That’s a wrap on #HappyHallowee2023! It really was happy, as “Happy Halloween” was the top term used overall on social media. With Halloween 2023 reaching an 85% sentiment overall, it was the highest we’ve seen in years. Recall that last year, it was a Happy Halloween “after all.” Despite fears of expensive (thanks, inflation!) candy dampening the fun, the overall sentiment was high at 80% in 2022. Fast forward to the present day and gone are mentions of safety amidst Covid-recovering ‘not-quite-normal-in-the-ways-we-can-remember’ Halloweens. In 2023, it was the hap, hap, happiest all the way around!

Much like Friendsgiving has become the all-month-long version of Thanksgiving gatherings, is the car trunk our new excuse for sugary weeks-long extravaganza around which we extend our Halloween fun? Last week, we talked about how the pattern of mentions for trunk-or-treats is still potentially notable. We were trunk-or-treating on October 14 with glee; then, we got to see the snow blowing sideways on October 31 and reminded our children that “we already went trick-or-treating, remember?!” #Genius?

When we look at the total media volume surrounding Halloween, a distinct pattern emergies, peaking precisely on October 31. Yet, the mid-month trunk spike begs the question of whether Halloween is creeping in sooner … holiday creep for the creepiest holiday? Are we heading towards trunk-or-treating in September soon?

Holiday creep is nothing new, really. Home Depot had trees and elves out on display in late October, wreaking havoc for anyone trying to navigate the store with children and without Santa’s presence 60 days ahead of time (ask me how I know). Maybe more time to celebrate is a good thing? Maybe it matters which holiday we’re talking about? We’ll find out as #ConsumerCorner explores sentiment surrounding the holidays of 2023! I mean, “Where do you think you’re going? Nobody’s leaving. Nobody’s walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no. We’re all in this together. This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here. We’re gonna press on, and we’re gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas …”  You should be able to name that movie quote; if not, you have some serious work to do ? Happy holidays!

ConsumerCorner.2023.Letter.27

Answer: Clark Griswold in Christmas Vacation, see https://www.housebeautiful.com/entertaining/holidays-celebrations/a29210074/christmas-vacation-quotes/