As a kid, I was always the creative type. I'd much rather draw, paint or play music than spend hours on puzzles, Sudoku, or Scrabble. That hasn't changed much as an adult—the thought of building furniture (yes, even as a home editor) is still my worst nightmare.
However, I do appreciate the idea of creating something from scratch, and I enjoy decorating my home, especially for Halloween. Most of all, I love a good challenge. In the spirit of spooky season, I decided to build the viral LEGO Halloween Wreath.
With 617 pieces, the wreath is made for ages 12+—and as someone who has never fully built a LEGO structure from start to finish on my own, that seemed like the perfect difficulty level. I lit a fall-scented candle, laid the pieces out on my couch, and got to work. All in all, the project took me around three hours, with a few small breaks between building.
The box comes with five different packages of pieces, along with an instruction booklet. I opened the first bag of LEGOs and followed the directions to build the base of the wreath formation. Once built, you can see the string you'll be able to hang it from at the very top. This part took me around an hour, but I was definitely moving at a slower pace than experienced builders.
Once the wreath was formed, most of my time was spent building and putting all the little decorative doodads on top. The set comes with some fun characters to build, including a pumpkin, ghost, and my personal favorite—the bat on top.
I found part of the assembly process to be a bit tedious, especially attaching some of the larger pieces (like the spiderwebs) to the smaller ones without allowing any of the other LEGOs to fall off. I also made a couple of errors while building, and it was a bit difficult to undo pieces I already arranged. With a dull butter knife, I was able to unlatch my mistakes and keep chugging along.
Still, I found the instruction manual surprisingly straightforward and easy to follow. Each step had helpful visuals to go along with it, including how many of each LEGO piece were needed and exactly how to attach them.
As the wreath started to come together, I was surprised by how eye-catching it was. It was exciting to see my hard work pay off. The colorful, floral pieces really stood out against the iconic Halloween figures, making for a beautiful (and homemade!) fall decoration.
I have yet to fully decorate for the fall, but I decided to hang the wreath on one of my bar cart's knobs. Even though it's definitely a bit delicate—be careful placing the string around whatever you choose to hang it on—I was able to successfully display my DIY wreath without any pieces falling off.
While I can't say I didn't get frustrated here and there, assembling the LEGO Halloween Wreath was quite soothing, and the end product was well worth it. Building with a few friends or a couple of family members while watching a Halloween classic like Hocus Pocus or a fall favorite like Gilmore Girls is the way to go.
Now that I know I can create my own holiday decor in just a few hours, I'm even thinking about giving LEGO's other seasonal wreaths a try. The brand’s botanicals wreath and Christmas wreath, although a bit more challenging, are customer favorites. This just might become one of my new favorite hobbies.
Laura Millar (she/her) is a freelance lifestyle journalist for Good Housekeeping. She holds a degree in Film, TV & Media from the University of Michigan, and was previously the assistant lifestyle editor for GH, where she covered home design. Her byline has appeared in NBC's TODAY.com, PEOPLE, Real Simple, and Business Insider.
