At home at the ‘Pirate House’ in San Carlos

Right near Eucalyptus Avenue, at 2116 Brittan Ave., homeowners Mike and Mykenzie Busser have entertained the neighborhood for nine years, while simultaneously enjoying their favorite holiday, by decorating their house with skeleton pirates and pirate-themed props.

The Busser family has always enjoyed Halloween and decorating in general. While growing up on the Peninsula, they always had fun spending time looking at the well-decorated houses on Christmas and admiring the holiday dioramas that were at the Hillsdale Shopping Center. Mike Busser said the family loves decorating for Halloween because of the fun that comes with it.

“It’s an opportunity to be a little different and festive, and people dig it,” Mike Busser said.

And living so close to Eucalyptus Avenue provided an incentive to join the fun. They were always decorating their home and would even help their friends for outrageous Halloween parties.

“I used to make decorations for our friends when they would have parties at their houses,” Mykenzie Busser said.

When they moved into their house on Brittan Avenue 20 years ago, they were excited about the idea of decorating their entire house. It was more space for creativity and bigger ideas. The house was always fully decorated over the years, but it wasn’t until nine years ago that it developed into pirate-themed decor only, Mike Busser said. 

“There was always a pirate element, but we just kind of discarded the rest of the stuff,” Mike Busser said. “Everybody’s got a ghoul, everybody’s got a ghost, everybody’s got a pumpkin. Let’s just try doing something different, and it sort of morphed every year into more and more.”

They have always gravitated toward pirates. Their kid’s bedroom was pirate themed, and when the family would go to Disneyland every year, their favorite ride was always the Pirates of the Caribbean.

“I think he fancies himself a pirate,” Mykenzie Busser said about her husband.

“Sometimes,” he laughed. 

All the props are homemade. Mykenzie Busser said the only thing purchased from a store are the skeletons. For example, their son made a cannon on which one of the skeleton pirates sits. The fake gold and jewelry that sits near the gigantic treasure chest was collected over the years from garage sales and thrift stores. In the off season, they store everything throughout the house: the rafters, the garage and on the side.

When October hits, it takes the family the whole month to organize how they want to set up everything. They carefully decide where to put the props, and arrange the skeleton pirates into little scenes. Some are sitting, drinking on the fence line, looking down at the trick-or-treaters who walk by. Others are playing cards, steering a ship, sitting in a tree, looking out over the street. And to top it off, Mike said the collection is ever growing. 

“We try to add an element every year so it gets more and more crowded,” Mike said. 

Mike also said what ties the props together and brings the scenes to life is when he busts out the lights and fog machine for added dramatic effect, and plays the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack in the background.

The house is truly a sight to behold. Mykenzie said she bought 14 bags of candy this year for trick-or-treaters, who come in droves, wanting to get a better view. She knows people talk all year-round about the house, and she loves to hear the comments about it.

“We get all the kids that walk by to go to school every day,” she said, “and it’s just cool to hear what they have to say.”