“Halloween… the only time of year the cobwebs in my house look like they are supposed to be there.”
Being from the Midwest and all — I absolutely love Fall. Not only do I enjoy the vibrant colors of the leaves, pumpkins on everything, the arrival of cinnamon witches brooms and that crisp air meaning that Halloween is just around the corner. There is nothing more fun than the costumes, the candy, the parties, the movies, and the home decorations. And what can I say about the little kids (or big kids for that matter) ringing your doorbell for a little Trick or Treat? Simply adorable!
Every time I feel nostalgic — my data-driven mind wants to acknowledge some interesting facts about Halloween in the US:
158 million people participate with 95% purchasing candy
$6.9 billion is spent per year for Halloween candy, costumes, parties (Greater than GDP of Zimbabwe)
600 million pounds of candy will be purchased this year (Equivalent of 6 Titanic ships)
90 million pounds purchased for chocolate alone
10% of annual $2 billion candy sales happen the week before Halloween.
And who can forget the 8 movies from the Halloween franchise — bringing in just north of $620 million…or, how Jamie Lee Curtis at 60 pulled over $10 million to recreate her Halloween leading character.
But data aside, we should not miss the valuable lessons that Halloween teaches us about how to deal with uncertain times. Here’s a few of them…
Stay positive — kids sometimes find a house with the lights out, no candies and seemingly empty but they hop on to the next one. Staying upbeat knowing that there will be another house down the street with treats to spare. This pandemic may have disrupted our lives dramatically but there are opportunities to find amidst the crisis .
Things aren’t as scary as you think — the neighbors may have put up the spookiest, real-looking ghouls and zombies in their front yards, or we may be streaming our favorite horror movies in our homes but with a bit of courage we are able to move past the haunted house and finish the gory movie. The scare that we are facing now… It’s not as scary as you thought! Learn to embrace the fear, push through, and overcome the challenges.
Community & giving — Halloween is the time when communities come together, we welcome strangers in costumes knocking at our door and share a treat or two. It is also during this time that we get to know our neighbors, interact with them, and create relationships. Our predicament now, more than ever, is a good time to show our community spirit.
Creativity and innovation — from carving the perfect jack-o-lantern, decorating our homes, coming up with costumes and ghostly makeup, which, for most of us growing up were DIY. We invested time in planning and working on it to pull everything together for the holiday. Creativity and innovation are vital for a business to identify new opportunities in the ever-changing market.
Hustle Pays off — As kids we pushed hard to get to as many houses as possible to collect more treats. The same hustle that we carry with us in our adulthood is the key to moving forward in these times. Strategize, keep hustling and eventually it will all pay-off.
Trick or treat — lastly, the holiday reminds us that every choice and move we make can steer us into either the trick or the treat. This rings true to this day. Choose wisely and pick the path that will lead you to the treats.
Although COVID may hinder our fun, there’s a lot to learn from this holiday for the kids and the kids-at-heart. And for this reason, let’s celebrate it… albeit safely and socially distanced. Happy Halloween! For more advice on navigating your business amidst the horrors of uncertain times, email us at debbieg@bizmadeez.com. Let’s talk!
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