Many delight in holiday frights
By Laura Youngs| Staff Writer
Saturday, October 21, 2006
For Misty Poffenberger, Halloween was the one time of year she could be anything she wanted.
"I was always the one that dressed weird. I never fit in," she said. "As I got older, I had to be unique, and you can't do that at Christmas."
Halloween, however, allows Ms. Poffenberger, a seamstress, to be whoever, or whatever, she likes - including possibly dressing as the Corpse Bride this year, from Tim Burton's movie of the same name.
As with almost any big holiday in the United States, Halloween has gone from homemade costumes and carved pumpkins to something much bigger.
"We watch it get bigger and bigger every year. If it's on a Friday or Saturday, it's off the charts," said Michele Hattman, costume manager at Fat Man's Forest on Laney-Walker Boulevard.
From cigarette holders to plates, lamps and candles, customers have gobbled up Halloween decorations at Fat Man's. Ms. Hattman said the store has twice reordered stock for a $70 witch costume.
According to a recent National Retail Federation survey, consumers are expected to spend $4.96 billion this year, a 51 percent increase from last year.
That's because more people are celebrating Halloween - 63.8 percent of those surveyed, compared to 52.5 percent last year - and people are spending more on Halloween, said Scott Krugman, a spokesman for the federation.
"It's become such a seasonal event," he said. "People are literally decorating their homes like they would for Christmas."
Ms. Hattman can attest to that.
"People-wise ... it has been busier, sooner," she said, adding that store shelves once packed with Halloween decorations and accessories are almost empty.
Ms. Poffenberger has always treated Halloween as a seasonal event.
The Augusta mother of four has staged elaborate haunted houses open to the community for years. Past themes have included a pirate ship and a haunted hotel, she said.
The expense of Halloween, is of course, what you make it.
"The beauty of Halloween is you can use creativity and spend as much or as little as you want," Mr. Krugman said.
Decorations can range from inexpensive spider webs to singing ghosts, cackling witches and fog machines.
Ms. Poffenberger's cast of ghoulish decor includes plastic skulls, a 5-foot-wide bat and three large, electronic zombies that cost her more than $100 each.
And her fur bat with eyes that blink? That was a present from her husband, who found it on a home shopping channel for $65.
And store-bought costumes for children and adults can cost from $20 up.
If you get Fido in on the act, there's another $20 to $40 so man's best friend can be anything from Buzz Lightyear to a hippie.
And Halloween long ago stopped being a holiday just for children. About 85 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds plan to participate in Halloween activities, up from 67 percent last year.
Many, including 19-year-old Augusta resident Amanda McZilkey, plan to head to a party to celebrate. Shopping with a friend at Fat Man's, she said she plans to go as Minnie Mouse, but set her spending limit at $50.
Some, including Waynesboro, Ga., resident Caroline Post, 40, are looking for a mixture of convenience and a good price.
Picking up a cowgirl costume and a muscle shirt for her two youngest children at Fat Man's on Thursday, she said she sets a budget of $30 per costume.
The costumes can be used for dress-up later on, she added. Halloween, for her, isn't over the top, but rather a fun thing for her and her family, Ms. Post said.
"I've got four kids," she said. "I don't go too bananas."
Reach Laura Youngs at (706) 823-3227 or
laura.youngs@augustachronicle.com.
CHEAP COSTUME IDEAS
Jack-O'-Lantern: Paint a jack-o'-lantern face on an oversized orange sweatshirt; pair with green leggings and a green ski cap.
Static Cling: Pin or sew mismatched sock and dryer sheets to a sweat suit.
Bathrobe Beauty: Put on a bathrobe, wrap your hair in a towel and put on some slippers. You can paint on a face mask or carry a mirror for added effect.
Dalmatian: Paint black spots on a white sweat suit, sewing a set of felt ears to the hood.
Spider: Make legs out of stuffed black leggings and attach to a black sweat suit. Cinch the legs with fishing line to create joints. Decorate colored felt with glitter to create the belly, and top off with a black hat.
Fortune Teller: Wear a long shirt, peasant blouse, dramatic makeup and piles of jewelry. As an added prop, carry a bag of fortune cookies so you can tell people their "fortunes."
Source:
http://www.mommysavers.com
TOP COSTUMES FOR 2006
Kids
1. Princess (11.5 percent)
2. Pirate (5 percent)
3. Witch (4.8 percent)
4. Spider-Man (4.4 percent)
5. Superman (3.7 percent)
Adults
1. Witch (17.5 percent)
2. Pirate (3.7 percent)
3. Vampire (3.7 percent)
4. Cat (2.6 percent)
5. Clown (1.8 percent)
Source: NRF survey
GETTING IN THE SPIRIT
- The average consumer plans to spend $59.06 on Halloween this year, up 22 percent from 2005.
- Halloween is only the sixth-largest spending holiday because people don't exchange gifts. But when it comes to holiday decorating, Halloween comes in second only to Christmas.
- The survey questioned 8,000 consumers on their plans for the holiday, how much they plan to spend, and where they plan to spend it, among other things.
Source: National Retail Federation's Consumers Intentions and Actions Survey
From the Saturday, October 21, 2006 edition of the Augusta Chronicle
Thought you might like to see this. I think I posted it in another section. It made the front page of the Augusta Georgia Chronicle. I'm the first person mentioned in the article. hehe.
I spend quite a bit every year. The zombies I bought were over $130 each.
