Halloween is a time for fun and spooky displays, but for one woman, her decorations were considered “too much” by a neighbor.
Despite her deep love for the holiday and the effort she poured into her intricate graveyard display, she chose to honor his request to take it down.
Her selflessness in the face of this unusual complaint quickly captured hearts, inspiring countless people with her kindness and understanding during a season that celebrates creativity and community.
In a world that seems to be getting darker and more depressing all the time, it can be hard to stay motivated. I mean, what can we really do to help when the planet’s problems are so massive?
Well, personally, I think there’s only one way to go: treat others the way you’d like to be treated yourself. Whether someone acts from the heart in your hometown or halfway around the world, kindness is always important.
As Halloween approaches, we’re used to seeing spooky decorations sprouting up everywhere. But Halloween is also about being close to family and friends, taking a break from everyday life, and appreciating those around us.
When Salena Webb, a devoted Halloween enthusiast and mother from Duncan, South Carolina, went all out with her spooky decorations in 2023, something happened that would impact her and many others.
Little did she know that she was about to become the focus of an uplifting viral moment on TikTok. It all started with her compassionate response to an unexpected request from a neighbor.
Salena is well-known in her neighborhood for her imaginative Halloween decorations, and last year, she created an entire graveyard scene in her front yard, complete with ghosts, spiderwebs, pumpkins, a witch, tombstones, and skeletons carrying a casket.
Anyone who has ever set up Halloween decor knows it takes considerable time and effort— just imagine how much dedication Salena poured into her haunting display.
So, you can only imagine her surprise when a neighbor approached her with a request to take it down. However, upon discovering the reason behind her neighbor’s discomfort, she didn’t think twice.
So, what was it that made Salena’s decorated garden so upsetting? It turned out that her neighbor’s adult son approached her with an unexpected request. He revealed that his father, recently diagnosed with cancer, found the graveyard display distressing.
For him, the decorations served as a painful reminder of his own health battles, overshadowing the holiday spirit.
”He starts to tell me that his father was diagnosed with lung cancer. And then he started to talk about my Halloween decorations,” Webb told Insider and continued:
”I’m like, ‘What do my decorations really have to do with this?’”
What made this incident even more remarkable was that Salena’s doorbell camera captured the entire conversation.
In the video, the neighbor explained, “Hey, I know you’re celebrating Halloween. My dad just got diagnosed with lung cancer, and he finds the decorations a bit scary.” He then gestured toward the graveyard scene and asked, “Would you mind removing just the casket?”
Salena could have easily stood her ground and refused to move the casket. Instead, she chose to be empathetic rather than confrontational — an attitude that is becoming increasingly rare these days. If you’ve ever been helped by a stranger, you know it’s an wonderful feeling.
Since her neighbor’s dad often spent time in his garage, which faced Salena’s yard, she understood why removing the casket was important. She didn’t want to be a reminder of what could happen if he didn’t beat cancer, and she didn’t want to add any stress to the man.
She decided to remove the casket from his sight and the next day, she took it a step further and removed the tombstones as well.
“I was a little sad at first,” Salena wrote in her TikTok caption, “But I realized that taking away the casket wouldn’t hurt me, but it might help my neighbor feel better as he deals with this news. Kindness is free, and compassion goes a long way,” she explained in her TikTok video.
Her TikTok video quickly went viral, racking up over 1.2 million views in less than a week. Many praised her for her kindness, recognizing the compassion she showed in her actions. In her heartwarming video, Salena asked her followers what they would have done in her situation.
While some expressed that they wouldn’t have removed their decorations, the overwhelming response highlighted how much people admired Salena’s selflessness.
When confronted with someone in need, we often find ourselves with two choices: to mumble something incomprehensible under our breath and walk away or to extend a hand. It truly boils down to that simple decision. In Salena’s case, her choice to show compassion rather than indifference transformed a challenging situation into a testament of kindness for her neighbor.
”You both handled this tough situation in such a respectful manner,” one viewer wrote.
Salena responded, “I hope it encourages others do the same and be more understanding,” one user commented.
Another person wrote, “This was beautifully handled. The world needs more people like you! God bless you!”
Another viewer shared, ”As someone’s whose grandfather just passed away- thank you. You’re a kind soul the world needs more of.”
Salena also shared a follow-up video revealing what her graveyard looked like before she took it down for her neighbor’s comfort.
“We’re just gonna remove that. We already had the casket out, but I put it back real quick just so you guys can see what it does look like,” she explained in her video. “So, I do get it. I do understand. And it’s like literally right across the street, and he can look right into it. So I get it.”
When faced with a person needing help, we have two options. To mutter something incomprehensible under our breath and walk away, or to help. In Salena’s case, her choice to show compassion rather than indifference transformed a challenging situation into a testament of kindness for her neighbor.
Small simple gestures like this are what help us maintain our faith in humanity!
Helping someone in need is a matter of course for many of us, but unfortunately it doesn’t seem to be so obvious to others.
