You have your decorations up, your costume made, and your menu planned—have you thought about your lighting? When planning your Halloween gathering your choice of lighting is as important as your menu. After all, nothing ruins a mood faster than turning on the lights! This means your lighting needs to pull double duty—provide atmosphere and enough light for people to see by. One of the most versatile lighting options I’ve found is the submersible LED.

Basically, these are bright, tiny flashlights that possess a watertight seal when turned on—perfect for illuminating potions or specimen jars! You’ll find submersible LED lights in the floral section of your local craft store. Available in several colors, they turn on with a simple twist of cap and some of them have a handy clip on the back to allow for more flexible placement options.

Your buffet table is the perfect place to begin planning your lighting. How do you create a mood and keep the food looking appetizing while using a minimum amount of space? Illuminated jars will serve you well here by providing both light and acting as raised pedestals for serving dishes. Fill a few jars with water and place a submersible LED in each jar. You can add food coloring to the water, some fresh herbs for an underwater effect, or plastic body parts. Cover the jars with lace or gauzy fabric for a more muted light.

The bathroom provides another lighting challenge. Try adding a couple of submersible LED lights to a vase of flowers; in addition to a fairly bright light the flowers will provide a nice shadow effect. (Tip: add purple or black food coloring to the water and the flowers will turn a darker color.) Illuminated jars will work here as well; try tucking one out of site behind the toilet or filling the shower with specimen jars. If you have a tub, fill the tub with colored water and anchor a few of these LED lights in the bottom. Create a scene in the tub—maybe a gruesome mask amongst floating vines.

The tiny size of these lights allows you to tuck them just about anywhere; they don’t have to be in water. Clip them to your other decorations, hide them on top of the cabinets…let your imaginations go! Just don’t let the dog eat them.