Halloween in Australia lands in spring, which is the one thing the imported decorations never account for. Daylight saving means it is still light at half past seven while the kids are out, and most of what you buy looks like painted plastic until well after they have gone home. A small lit figure solves that. This witch stands 16 cm with a lantern that glows from inside, so the moment the light drops she reads as a character instead of an ornament.

Why It Stands Out

• She lights from within — the lantern in her hand glows rather than being lit from outside, which is what makes her hold up in the half-dark of an Australian spring evening.
• Small enough to layer — 16 cm tall and 234 g, so she sits inside a display among pots and pumpkins instead of being the whole display.
• Runs off USB — any phone charger, power bank or USB outlet. No coin cells going flat halfway through the night and no batteries to buy every October.
• A power bank makes her cordless — tuck a bank behind a pot and she runs for an evening with nothing plugged into the wall.
• Soft rather than bright — this is atmosphere at ankle and table height, the warm pocket of light that makes the rest of the garden look darker.
• Witch, broom and lantern all read instantly — no one has to work out what she is meant to be.
• It packs away — plastic, light, no glass, so she stores easily and comes out ready for the next Halloween.

Where to Put It

• The front verandah or porch — the job she does best. Trick-or-treaters arrive at the door, so the lit thing belongs there.
• On a covered alfresco table among pumpkins and a few tea lights.
• At the base of a big pot beside the entry, where she catches the eye on the way past.
• On a sheltered shelf or ledge overlooking the garden bed.
• Inside a window facing the street — visible from the footpath, completely out of the weather.
• On the party table as a centrepiece with the overheads turned down.
• Under the eaves along the path, as one of several small lit pieces rather than one big prop.

How It Works

1. A USB cable runs from the base to any 5 V source — wall adaptor, power bank or powered USB port.
2. An LED inside the lantern housing lights the lantern and spills onto the figure.
3. She runs continuously while powered — there is no sensor and no timer, so you switch her on and off at the source.
4. The whole body is moulded plastic, which is why she weighs almost nothing and survives being knocked over.

How to Style It

1. Decide where the power comes from first, then place her. A verandah power point, an indoor point near a window, or a power bank hidden behind a pot.
2. Put her at the front of the group — tall props at the back, mid-height pots in the middle, the lit figure forward where nothing blocks her.
3. Hide the cable under mulch or behind a pot rim. A visible white cable is the one thing that ruins the effect.
4. Give her something dark behind her — a black planter, dried branches, a stretch of cobweb. Light needs something to read against.
5. Turn the nearby lights down if you can — the softer the surroundings, the more she stands out.
Tip: group three small lit pieces along the path. A line of low glows leads people to the door and looks deliberate.

She is a sheltered-position piece — verandah, porch, covered alfresco or indoors — and she runs from any 5 V USB point or a power bank tucked out of sight.

Care and Storage

• Bring her in after Halloween rather than leaving her out through summer — UV fades the paint faster than anything else.
• Wipe with a damp cloth only. No hosing, no soaking.
• Coil the cable loosely in the box; kinked USB cables fail at the plug.
• Store her upright in the carton so the broom and lantern are not taking the weight.

Specifications

What's Included

• 1 × Halloween witch lantern with USB lead