halloween

Halloween isn't just for kids; in fact, it's one of the few holidays adults get to kick back and join in on the fun. It's no surprise that Christmas, Thanksgiving, or any of the other big holidays can be the most wonderful time of the year or...the most stressful. Between 4 hour turkey dinners, extended family overstaying their welcome, and trying to find time after work to wrap presents, it can be expensive and a lot of effort, that leaves you more depleted than replenished. Halloween however, has all the excitement and none of the pressure! You can participate or sit out, at your own leisure. For people of all ages, Halloween can be one of the best times of the year, because it encourages everyone to embrace their creativity and transform into imaginative characters; from spooky monsters to beloved pop culture icons and everything in between. For so many, the excitement of trick-or-treating or seeing your neighborhood adorned with ghoulish decorations is the best part.But for one "Halloween Lover," who transformed her family home for the festivities -- her eye-catching efforts were met with backlash from one neighbor, who showed up at her door unannounced.Looking At Her Front Yard Halloween Decorations? It Didn’t Make Sense…Salena Webb, a self-proclaimed Halloween enthusiast hailing from Duncan, South Carolina, displayed her passion for the holiday this year by adorning her property with spooky decorations as early as September. The mother of 4, who is pregnant with her fifth child, expresses her creativity in all sorts of way, even taking to TikTok to share her gardening tips!With a love for all things design, it's no surprise Webb's front lawn featured an impressive array of Halloween decor, including a massive spider web, tombstones, and two skeletons bearing a coffin. While Webb was proud of her eerie decorations, they inadvertently sparked an unusual encounter with her neighbor across the street: the adult son of an elderly Russian couple arrived at her doorstep with a surprising request.Her Front Door Security Camera Caught the Whole ThingAfter the shocking interaction, Webb took to TikTok to share her story with her followers and friends alike. The exchange was captured by her Ring security camera and her post received 1.2 million views in less than a week. "He starts to tell me that his father was diagnosed with lung cancer," Webb said of her unexpected conversation with her neighbor. "And then he started to talk about my Halloween decorations. I'm like, 'What do my decorations really have to do with this?'" While it's clear in the video above, Webb wasn't sure what to make of the seemingly odd request in the moment, but upon reflection, more became clear. "This guy is dealing with mortality," Webb realized, when she recalled her neighbor specifically pointed out the wooden casket in her yard. In a follow-up video, Webb pointed out that the elderly man often sits in his garage, directly across the street from the coffin decoration.After giving it thought, Webb decided it was a no-brainer. She took the offending decoration down, prioritizing one stranger's mental health over her own ego. The fierce expecting mama of 4, captioned the video that she "can now understand why they were a little touchy" about her graveyard decor, but her hashtag #loveyourneighbourasyourself that bookends her caption, has the final word. It says it all.When You Don’t Know What to Do, Pause and Reflect, the Answers Will ComeSometimes, when we're taken off guard or caught up in a moment, it can be difficult to know how to react. When her neighbor came knocking at her door, asking her to take down her decorations, Salena Webb didn't quite make the connection at first, as to why her help was important...and understandably so. Life never stops, especially when you're a parent! It's not easy to balance your own schedule and be responsible for your family's schedule, while still trying to make the little moments (like decorating the house for Halloween) count! For this one mom, she put so much effort into making the occasion special for not only her own family, but the whole neighborhood and it would have been easy to dismiss her one neighbor's feelings as overly-sensitive. After all, it's her property and what about every other house on the street? Why should she be the only one who has to concede to her neighbor's wishes?Part of growing up, is knowing when another person's feelings are more important than your freedoms. In fact, it's a big part. Yes, Salena could have respectfully declined her neighbor's request to remove her "morbid" decorations from her lawn and that would have been perfectly OK. She could have even been irritated by his request, and called a friend down the street and asked if the "crazy neighbor" showed up at her door yet. But she didn't do any of those things. She paused and reflected. She sat with her feelings around a delicate situation (on both sides), and that made all the difference. She came to the conclusion that respected her neighbor's struggle. Kindness and compassion won. And when that happens? Everybody wins.