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Halloween
Always observed on October 31
| According to a survey by the National Confectioners Association, 93 percent of children take part in Halloween trick-or-treating activities. |
| A 2006 survey by the National Retail Federation determined more than 63 percent of adults celebrate or participate in Halloween activities and that the average consumer spends more than $59 on costumes, candy, decorations and greeting cards. |
| Halloween is the third largest party day in the U.S. behind New Year’s Eve and Super Bowl Sunday. |
| Halloween is one of the fastest growing holidays for home décor – both inside and out. By some estimates, Halloween is No. 2 in holiday home décor behind Christmas. |
2007 Product NewsHallmark offers more than 440 Halloween cards, including cards for children, humor cards, and even cards from the dog or cat. Fun and funny card formats are the focus in 2007, including Cards With Sound featuring popular Halloween songs such as “Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Bad Moon Rising,” and “Purple People Eater,” as well as Hollywood and TV clips from shows such as Ghostbusters, The Addam’s Family, and Pirates of the Caribbean. The collection also includes creepy characters with swiveling heads, tombstone-shaped cards with Peanuts® characters, phantoms with puffy feathers on their heads, and many more unique designs. The Spooky Tree animated plush tree sings a parody of The Addams Family theme song while playful owls bop up and down to the tune, and eyes on the tree and jack-o-lantern light up. It is available at Hallmark Gold Crown® stores for a special price with the purchase of three Hallmark cards. Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments offers four Halloween miniature ornament sets plus a metal haunted house display piece. Two of the sets include some famous faces, such as Disney’s Goofy, Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck dressed up as Pinocchio, Cinderella, Peter Pan and Grumpy, and Looney Tunes™ Sylvester, Bugs Bunny, Tweety and Taz dressed as characters from the Wizard of Oz. Hallmark Gold Crown stores also offer one-stop shopping for Halloween decorating needs with items such as unique candy presenters, fun wearable items, candles, room decorations, gift and treat bags, paper partyware, and stickers. Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF collection boxes are available free at Hallmark Gold Crown stores again this year. Created by kids in 1950, Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF is the Original Kids Helping Kids® fundraising campaign. Now in its 57th year, Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF has empowered generations to save children's lives around the world during the Halloween season for UNICEF. To date, more than $137 million has been raised. In addition, Hallmark Gold Crown stores offer two UNICEF Halloween boxed card designs.
Holiday History Halloween is a secular celebration based on ancient Druid customs, dating back to 700 B.C. The Druids, a Celtic religious order in ancient Britain, Ireland and France, believed that the souls of the dead returned to mingle with the living on “hallowed eve.” People dressed in costumes to disguise themselves from these spirits.
Halloween first was celebrated in the United States in the 1840s, when Irish Catholics, fleeing from the potato famine, brought Halloween customs with them to America. The tradition of carving pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns originated with Irish children who carved out the centers of rutabagas, turnips and potatoes and placed candles inside.
The first Halloween cards in the U.S. were produced in 1908. Hallmark produced its first Halloween cards in the 1920s along with a limited line of Halloween party accessories, such as nut cups and bridge tallies. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Hallmark began producing Halloween centerpieces, masks, children’s things, and paper partyware items. In StoresAvailable at Hallmark Gold Crown® stores nationwide and wherever Hallmark products are sold. Use the store locator on Hallmark.com to find the nearest Hallmark Gold Crown store.
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