Adults Stepping Up Halloween Celebrations And Spending

Good news folks (for our beloved holiday).... this news just in...

Halloween, it seems, is returning to its fifth century Celtic roots.

Back then it was adults, not children, who dressed in costumes to ward off the spirits bent on snatching their souls. Now, in the past few years, adults have increasingly begun reclaiming Halloween from the kids.That's turned out to be exceptionally good news for retailers. Even though the stock market lately is lot more scary than frolicking grown-ups dressed as witches or devils, people plan to spend more money than ever this year on Halloween, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation.

Consumers are expected to spend $6 billion on the holiday this year, an all-time high — $67 a person, on average, up from $65 last year.

And more adults than ever say they plan to celebrate — 65 percent, compared with 59 percent a year ago, the survey showed.

What gives? For months, consumers have been spooked by the economic downturn and have been cutting back on all types of spending. Retailers are bracing for dismal Christmas and holiday sales, projected to be the weakest since 1991.

But analysts are predicting a happy, prosperous Halloween.

"Halloween is fun. It's a 'throw away all your cares and be a kid again type of holiday.' People really need that, what with the stock market and Wall Street," said Pam Goodfellow, senior analyst at BIGresearch, a Worthington, Ohio-based consumer research firm.

So if you can't afford to cruise the high seas this year, you can at least dress like a pirate.

Click here for the rest of the story and CELEBRATE...it is THE thing to do!

Mark Harvey

(one person guaranteed to celebrate Halloween EVERY year)