Swiftie Grandma Adorns Her Famous New Orleans Home with ‘Terror Swift’ Skeletons for Halloween (Exclusive) .Linh

“When Taylor announced that New Orleans was added to the extension of her tour, we all went crazy,” Berger says. “I knew her name, but I had no idea my 2-year-old granddaughter knew the lyrics to most of her songs! It was surreal.”

“My 12-year-old granddaughter even sat down and drew her vision of what she thought Taylor should look like to represent each album,” Berger adds. “She gave me 10 sketches all on one big sheet. When Taylor announced in February or March last year that she was adding the Tortured Poets segment, my granddaughter, who doesn’t live in New Orleans, sent me the last sketch. I used that as my yardstick, my blueprint, my pattern to follow for all the skeletons.”

Berger loves working with her hands, so most of the costumes she created for the skeletons she made out of old gymnastics outfits or clothing belonging to her children or family members. The process of creating all the outfits took her about six weeks.

One skeleton’s outfit features a nod to Swift’s boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, while another mimics Swift’s Reputation leotard from her Eras Tour. Additionally, there’s a costume representing Swift’s Red album, complete with a signature 22 hat to top it off.

While her grandchildren are still a bit too young to help with the nitty gritty details, this year she says they created the friendship bracelets for the skeletons to wear.

“It was a lot of fun — I really enjoyed the whole process!” she says. “After all the research, my granddaughter told me to watch Miss Americana together. We watched the Taylor Swift documentary, and now I’m pretty much a Swiftie,”

“I know about 13 songs and all these expressions that ladies my age usually don’t know anything about,” she continues, adding how she’s excited to attend the Eras Tour concert next week with her family.

On Halloween night, Berger adds that never hands out candy. Instead, she orders 4,000 light-up necklaces featuring a caricature of her house. Every year, she usually runs out and has to lock the door around 10 p.m. This year, she knew she needed to prepare ahead, so she ordered a large supply of Halloween friendship bracelets as well, which only add to the Swift theme.

“About five years ago, tour buses started stopping to let out tourists, and around the same time, small vans from retirement and nursing homes began visiting,” she continues. “It always brings tears to my eyes. Those who are mobile hobble out, and seeing the joy on their faces as they look at the skeletons is just mind-blowing for me.”

Berger recalls how she’s always been one of those people who decorated her door and front porch. For a while, she remembers how everyone thought she was the “crazy woman” who lived in New Orleans because of her passion for decorating.

“I’ve always adored Halloween,” she says. “I loved the freedom it gave us as kids. Our parents would stay at the door handing out candy while my older sister and I ran off with just a reminder to be back by 8 o’clock. We had the whole neighborhood to explore, and it was fabulous — always fun, never any issues. Fast forward, and I’ve been a Halloween fan since the beginning. I’ve always loved costumes, even during those years when people weren’t really into it. Guess what? I still did!”

“While my mom brings back many of the skeletons year after year, she always likes adding new ones that are reflective of what’s current and fun,” her son Ryan tells PEOPLE. “Hardly anything is as current and fun as Taylor Swift descending on New Orleans the weekend before Halloween, so suffice it to say, she went all out with the skeleton display!”