Family's Creative Halloween Decor Delights Neighborhood

Elise Solé
Updated ·2 min read
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One family's home is a Halloween destination for its artistic and revolving decor.

Steven and Danielle Dinote are the proud owners of "The Skeleton House," a nickname for their home in the San Antonio neighborhood of Stone Oak.

Each October, the couple and their teen children decorate their front lawn with a creative skeleton display — which they change up daily — to amuse locals.

The Dinote family decorates their home with a different Halloween display each day of October. (Courtesy Steven Dinote)
The Dinote family decorates their home with a different Halloween display each day of October. (Courtesy Steven Dinote)

"It started as a joke in October 2020 when everyone was home during the pandemic," Steven told TODAY Parents.

Related: TODAY wants to see your family’s Halloween costumes!

That year, Steven took his daughter A.J., 14 and son Anthony, 10, to a Halloween store where they bought human skeletons (and a skeleton dog) to decorate their home. Later, A.J. humorously propped up one against a lawnmower. The next day, Danielle suggested positioning a skeleton to walk the dog, sparking a family contest to see who could conceive the best scenario each day.

Neighbors noticed — families stopped to admire the decorations and appreciated how each day brought a new theme: A cannon battle, a scene from William Shakespeare's "Hamlet," a spa with a massage table and a hot tub and a Hawaiian luau.

Skeleton Halloween decorations in a Texas front yard (Courtesy Oscar Carrero)
Skeleton Halloween decorations in a Texas front yard (Courtesy Oscar Carrero)
Steven and Danielle Dinote of Texas staged a skeleton-themed camping scene on their front lawn. (Courtesy Steven Dinote)
Steven and Danielle Dinote of Texas staged a skeleton-themed camping scene on their front lawn. (Courtesy Steven Dinote)

"People said it was the highlight of their day," Danielle told TODAY Parents.

This year topped the last.

So far, the Dinotes have staged Disney's "Hocus Pocus" and a family camping trip with a tent and a fire pit.

Other displays included dogsledding, a round of Twister and a golf game that ended a few doors down.

"We set up a skeleton with a flagstick in our neighbor's lawn and scattered golf balls between our houses," explained Steven.

Ideas start small and snowball. "We wanted to show a soccer game between skeletons and ghosts," recalled Steven. "For that, we had clothing and a first-aid kit."

Dog sledding is just one of the Dinote family's daily Halloween set-ups. (Courtesy Steven Dinote)
Dog sledding is just one of the Dinote family's daily Halloween set-ups. (Courtesy Steven Dinote)

The parents pilfer their children's bedrooms for props like clothing, musical instruments and even a Bob Ross wig purchased at Six Flags.

The kids are eager to help.

"We made a rollercoaster for the skeletons last year we named One Flag," said Steven. "I spray painted PVC pipes for tracks and made cars from cardboard boxes. My son decided the roller coaster needed restraints which we made from pool noodles."

Depending on the complexity, each display can take 30 to 60 minutes to create and the family keeps a list of ideas. Neighbors contribute too.

A group of skeletons play Twister on the lawn of Steven and Danielle Dinote. (Courtesy Steven Dinote)
A group of skeletons play Twister on the lawn of Steven and Danielle Dinote. (Courtesy Steven Dinote)

Last year, three women stopped by the Dinote home and requested a marching band display in honor of the local school.

Steven already had a saxophone and clarinet but he needed band uniforms and a trumpet, which the women provided.

The family has a Facebook page called "Skeleton House of San Antonio" with photos of their Halloween tradition.

"We're silly people who like to have fun," explained Steven. "We're a house full of goofballs."

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This article was originally published on TODAY.com