Spooky Surprise: Halloween Display Elicits Scary Note from Neighbor in Bristol

Bristol, England – In the quiet Longwell Green community of Bristol, a seemingly harmless Halloween display turned into an unexpected source of controversy when a mom and her children received a chilling note from an anonymous neighbor.

Lia Adams-Steele, a 35-year-old mother of two, embarked on a creative endeavor with her 7-year-old and 5-year-old children to transform their front lawn into a Halloween spectacle made entirely from recycled materials. Their decorations included whimsical cobwebs, witches sporting brightly colored hats, and a charming gingerbread house with a candy cane doorway, as reported by the BBC.

The effort was a labor of love for the family, as they spent days and hours painting and assembling the display. Adams-Steele saw it as an opportunity to bond with her children and teach them about the joys of upcycling. In her words, “It was a really special period of time for us working together as a team and seeing how the display was taking shape.”

Despite her intentions of creating a family-friendly and environmentally conscious Halloween exhibit, not everyone in the Longwell Green community was pleased. A mysterious neighbor took it upon themselves to draft a scathing letter, condemning the decorations as “scary and aggressive.” The letter, bereft of a name or contact information, was hand-delivered to the Adams-Steele family, igniting a neighborhood mystery.

The anonymous note read, “As a member of the Longwell Green community, I would like to ask you to be considerate of young children and others who may not be comfortable viewing your outdoor displays, which are quite scary and aggressive. Not everyone celebrates Halloween. Images of witches/occult and such like can be offensive and scary to some, and actually gave nightmares to my child, who has to pass these most days. I realize that you are free to express yourself on your own property — unless you are renting, of course. But this feels just a bit too far. And I am sure you did not intend to offend anyone, and just doing it for fun. But perhaps in the future, I ask kindly that you consider those passing by.”

Adams-Steele expressed her astonishment and concern, saying, “I think it’s more scary that someone went to the effort of typing up the letter, to be honest.” She added, “In 2023, I feel a little bit scared that I had to receive a letter like this.” She wished the letter writer had at least included their name, allowing her to apologize if her Halloween display had indeed caused distress.

On the flip side, the Adams-Steele family received an outpouring of support on social media, with over 300 Facebook comments commending their Halloween decorations. Despite the unsettling note, Lia Adams-Steele remains steadfast in her decision to keep the display, stating, “I’m not a bad person, I’m not an evil person — I’m just a mom who wanted to make her kids happy by creating something special.”

She concluded, “I don’t mind whoever has written the letter, but I think I deserved a name on the letter, so at least I can say to this person I am truly sorry I’ve offended you or caused a nightmare. I don’t think an anonymous letter was fair.” The mystery of the anonymous Halloween critic continues to haunt the Longwell Green community, where this spooky incident has given the neighborhood something “pumpkin to talk about.”