How To Decorate For Valloween, The Spooky Sweet Trend Taking Off On TikTok

Are chocolate truffles and candy hearts just too sweet for you? Would you rather watch "Hocus Pocus" than a Hallmark rom-com? Do you count down the 259 days between February 14 and October 31? Then consider this your invitation to celebrate Valloween this year. It's a relatively new holiday mash-up — think Jack Skellington meets Cupid — that has been steadily gaining momentum thanks to social media. 

Proving that Valentine's Day looks don't always have to be pink, Valloween successfully keeps the romance while weaving in shades of orange, black, and red, along with spooky variations on classic themes such as candles glowing in skull holders, bats fluttering among the hearts, and even a lovely bunch of red dead roses. Why does this odd combination work better than, say, Halloween and July 4, or Valentine's Day and Thanksgiving? 

Maybe it's because both holidays are associated with candy, or perhaps it has more to do with the eternal nature of love (think of the classic wedding vow "'Til death do us part.") Or maybe it's just an excuse to repurpose all the gothcore that would otherwise gather dust in the basement or garage. Whatever the motivation, we have some ideas that will inspire you to add a wicked flair to your hearts and frills this Valentine's season. 

Valentine's Day is a time to "say it with flowers," and there's no reason to stop that tradition for this trend. The trick (and treat!) is to offer an arrangement that someone like Frankenstein's monster or Edward Cullen might give his beloved. Take your cue from TikTok seller Mummy's Little Monster Shop and put together a "boo-quet" that fits the theme. Red or orange roses instantly look wicked when wrapped in black tissue paper, or you could find some black roses to really nail the spooky theme. Blue roses also work when wrapped in an un-Valentine's color like green and delivered with the message: "You Possess My Heart."

If your kids count down the days till October 31, then a Valloween celebration will appeal to them, too. Involve the little ones in some ghoulishly fun crafts for the occasion; use toilet paper rolls to make little creatures like the one seen here, or try out kits like this one from Oriental Trading. Typical Valentine's treats like red velvet cupcakes take on a creepier look when you use red food gel to create a blood effect on the cream cheese icing. Don't forget to get the costumes out of storage!

If you're not afraid to go full-on creepy, you could mix in some (fake, please!) insects with your classic holiday décor, as with the spiders seen here creeping through a cobweb heart. To really complete the sentiment, why not give your Valentine a gift guaranteed to make them go buggy? The Bronx Zoo has a Name a Roach Valentine's program in which you can name one of their Madagascar hissing cockroaches for your loved one. Add-on options include a virtual visit with one of the critters — talk about romantic! 

Using a Halloween theme for Valentine's Day also means you're not limited to a pink-and-red color scheme. As TikTok user Christina Glass demonstrates (or demon-strates, if you will), you can effectively color heart accessories in shades of orange and black for a fun holiday mash-up display. She also mixes in more traditional Halloween pieces, like the ghost and jack-o-lantern mugs, to round out her assortment. Glass says she gets most of her supplies at Home Goods and Michaels, then touches them up at home to make the pieces more unique. 

The basic rule for Valloween: Whatever decorations you might use in an ordinary Valentine's Day display always look better with a little scare added. This pretty wreath instantly takes on a different vibe with the addition of a few cute ghost and pumpkin figurines. Here, they're all displayed on a shelf, but you could achieve the same look for your door by adding ghost stickers or toy spiders to the heart. Or twine a black lace ribbon around the heart for a goth flair.

Rather than storing or mulching the Christmas tree after New Year's, families are opting to keep it around for another month and decorate it for Valentine's Day. It's easy enough to swap out the angels and Santas for hearts, Cupids, and red ribbons. Add in a variety of pumpkins, like the above, and the tree further transforms into a Valloween showpiece. You could also opt to mix some ghosts, pumpkins, or broomsticks into the branches, or use a foam skull as the tree topper.

What would a Valloween kitchen be without a spooky spot to drink your brew? This clever coffee corner employs a red-and-black theme, with equal elements of love and semi-scariness. The festive hearts and adorable gnomes stand in contrast to the ghost and bat accents and the oversized "Nightmare Before Christmas" mug in the coffeemaker. Not seen here is the shelf above the mug holder, which continues the theme with more knickknacks and bats flying up the wall.

TikTok user @artwithdevon put her talents to good use by taking a basic Dollar Tree hanging plaque and painting portraits of iconic killer doll couple Chucky and Tiffany on it. The result is a scarily good decoration that perfectly fits the Valloween theme. You could try a simpler design, such as two ghosts or a couple of bats, or pick another classic horror couple, such as Frankenstein's monster and his bride. One of Devon's followers even suggested she should transform her next sign with Gomez and Morticia Addams and we could totally see that, too.

Just about anything you'd use for an average Valentine's Day arrangement can be creeped out by adding something more suited to October 31. A bunch of red roses? Beautiful! Red roses with a grinning skull? Beautifully grim! Best of all, you don't have to worry about the roses staying fresh since they'll look even more effective if they're wilting or dead. How about going a step further and displaying a heart candy box in a skeleton's bony hands? 

Valloween definitely calls for hearts — the anatomically correct kind, that is. If you can pair them with some brains, eyes, intestines, and other organs, all the better. TikTok creator @welcometohorrorwood put together this revoltingly realistic assortment and used red-tinted hot glue to attach them to the base of a candy box. You can get the same effect using silicone molds like this one from Etsy. They can be used either for clay crafting or candy making with black or red chocolate melts.

When you think about it, love and Halloween aren't mutually exclusive. Think of all the romantic couples nestled within macabre movies and TV shows — from Gomez and Morticia Addams to Herman and Lily Munster. Perhaps the most famous duo in this category is Jack Skellington and Sally. The debate over "The Nightmare Before Christmas" rages on — is it a Halloween movie, or a Christmas one? — but there's no denying the eternal love between the Pumpkin King and his stitched-up sweetheart. There are enough Jack and Sally Valentine's knickknacks out there (including these cute tumblers from Walmart) to create an entire shelf or mantel display or you could mix it up with merch of Wednesday and Xavier or Buffy and Angel.

If you're going to do Valloween, you might as well go all the way. TikToker @jewelsharee showed off how she carries the theme throughout her house. A black candelabra atop a red lace runner makes a fabulous dining room table centerpiece. She combines red roses and hearts with "Scream" vases and black bats and sets off a skeletons-in-love heart plaque with imposing black pillar candles. Among the best touches here are the banner made from spooky Valentine cards and the classic horror movie prints. 

If you're a paper crafter, take some inspiration from Samii Smith's TikTok video. She used her computer and paper cutter to create a banner inspired by one of the most famous lines from the iconic slasher movie "Scream." Smith added a couple of homemade Ghostface figures, strung the whole banner together, and her mantel was complete. You could make an entire set with love lines from other horror films. Elite Daily lists a few, including "I want to run towards something, not away" from "It" and "Love is the only thing that can save this poor creature," from the beloved satire "Young Frankenstein." 

While skeletons, ghosts, and bats are all logical décor for a Valentine's Day/Halloween combo, there's also another wicked figure whom you could easily incorporate into your décor thanks to his traditionally red appearance. Instagram user @thehalloweenh00dlum found a "stinking cute" vintage 1968 devil figure that they enthused was "the perfect addition to my Valloween display." Similar retro devil figurines are available on Etsy. We're more partial to the whimsical ones than the frightening variety, but it all depends on what fits with the rest of your holiday style.

Blogger Life of Style "jumped in with both feet" when she first heard about the Valloween concept. She created a simple but effective theme by putting toy spiders around and on top of her cupcakes and cookies, fashioning brain-shaped gelatin treats, and displaying her collection of classic movie monsters like The Wolfman and The Creature from the Black Lagoon. She also created a free printable of the jack o'lantern heart seen here (you can download it on her blog), which can be used on its own or placed inside larger doilies to scatter around your home.

When choosing your Valloween decorations, remember that "scary" is a subjective concept. While many people freak out over bats and spiders, others find them fascinating and even cute. Clowns make certain people laugh, while those suffering from severe coulrophobia would completely disagree. Instead of specifically shopping for ghost-themed Valentine's merch, keep your eyes open for standard decorations that you personally find spine-chilling. TikTok user @thediaryofJorose offers a perfect example: These figures from Home Goods are supposed to look homespun and adorable, but something about their wide grins is a little off-putting. Focusing her camera on a grandmotherly figure who's apparently into sewing, Jorose comments, "She looks like she's going to stab you with those scissors."

There are tons of ways to decorate your fireplace mantel for Valentine's Day, so it's not much of a stretch to extend the idea to incorporate hauntingly fun figures. YouTuber Midge Munster shows how she did it in 2021, starting with classic trimmings such as a pompom garland and a heart wall hanging. Then, Munster added an assortment of ghosts in the form of figurines and vintage-style cards that she downloaded from an Etsy shop. She got raves from followers, many of whom are actively planning their own Valloween setups. "I love that Valloween or FeBOOary 14th is becoming like a thing!!!" wrote one.