B.C. woman born on Halloween dresses up giant skeleton in front yard all year long
When Tabi Henry was little, she never questioned why everyone celebrated her birthday in costume.
“I thought it was a big party put on for me,” Tabi smiles.
Until she realized that Oct. 31 was also Halloween.
Ever since, Tabi and her family have felt fondness for the freaky.
“We’re just weird like that,” she says.
Ghoulish garden gnomes that decorate their living room year round, and Tabi has a celebration of spooky cinema tattooed on her arm.
“That’s the ‘Psycho’ house,” Tabi says, pointing the haunted-looking mansion inked on her shoulder.
Then there’s the 12-foot-tall skeleton that Tabi got a couple months before this past Halloween.
“Once you take it out of the box, it doesn’t go back in. And it’s a pain to store,” Tabi says. “So the easiest thing to do is put it in the yard.”
So her husband made a large countdown to Halloween sign for the skeleton to hold, which Tabi adjusted daily.
It remained in the front yard throughout October, before becoming part of Tabi’s elaborate Halloween display.
And then came November.
“We took the Halloween stuff down,” Tabi says, before laughing. “Because it’s tacky leaving it up.”
But the giant skeleton stayed. Because where else would it go, and who else would be tall enough to hang the Christmas lights?
Tabi’s husband made a giant Santa hat for the skeleton to wear and adjusted its arms so it looked like it was attaching the string of lights along the roofline.
They also erected a pair of smaller skeletons and dressed them as elves.
“The skeleton would look weird in the yard naked, so you have to put clothes on the skeleton,” Tabi smiles. “And to justify leaving him up all year.”
The giant skeleton — who’s affectionately know as Skelly — dons something different every month. He wore a pair of bunny ears to host an Easter egg hunt for the neighbourhood, before dressing in overalls and carrying flowers to get the garden going for spring.
Tabi says Skelly also put a spring in the steps of people passing by.
“Just knowing that they’ve got a smile on their face is great,” she says.
Now, Skelly is celebrating the end of the school year, wearing a cap and gown to get the diploma he’s holding in his giant, boney hand. He’s joined by that pair of smaller skeletons, who are dressed in their best (including corsages and boutonnieres) for the prom.
The trio of skeletons are ready to graduate on to whatever spooky positivity Tabi has planned for next month.
“You know, people are still having a hard time,” Tabi says. “So if they can drive by or bring their kids and feel good, it totally justifies me leaving them up,”
Because the only thing better than celebrating your birthday on Halloween is giving a gift to others all year round. There’s no bones about it.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
NEW Life got in the way of one woman's reunion with her father, but a DNA test gained her a family
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Quebec Health Department reports 28 cases of eye damage linked to solar eclipse
Quebec's Health Department says it has received 28 reports of eye damage related to the April 8 total solar eclipse that passed over southern parts of the province.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.