MONTAGUE — One might think that it’s Halloween instead of Independence Day when coming upon the family of plastic skeletons adorning Marie Albano’s Montague home this holiday. But for this collector, the spooky display is a year-round festivity.
While these undead friends indeed began as Halloween decorations, Albano took to collecting the plastic skeletons as a way to improve morale during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nowadays, those who pass by her house on Dry Hill Road will be met by a family of these skeletons dressed in whatever attire is most festive for the time.
Sometimes, Albano can even be seen on the road with a skeleton seated politely on the back of her vehicle’s trailer. To her, this is a full-time passion.
“Halloween is my favorite holiday besides Christmas,” Albano said. “So I just said, ‘Let’s keep it going.’”
Albano, who works in the emergency department at Holyoke Medical Center, began to decorate her property in response to somber times.
“I saw some of my former patients in the ICU. Sadly, some of them passed away,” Albano said of her experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We just had to brighten it up. It was tough for everybody.”
Aided by her husband Joe Albano, a former carpenter, she improvised a tribute: a large wooden display of a heart to serve as her yard’s main attraction. Three skeletons came next — Halloween leftovers-turned-models for medical masks to show solidarity with the idea of mask-wearing. Sure enough, the quirky idea was a hit with surrounding locals, so Albano decided to stick with the aesthetic.
“Our neighbors love it,” Albano said. “They’ll stop. They toot. Sometimes, they’ll give us ideas.”
The creativity and fun has yet to run short, according to both Albano and her husband, who enjoys constructing intricate wooden props for the exhibit.
What had once been a mere three skeletons has quintupled in size, with five adult, three child, six ambiguous, and even one canine skeleton comprising the collection.
The Albanos have an entire shed dedicated to storing their decor when it’s not on display. Far more often than not, however, the yard is a lively celebration of whatever holiday is relevant at the time.
Albano’s cellphone contains a photo album jam-packed with images she’s taken of her skeletons dressed up for every major holiday over the past year and a half. She frequently sees others who stumble across the property doing the same.
“People stop to take pictures with them and of them,” Albano said. “It’s great.”
Having taken so much joy from this tradition, Albano cannot envision a stopping point. She said she’s become so attached that she even takes some skeletons on trips with her.
“I just went camping with them. I’m very serious about this,” she said. “For quite a while, we’ll keep it going. It makes me happy. I have fun with it.”
Albano’s extended family can be seen donning red, white and blue for this year’s July 4 celebrations.
Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-772-0261, ext. 261 or jmendoza@recorder.com.