Although I’ve been creating Christmas villages for many years, this is the very first year I’ve put together a Halloween village. I already owned the Department 56 Disney Haunted Mansion pieces I had been collecting over the past few years, and this year I finally decided to add a few more spooky touches to bring it all together.

My husband, who is always my “enabler” when it comes to things he knows will make me happy, asked me why I had never made one before. My excuses were always the same: it takes up too much space or it’s too expensive. He just looked at me and said, “So what?” That’s his way of telling me to stop overthinking and just do it. In fact, he even picked out the Fright Night Theater himself!

Since the selection at our local craft store was limited, I made most of my own trees and even built the boat docks. The trees were crafted using Halloween and autumn floral picks along with miniature leaves, and the docks came together from simple craft sticks and wood stain. Not only was it more economical, but it was also a fun creative project.

Interestingly, this whole adventure started because I wanted to expand my Christmas village. While my husband was completely on board, I wanted to do it without breaking the bank. Brand-new Department 56 houses can be pricey, but thanks to some good advice and a lot of patient deal-hunting, I managed to build my collection in a much more affordable way.

Over the course of a month, I hunted for bargains, and for less than the cost of a single Disney Haunted Mansion house, I scored 18 Department 56 village houses. Even better, many of them came from the Dickens Village collection, which I absolutely love.

Now, between the haunted mansions, eerie theaters, handmade details, and my husband’s encouragement, my very first Halloween village is finally here, and I couldn’t be happier.

And the best part? As soon as Halloween is over, I get to turn my attention back to Christmas. The thought of pulling out my Dickens houses, adding festive details, and watching the glow of Christmas lights spread across the village fills me with joy. I know I’ll be just as excited to build my Christmas wonderland as I was to see my first Halloween village come to life.

Until then, I’ll savor the magic of autumn’s shadows, knowing that once the pumpkins are tucked away, the twinkle of Christmas is waiting just around the corner.