Before Halloween

The costumes aren't finished, the pumpkins aren't carved, and somewhere a string of fairy lights is still tangled from last year. This is the stretch where the decorations arrive before the plans do.

This purple projector throws ghosts, pumpkins, and other assorted Halloween figures across a wall or ceiling, cycling through the included discs rather than committing to one scene all month. It's built for kids from age three, which mostly means it survives being left running in a dark room for longer than anyone intended. Compare more party decorations.

For the smaller trick-or-treaters who'd rather be a fairy than a skeleton, this rainbow tutu set comes with wings, a wand, and a cape, covering unicorn and princess duty as readily as Halloween. It reads less as a costume than as a costume box you dip into depending on the week. The best dress-up accessories.

On the door or the table, this pumpkin and berry wreath sits on a rattan base with pinecone detailing, doing the autumn-decoration job without tipping into anything explicitly spooky. Useful if the household's enthusiasm for Halloween is lower than its enthusiasm for October in general. Compare more wreaths.

Same idea as the rainbow version, different palette: this purple tutu set pairs the wings and wand with metallic purple instead, for the child who has opinions about which fairy she's being this year. The best dress-up accessories.