All the Things We’re Loving for Spooky Season This Year — The 2026 Halloween Edit

October has always belonged to our daughter. Her birthday falls right at the beginning of the month, and as far as she’s concerned, the celebrations don’t end until Halloween does.

Since moving to Luxembourg, Halloween looks a little different than it did back home. It’s not the neighborhood-wide production we grew up with in the U.S., but it’s certainly not forgotten either. A surprising number of the expat families around us go all in, and every year I notice a few more local families quietly joining in too.

We still take advantage of trips back to the States in late summer to stock up on a few favorite finds that are harder to come by here, but this guide is much more than a suitcase shopping list. It’s a collection of the pieces we’re genuinely loving this season, organized by who you’re shopping for, whether that’s you, your kids, your house, or the quieter traditions in between. We hope this list gives you inspiration for the season ahead.

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Want to shop this whole edit in one place? You can find every piece listed in this post (plus a few more Halloween favorites) here.

Dressed for the Season: Our Halloween Clothing Picks

Mama & Papa

Halloween clothing isn’t something I buy on impulse — I’d rather find a handful of pieces that feel festive all October without looking out of place the second November arrives. For the dad in your life, that’s a pair of black corduroy pants with tiny embroidered pumpkins, paired with a wide gingham shirt carrying a single jack-o’-lantern and a Halloween sweater warm enough for an evening trick-or-treat walk without tipping into costume territory. For mom, I’d go softer: a pumpkin-embroidered corduroy jumper dress layered over tights, a cozy fair isle sweater with little black cats and jack-o’-lanterns woven through it, and a twill pajama set for movie nights at home instead. And a couple of pairs of donegal socks — one with a bunny witch, one with a small embroidered pumpkin — are the kind of quiet detail that makes the whole season feel a little more fun, whoever grabs them first. And if you want one polished piece to pull it all together, I’ve added a pair of embroidered round-toe loafers below that I love for everything from the school run to a Halloween party.

Kinder & Littles

Our daughter has loved cats for as long as I can remember. Long before Halloween pajamas entered the picture, she was convincing the resort cats at Domes of Corfu to join our family and turning breakfast at Pine Cliffs into a daily cat hunt. So Halloween cat pajamas are the easiest yes in our house every single year, paired this year with a little witch tutu for parties and a sparkly grey tulle skirt scattered with sequin ghosts for the days that call for something just a little dressier.

Our son is keeping things simple with skeleton pajamas head to toe — spooky enough without being too much for bedtime. And the rest of this collection is built around pieces that flex across ages and sizes, whoever’s smallest in your house right now: a plain pumpkin pajama set that runs from 6 months to size 12, a knit pumpkin sweater in a shade of orange that photographs better than it has any right to, a soft Halloween sweater that works for either a boy or a girl, a footed pajama for the tiniest sizes, and a harvest-pumpkin bubble romper for the pre-walking crowd.

Trick-or-Treat Ready: Family Halloween Costume Ideas

Mama & Papa

If you’re looking for family costumes this year, here’s what I’d recommend: a light-up astronaut suit for him, silly enough that it gets funnier every time it comes out of the box, and the softest witch accessories I could find for her — no scratchy tulle required. Both have matching sets available for the entire family.

Kinder & Littles

Our daughter has already decided she’s going to be Little Red Riding Hood this year, and knowing her, she’ll probably wear the cape well beyond Halloween. If she changes her mind before October ends, an Ice Queen dress is the next best pick — or, if her little brother gets his way and insists on a matching Mickey moment, the Disney Minnie costume is our built-in compromise.

For boys, I kept coming back to classic costumes that never seem to go out of style — a pirate, a cowboy, or a light-up astronaut, especially if mom and dad decide to match. And for the smallest sizes, two adorable options this year: a popcorn costume and a classic red harlequin clown. And of course, every costume needs somewhere to stash the candy — I rounded up three treat bags we’ve either used already or would happily carry ourselves, from an oversized pumpkin tote to a personalized keepsake.

And if a four-legged member of the family is joining in too: this cozy wool sweater — Anthropologie is the one we reach for.

The Halloween House: Decor for the Whole Season

Decorating for Halloween has gradually become less about filling every corner of the house and more about choosing a handful of pieces that come back out year after year. A haunted house doormat and a moody black velvet wreath set the tone before anyone even steps inside. Around the dining table, I’m going all in this year with a deep, moody tablecloth and napkin set, paired with a gold-accented nut bowl and platter. And then there are the smaller touches that just make the house feel like Spooky Season — outside, a little collection of lit ghosts lines the front walk, and inside, especially this needlepoint pillow stitched with “no tricks” that’s become our son’s favorite thing to rearrange around the family room.

If you want to mix in a few new pieces for the table this year, there are some great tablescape options out there — the Midnight Manor Stoneware Dinnerware Collection, a playful Spooky Soirée Dinnerware Collection, a skeleton-print set from Royal Stafford, and a couple of serving pieces, like a Sur La Table Skeleton Bowl and Halloween Rectangular Platter. I’m adding the Nordic Ware Skull Bites Cakelet Pan to our own kitchen this year for whatever we end up baking this month.

Little Traditions: Halloween Books & Family Rituals

Before any of the shopping happens, there’s the weekend we spend making Halloween treats together — the one tradition on this list that isn’t for sale anywhere, and my favorite by far. Because our daughter has decided October deserves all thirty-one days of it, we’ve had to get a little inventive about making a whole month feel special instead of building toward just one night — which is really what this section is about.

A countdown calendar turns the waiting itself into part of the fun. A puzzle gets worked on slowly, a few pieces at a time, over several evenings. And we read a Halloween book every single night of the month, which means we’ve read most of what’s on our shelf enough times to recite it — so this year I’m adding a few new titles into the rotation before the old ones wear thin. Looking back, these are the things our kids will remember most — not the decorations, not the costumes, but the small traditions that return every October, plus whatever new ones we decide to add that year.

We’re also adding something new to the rotation this year — a DIY Halloween Haunted House Kit I’m planning to build with the kids one of these October weekends.

Cherished Memories: Making October Last a Little Longer

However much of this guide you end up bringing home, I hope it’s a reminder that Halloween doesn’t have to be about buying more. Many of these are brands we return to year after year, mixed in with a handful of new finds for 2026 — the goal is always pieces that earn their keep through the season and then get packed away to bring out again next October.

Because the real memories rarely come from the shopping. They’re the extra Halloween story before bed, decorating cookies together, and a birthday girl who’s fully convinced October belongs to her. The products above just help set the stage — the thirty-one days in between are what we’re actually after.

FAQ

Is Halloween popular in Europe?

Less than it is in the States, though it’s grown more than I expected since we moved. Between the expat community here and a growing number of local families joining in each year, it’s become a smaller but genuine version of the holiday rather than something we’ve had to leave behind. It’s also noticeably scarier — costumes here skew far more toward frightening than cute. Our neighbor’s six-year-old went as Jigsaw a few Halloweens ago, without a hint of irony. It’s exactly the kind of surprise that makes us love experiencing this holiday somewhere new.

Where do you shop for pieces like these?

Everything above is linked directly to where I found it — mostly Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids, Kiel James Patrick, Maisonette, Janie and Jack, Chasing Fireflies, and Anthropologie this year — a mix of long-time favorites and a few new finds worth checking out. You can shop the entire post here (with a few bonus items added!)