Utah Resident Creates 12-FootSecret Lives of Mormon Wives-Inspired Halloween Display — with DIY Dirty Soda Included! (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Kristina Jackson.Photo:Courtesy of Kristina Jackson

Courtesy of Kristina Jackson

MomToksparks SkeleTok!

Kristina Jackson leveled up her Halloween game this year for aSecret Lives of Mormon Wives-inspired display in the front yard of her Utah home.

Jackson first shared a video of her creation with a creepy twist onTikTok, where it’s racked up hundreds of thousands of views since it was posted. In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the designer behind the display explained how she brought the skeleton scene to life.

Having only lived in Utah for four years, Jackson admits she “didn’t even know” about the eight popularMormon MomTok influencerswho rose to popularity in 2020 and star inThe Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. To familiarize herself, she and her husband watched the hit Hulu show.

“Fan is a strong word,” Jackson says with a laugh ofSecret Lives of Mormon Wivesafter finishing season 1, which takes viewers inside the viral “soft swinging” scandal. She described the series as “over-exaggerated,” yet “entertaining.”

Before doing so, Jackson — who is not part of the LDS community — says she got a temperature check from her neighbors first. “I didn’t want to upset them,” she notes, adding that they thought the idea was “hilarious.”

Once Jackson got the go-ahead, she set out on what would become her DIY project for the next two weeks. “I went with the lashes, lips, hair and then theSwigcups because everybody drinks dirty sodas here,” she says of the important elements she created for decor.

Swig is a popular Utah soda shop that has grown in popularity in the wake of theSecret Lives of Mormon Wiveswhere they share their “dirty soda” orders.

Kristina Jackson’s “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives”-inspired Halloween display.Courtesy of Kristina Jackson

They’ve become a mocktail-esque mainstay in the state likely because Utah has a large Mormon population, whodon’t typically drink alcohol and coffeeand instead enjoy sugary-sweet drinks.

“It’s almost like a coffee shop for sodas, except there’s going to be a lot more sugar involved,” Jackson tells PEOPLE of Swig, where she purchased several 44-ounce cups to accessorize her assortment of eyelash-wearing, wig-sporting skeletons.

Since one of the skeletons towers at 12 feet tall, Jackson made a Swig cup out of a plastic planter and two giant pieces of poster board. “Then I basically bought a pool noodle for the straw,” she says.

The cast of ‘Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ season 1.Disney/Fred Hayes

Disney/Fred Hayes

“Everyone has their own interpretation of it,” Jackson says of people who drive past her display. She says everyone has been “having fun” and is “totally engaged.”

Among those engaged isMayci Neeley, herself!The Secret Lives of Mormon Wivesstar reacted to Jackson’s TikTok video showing off her skeleton setup, writing, “Too good,” in the comment section.

The official Swig TikTok account also reacted, writing, “This is everything to me.”

After debating the idea of creating this Halloween display in the first place, Jackson says she has not had “one negative comment from anybody on anything.” She reveals, “They all think it’s so, so funny.”

That eased Jackson’s initial apprehensions. “That made me feel better because the whole point is for everyone to have fun,” she says. “It’s Halloween!”

source: people.com