Do you celebrate Halloween?

“When is Halloween?” is a query asked in a lot of Australian households these days – certainly households with youngsters (such as mine). And there is no doubt that Halloween can be huge enterprise: according to the USA-based Alliance Information Retail Services, 60% of Americans planned to celebrate Halloween final year by opening their wallets and in truth it is the 4th-largest vacation spending period in the USA, behind Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter.  It’s lucrative also, with the US National Retail Federation estimating a total $ 7.4 billion spend on Halloween 2014. That consists of $ 2.8 billion on costumes (with adults spending more than little ones).

Enthusiasm in Australia is not quite as high, but according to McCrindle Analysis, a quarter of Australians (26%) planned to celebrate Halloween last year, such as over half of those (51%) with main school aged children. A heartening 64% planned to supply treats for trick-or-treaters, with a more modest 34% preparing to place up decorations.

I will place up my hand and say that my household is one of the 26% who celebrate Halloween and pay for the privilege. For us, that spending will encompass:

• Costumes for 3 youngsters. Almost certainly not brand-new costumes – we do have an overflowing costume box already and certainly ghouls don’t want to look co-ordinated or straight-off-the-rack new – but there will no doubt be some replacement fangs/horns/pitchforks and so forth needed.


• A pumpkin. A jack-o-lantern is exciting and with Coles apparently escalating sales of pumpkins by around 25% at Halloween, it seems they’re well-liked.


• Treats. The phrase is “trick or treat” but it is in fact just treats that are anticipated, preferably of the sweet selection.


• Food. We use Halloween as a content excuse to get together with a bunch of fellow parents for a exciting evening of food and drink as our young children are set loose to unleash havoc on the neighbourhood .


• Other decorations. A jack-o-lantern is a start off, but we also like to develop a suitably spooky atmosphere in the home. That involves dusting off the smoke machine (it’s amazing how usually a smoke machine comes in handy) and disco ball, and  getting some streamers, balloons and fake spider webs.

I’m not quite confident what our total household commit on Halloween will be – I’d favor not to think about it. Suffice to say that it’s possibly above the national average…

Do you celebrate Halloween?