Ryan Bautista | Head Editor & Layout Manager
October 17, 2025
Well, it’s finally time for Costco to take down its Christmas trees for the next few weeks and take a look at the calendar to see which holiday it actually is. Let’s see now…oh yeah, Halloween! The annual holiday where kids can take candy from strangers, teenagers debate whether free candy is worth going trick-or-treating for, and adults try to hide in their houses at 9 pm when the teenagers finally give in to sugary temptations. A brief history lesson to start: a lot of these traditions, like carving jack-o’-lanterns and dressing up in costumes, come from Celtic traditions of trying to scare away evil spirits. Ah, yes, a 3-year-old dressed up as a CareBear holding a smiling pumpkin will absolutely make ghosts flee in terror. Anyhow, for one night only, all of this is true. But unlike other holidays, it’s only really celebrated for one night. From the costumes, to the candy, to the jack-o’-lanterns, a lot goes into making this small period of time special. Key among the “a lot” is money, and there is… “a lot” of it. The amount of money people spend on Halloween has reached insane levels, especially for just one true night of festivities.
When people think of Halloween, they often think of one thing: trick-or-treating. I mean, free candy. What else do I have to say? Costumes, candy, staying up past your bedtime, it’s awesome. Just don’t think too deeply about the details. Fine, I’ll talk about them and ruin the magic of Halloween. The facts are, a lot of these festivities require purchasing supplies. According to the National Retail Federation, people will spend $4.3 BILLION on costumes this year. Yes, that much money on costumes that they will not wear more than twice, and probably only once. The same thing goes for the candy. Per NRF, the total spending on candy will reach $3.9 billion. That one, I understand.
…What? Candy tastes really good. However, you may have better self-control and say that you’ll just buy less candy. But then you run the risk of running out early and having to ignore all the people banging on your door throughout the night. Buy too much, and you will grow sick of the taste of sugar long before you get to the bottom of the bag.
All jokes aside, the amount of money people are throwing at this holiday can be viewed as absurd. Costs can become irrelevant, with people just buying costumes for the fun of it and getting as much candy as possible. I mean, at least save the gluttony for…what’s the holiday in between Halloween and Christmas in November? I’ll remember it at some point. Anyway, people who think this may miss the fun side of Halloween.
With the cost of costumes, SCHS students have their own ideas to still have fun while avoiding the price tag. Senior Caiya McAlister said how she “normally wears what she has,” and then just combines “different clothes to make costumes.” Since she “only wears it for Halloween,” McAlister doesn’t see the point of wasting money when “cheaper alternatives are fine.” Senior Hannah Arthur echoed that statement, focusing on how “doing it yourself allows you to be more creative and not be constricted” by price or availability.
All in all, the cost of Halloween may be a lot, and it adds up over time. But memories made with friends and family are the main point behind all of the holidays, and that can be worth more than any cost. So just remember to make that the most important part of the celebration; eating candy can be a close second.
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