For Myra Naseem, Halloween is more than a holiday. It is a chance to celebrate family, revisit memories and give her creativity a new outlet each year.

The Smithtown resident has spent the past 17 years transforming her home into a whimsical Halloween display, dressing dozens of dolls in repurposed clothing, vintage accessories and handmade decorations that grow more elaborate with each passing October.

“When my granddaughter was born, she was also born at the end of October and I said, you know, let’s make this our month,” Naseem said.

What began as a small seasonal display has since grown into a community of about 30 dolls, each with its own personality and story.

Naseem, a home economics teacher by trade, draws on decades of sewing and crafting experience to bring her creations to life. Some dolls wear dresses her granddaughter wore as a toddler, while others sport accessories with histories of their own.

“I have a doll that has a hairnet that is from one of my hats from 1960,” she said. “I have another doll who’s got this big silk poppy hat on and that flower actually came off of a hat that I wore in the sixties.”