Bring home a Disney Halloween

Christmas has been so thoroughly merchandised, it should be no surprise to see Halloween trees and Halloween village sets sprouting at retailers.

The folks at Disney, masters of merchandising that they are, have really embraced Halloween, going far beyond costumes and candy. And why not, when they can work with the Haunted Mansion and "The Nightmare Before Christmas"?

Here's a look at some of the creative Halloween decor from Disney:

In the dining room, set a spooktacular table with a 15-inch candelabra ($39.95) and Haunted Mansion-inspired wine glasses ($19.95 each). In the living room, add a Haunted Mansion throw ($54.95) or a pillow ($32.95) or two ($22.95) to your couch.

If your family enjoys an Advent calendar, you can count down the days until Halloween with a Mickey and Minnie countdown calendar ($29.95).

If you don't get enough of tree-decorating at Christmas, you can start collecting Halloween ornaments:

• A set of six Faces of Jack Skellington ($39.95)
• Glass Mickey Mouse pumpkin ornament ($16.95)
• Ear hat ornaments, including seven from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" ($22.95 each)
• A set of five Haunted Mansion busts  ($22.95). I don't know about you, but I'd keep these around to hang on my Christmas tree.

What's a Halloween tree? I'd suggest collecting a strong branch from your own backyard and hanging it horizontally on the wall or using a pumpkin as a vase. Branches look suitably spooky au natural, or you could spray paint it a glossy black and add a little glitter. Too much work? it's getting easier to find tabletop trees that will fit the bill.

Dress for spookcess

For grown-ups, Halloween is a great time to scare up some festive clothes and fashion accessories without donning a full-on costume.

The latest addition to the lineup, announced this week by the Disney Parks Blog, is a Haunted Mansion-inspired Dooney & Bourke bag that will retail for $330. The bag will be available starting Sept. 13 at locations in Disney World and Disneyland and online at the Disney Store later this fall.

You can also buy parks merchandise keyed to the season, including a Hitchhiking Ghosts t-shirt from Disney World ($29.95, adults) or a glow-in-the-dark Mickey Mouse and Friends t-shirt from Disneyland ($29.95, adults).

Of course there's no better time of year to fill out your Nightmare Before Christmas wardrobe. A personal favorite from the NBC line is this men's heavy-duty, black Jack Skellington zip-up hoodie ($59.95). On a sweeter note, this lavender women's T celebrates the true love of Jack and Sally ($32.95).

If adding your hard-earned money to Disney's coffins -- I mean, coffers -- isn't for you, try these ideas for a DIY Disney Halloween.