Monthly Newsletter

The good news is that Halloween, now the number two celebrated holiday in the US, will not suffer from the faltering economy.  The National Retail Federation reports this week that spending for Halloween will be up for 2011, apparently a sign of long range confidence in our economy.  Sales of adult costumes alone will be up to $1.21 billion from $990,000 a year ago, indicating that adults are now into full swing for the big holiday.  Once relegated to children’s parties and trick-or-treating, the festivities for Halloween have taken on a new face with family and adult parties gaining in popularity.  Total Halloween spending is expected to rise 18% this year to $6.86 billion from $5.8 billion last year.  That would mark this year as the biggest for Halloween spending in at least seven years, and it serves to shed some light on consumers’ penchant to spend for non-essential items. “Halloween is perhaps the most discretionary holiday of the year,” according to consulting firm Kurt Salmon “People want to depart from the real world for a while.  Retail, at its heart, is about feeling better.”  Halloween does provide the opportunity to adopt another persona, at least for one evening, in the guise of a princess or a witch.

       

However, Halloween as it is now celebrated, is a pale representation of its history.  Many of today's traditions were imported to the United States with the great Irish migrations of the mid-1800's at the time of the potato famines.  The Irish brought their All Hallow's Eve occult roots to the United States, especially the associations with the colors of black and orange, the witch and the cauldron, and the Jack-o'-lantern to ward off evil spirits.  Masks and costumes reflect the Celtic custom of trying to disguise themselves from evil spirits or to pacify them.  Even the “treat-or-treat” comes from the late medieval practice of “souling,” when poor families would go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1), receiving food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls' Day (November 2).  An amalgam of traditions has merged into the Halloween we celebrate today though today’s holiday bears little resemblance to its pagan and religious roots.  Likely, very few who are celebrating will have looked into the background of why we observe the increasingly trendy holiday.

The popular Halloween festivity gives everyone a chance to play another role in costume, scary or not – and wearing black is always chic, if one is averse to role-playing or short either on imagination or time. If you are hosting a party, start with an attention-getting invitation.  We found several we like our favorite, Paper & Chocolate. Pumpkins, spiders, bats and witches abound.  For the hostess, it is an opportunity to try out fun food and thematic decor – and to use lots of pumpkins.  Speaking of pumpkins, the media reports that the Texas drought has affected our usual crop.  Apparently, the number of pumpkins may not be as affected as much as their size.  For those not already in the swing of Halloween preparedness, we can encourage early shopping for the Halloween staple.  As an alternative, this may be the year to invest in some permanent items of décor, such as the variety of cut-outs and permanent decorations found at MarthaStewart.com, the HorchowCollection.com and the PotteryBarn.com . Suffice it to say, Martha Stewart's website has great ideas, including suggestions for everything from cutout stencils for pumpkins, templates for cupcake decorations to patterns for costumes.  As usual, Martha is “Holiday Central.”  Locally, Nicholson-Hardie looks like “Halloween Central” with an abundant display of metal cut-out pumpkins for the yard -- and plenty of real ones as well, not to mention the witches and creepy crawlies to decorate the dining table. Another shop with everything one needs to embellish the house and party is Apples to Zinnias . We covet the well-dressed witch in the window for our dining centerpiece.

Food is a big factor with the holiday festivities.  While a party hostess might best avoid the slimy items and food disguised as creepy things (except for little boys), the websites, such as epicurious.com and MarthaStewart.com, have menu items that are both fun and tasty, with recipes to fit the theme.  If the cuisine is fun and casual, hot dogs (or “mummies” wrapped in dough) and decorated desserts may be the fun fare for children and families.  For something more elegant, pumpkin soup and roasted pork with sweet potatoes may be more suitable.  A rundown of the local pastry shops (one of our favorite sources) indicates that all have cookies and cakes decorated with ghosts, bats, cobwebs and creepy critters and all the traditional symbols of the day.

We’ve been told that many like to watch scary movies for the evening’s entertainment.  Yes, there are even websites, where one can easily find Dracula, Frankenstein and the Addams Family, to name only a few of the genre to embellish the theme. Personally, we still have nightmares thinking of War of the Worlds. For the kids, don’t forget the classic It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

You might even have the opportunity for a "destination celebration" to get the maximum holiday effect. So where in the world do you go to enjoy one of the most exciting Halloween activities ever? Romania might do for a visit to Dracula's castle, or Mexico City for a Day of the Dead observation.  New York City, of course, has one of the attractions that oft make the list of the top 100 things to do in life. The Village Halloween Parade, now in its 39th year, draws the most imaginative display of floats, circus acts, dancers, puppeteers and marching bands, as well as any individual in costume who wants to join along. There is everything to be seen, both in the parade and among the on-lookers.  And, anything goes!  We have been there to witness the scene, and we are repeating ourselves from last year’s newsletter since it is such a spectacle.

The Village Halloween Parade, which takes place on the big day itself, is a huge, exciting draw.  Estimates are that more than fifty thousand people participate in the parade, and more than two million people watch it along the route.  If you go, be sure to arrive early for the seven to ten o'clock spectacle.  Better yet, find a friend with an apartment or office overlooking the route along Sixth Avenue, starting at Spring Street and going up to 16th Street.

Suffice it to say, Halloween celebrations have become more lavish in recent years.  However you spend Halloween, get into the spirit and enjoy the frivolity!  Let us know how you spend the day.

Indulge us!
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