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Decorating your mailbox for Halloween is a great way to let everyone
that drives by know that your family is filled with the Halloween
spirit.
 For
our first Halloween mailbox we purchased a basic
metal mailbox from the local hardware store and masked off the flag
with newspaper and masking tape.
Using orange colored outdoor spray paint, we gave the whole thing a
good coat and let it dry for a day.
Then applied a second coat of
the paint. Next we used craft
paint to paint on the mail box to create a Jack O' Lantern face. Once the mailbox was
finished, we mounted it to a 4"x4"x5' piece of lumber and secured it
in the ground. Our neighbor painted his mailbox door to look like a
tombstone.
 Another
option is to use a commercially made Halloween mailbox cover. These
vinyl covers are available in a variety of styles such as the "
Pumpkin Smiles" cover one shown to the right and attach by simply
wrapping the cover around the mailbox and using its two long
magnetic strips to hold it in place.
Most of these covers are
designed to fit a standard sized mailbox. After Halloween, be sure
to remove the cover and pack it away for next year. You can find an
assortment of Halloween and other holiday mailbox covers at
www.inthewindflags.net
 Inflatable
"Mailbox Monster's" are commercially made vinyl mailbox decorations
that sit on top of your mailbox. All you do is inflate and attach it
to your mailbox with the included straps. The Cat version of the
Inflatable Mailbox Monster, shown to the right, is approximately
thirty inches long from nose to tail. These Mailbox Monster's also
include a vinyl patch kit just in case you need to any repair small
holes. They are currently available in three designs, Ghost, Witch
and Black Cat. Check with your local Halloween store for
availability.
Do-it-yourself
mailbox adornment can be as easy as attaching a Halloween decoration
to your family mailbox. In this case we took a large Halloween
skeleton doll
and attached it with zip-ties so that it looks like the skeleton was
riding the mailbox. Another creepy effect is to use a large "fake"
spider draped over the outside of the mailbox.
Just use your
imagination and you can create something really spooky.
Make sure that what ever you
use, it doesn't not interfere with the mailbox door or keep the postal
worker from being able to put mail in the box.
You
can build your own unique
Halloween mailbox , but call your local post office to make sure
that it is within their regulations first. Use a large foam Jack O' Lantern that has a
mouth opening large enough for the postal worker to put mail
through. In case you'll have out-going mail, you can buy just the mailbox "flag" assembly at your local
hardware store and attach it to the side of the foam pumpkin using a
long bolt and nut. Connect the Jack-O-Lantern securely to a four-by-four piece of
lumber as the post and plant it securely in the ground. Be sure to
temporarily remove or cover your regular mailbox, so you don't
confuse your postal worker!
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