Collecting The Holidays

Tuesday, October 30th 2007, 5:00 pm

By: News On 6

Halloween seems to have gotten more and more popular over the years. The News On 6 has found a Tulsa couple who've been collecting Halloween things for more than two decades. The News On 6â€™s Rick Wells reports their stuff is less like a scream, and more like a Boo!

When you first walk into the Midtown Tulsa home of Jeff and Susie Spanier it looks pretty typical for the season.

â€œEverything you see here, about 90% of it is made in Germany," Halloween collector Jeff Spanier said.

Old world crafts and old world craftsmanship, most of the Halloween decorations are made of paper, paper mache or wood. The Spaniers have been adding to their collection for more than 20 years.

The Spanierâ€™s display goes up in September.

"And we keep it up for Thanksgiving, too," Spanier said.

That is because the display is as much about fall as Halloween.

The Spanierâ€™s kids always liked Halloween so they started looking for Halloween stuff.

"This is a liquor container, when liquor was illegal people were trying to hide their booze," Halloween collector Jeff Spanier said.

They bought it because it had a Halloween look to it.

Much of the Spanierâ€™s display is things they've found on trips back east. Their collection isnâ€™t only about Halloween, it is also Christmas and the Fourth of July, they collect holidays.

"It's a family deal that's what it's about," said Spanier.

What's missing from the collection is the really scary Halloween stuff, the goblins and gore we see so much of today.

"This is kind of like friendly Halloween stuff," Spanier said.

"Are you through collecting yet?" asked News On 6 reporter Rick Wells.

"No, I don't think you ever are are you? There's always room for one more," said Spanier.

A piece here, a piece there and pretty soon you've got a house full of wonderful, and not very scary Halloween stuff.

When Thanksgiving is over, the Halloween things get put away, and out comes the Christmas collection.

Watch the video: Halloween Collectors

For more Halloween fun including safety tips, visit the Halloweenapalooza section of kotv.com.