Katharine Wall loves to decorate her house for the holidays.

Strings of Christmas lights act as the reins for the skeleton reindeer who are pulling the coffin sleigh, the killer wreath has been hung in the alcove, and Mr. Oogie Boogie is ready to deal with Santa Claus.

ItB次元官网网址檚 all part of WallB次元官网网址檚 Nightmare Before Christmas themed house, and quite timely given this year is the 25th anniversary of the Disney movie.

B次元官网网址淚 love decorating. I love themes,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淚t was great to combine my joy of decorating with my love of holidays and my obsession with Disney into one thing.B次元官网网址�

Katharine and her husband Johnathan recently moved here and this year was the first time theyB次元官网网址檝e decorated for Christmas and Halloween in Chilliwack. Each year they pick a theme (usually Disney related) and piggyback their Halloween decorated house with their Christmas decorated house for that year.

B次元官网网址淥ur themes are always Halloween and Christmas, so we only choose themes that can be carried over,B次元官网网址� she says. This year they chose Tim BurtonB次元官网网址檚 The Nightmare Before Christmas.

The Walls make about 90 per cent of the decorations themselves.

B次元官网网址淲e try our best to use as much recycled stuff as we can,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 cheap and I would rather not create unnecessary waste.B次元官网网址�

Leftover PVC piping was used for the wrought-iron fence, pieces of plywood make up the skeleton reindeer, and free scraps of wood were used to build the Christmas presents.

Katharine does the planning and designing while Johnathan cuts out the designs and builds the larger decorations.

B次元官网网址淗e can pretty much build me anything that IB次元官网网址檓 asking for within reason,B次元官网网址� she says.

And the interior of their house is decorated, too. Hand-made ornaments are hung from the tree across from a Jack Skellington mannequin. A handmade recipe book turned to the B次元官网网址渨ormB次元官网网址檚 wart soupB次元官网网址� page, sits atop a hand-built desk.

It takes the Walls a whole year of planning and building to decorate their home for Halloween and Christmas. They begin in January every year. They have a week of vacation and relaxation, but also a week to plan the upcoming yearB次元官网网址檚 theme. Each month they task themselves with projects to complete.

ItB次元官网网址檚 a lot of work, but itB次元官网网址檚 worth it.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a part of it that obviously feeds me, and I really love it but I also love seeing peopleB次元官网网址檚 faces,B次元官网网址� says Katharine. B次元官网网址淚 know how magical it can beB次元官网网址� itB次元官网网址檚 the same way I feel when I walk down the streets of Hogsmeade at Universal (Studios). I love when the adults or kids come and they are so excited because this is something theyB次元官网网址檝e seen on a TV, but now they can actually touch it. ThatB次元官网网址檚 such a cool feeling.B次元官网网址�

Their plan is to have a handful of different themes that they can rotate through every four or five years. Next year theyB次元官网网址檒l be doing Harry Potter, and Alice in Wonderland is on the list for future.

The WallB次元官网网址檚 Nightmare Before Christmas themed house, complete with songs from the movie playing on outdoor speakers, can be viewed at 9703 Hazel St., at the corner of Portage Avenue.

The display will be up until the first weekend in January, and the lights will be on from sunset until about 9:30 p.m. nightly.

B次元官网网址淲e have kids that come here and they are singing the songs from The Nightmare Before Christmas, and they are so excited,B次元官网网址� she adds. B次元官网网址淚t makes me feel so good that I can give that to someone else. ThatB次元官网网址檚 the part I really love.B次元官网网址�

jenna.hauck@theprogress.com
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