crouching in the yard, and plastered to the windows.

In New Castle, watch out, because the two-story Victorian on the edge of town all lit up in orange can about make you go off Main Street. It’s a blinding display, with thousands of little lights outlining the house.

And in Rifle, opposite Esma Lewis Elementary School, there seems to be a dueling neighbor Halloween display thing going on. One house has so much ghoulish stuff in the front yard – you know, the witch who’s ridden her broomstick into the front yard tree, pumpkins galore, and a figure on the porch that to me sort of looks like a Scandinavian Santa Claus – that you have to drive by numerous times to get the full effect. The house next door is running a close second in Halloween decorations. I think you probably have to stop and really take in the whole scene to do it justice.

Up on Whitewater Avenue, we’ve got the parental-guidance-strongly-suggested display – the one that everyone who has an e-mail address has seen on the Internet. There’s a life-sized Miss Pumpkin flashing her, well, pumpkins – complete with pumpkin stems strategically placed. And then there’s her pumpkin boyfriend bent over and mooning passersby, a couple of pumpkins out there for all to see.

I found an enormous old wooden black-and-yellow Halloween display in my garage, left by the people who lived there before. It’s a big, wooden cut-out of a witch in silhouette, gnarly nose with wart and all, riding her broom against the backdrop of a full moon. This is the first year we’ve put it up, mostly because I knew if I did, my brother-in-law would make the obligatory comment about the uncanny resemblance I have to said witch. Ha ha. Throwing all cares to the wind, we’ve planted it by the front entrance to our place. Let the witchy comments fly! I’m ready!

Halloween is my 6-year-old niece’s favorite holiday. That’s at least what she says every fall. And you have to admit, a holiday where you get to dress up to be whoever or whatever you want and walk around the neighborhood collecting candy does sound pretty good – even to an adult. I think that same philosophy applies to some of our favorite house decorators around here. Houses and front yards become yet another way to get into the holiday spirit – no pun intended.

And by the way, while we’re discussing scary topics, be sure to get out there and vote this Tuesday. It’s spooky that some folks complain about the way things are – and then don’t get in the process to change them. Cast that ballot!

Carrie Click is a Post Independent staff writer. Her column runs on Tuesdays.