CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)- We’re inching closer and closer to Halloween, and residents across the Lowcountry are busy preparing their homes for trick-or-treaters.

For one neighborhood, Carolina Bay in West Ashley, decorating for the spookiest time of year is serious business.

What started as just a few over-the-top displays has turned into some healthy competition for homeowners each hoping to best themselves from the year before and vying for ultimate bragging rights.

The houses on Gammon Street and Dweller Court are a must-stop during the season as residents choose new themes each year to inspire their impressive decorations.

When asked why they choose to spend hours building, decorating and arranging the pieces on their front lawns, neighbors say the answer the simple: People love it.

Carolina Bay is expected to welcome hundreds of trick-or-treaters on Halloween night from across the Lowcountry, all coming to revel in the spirit of the season.

In addition to enjoying the spectacle and raking in piles of candy (some houses even hand out full-sized candy bars!), visitors can scan the QR code posted on signs throughout the neighborhood to donate to “Skeletons for St. Jude,” a nationwide effort to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital during the holiday season.