Christmas has always been the king of retail holidays in the US and it probably always will be. Many families spend 25% of their discretionary income each year on gifts and trinkets for the holiday.

But Halloween is coming on strong. What’s fascinating to me is that this is the only holiday (perhaps in the world) where there is an arms race of creativity. Every year there’s new stuff, new ideas, new ways for yuppies and boomers and everyone else to spend time and money.

We launched SquidBoo a few days ago (sorry about the pun… Megan couldn’t help it) and within 48 hours it was filled with pages like:

Pumpkin Carving 101, Patriotic Pumpkin Patterns, Hairspray Halloween Costumes, Infant Baby Snail Halloween Costume – Perfect Outfit for a Boy or Girl!, Pumpkin Carving, Clowns: the freakiest things on earth, The Addams Family Halloween Costumes, Disney Villains, Boutique Halloween Costumes | Custom Costumes for Kids and Adults, The Simpsons Halloween Costumes,  Halloween Costumes for Lazy People, All Hallows Eve – Halloween!, Halloween Fun Activities, What can you do with Pumpkin Guts?, Harry Potter Halloween Costumes, Halloween Parties, Costumes & Decorations, Spooky Music & Decorations, Last Minute Halloween Costumes, All About Halloween, Star Wars Costumes, Mary Poppins Costumes for Halloween, Best Pumpkin Carvings, Childrens Halloween Costumes and even Wisconsin Haunted Houses.

Halloween represents a real transition point, imho, between a backward-looking tradition and a Make-magazine how-smart-and-clever-are-you do-your-own-thing festivity of the future. In other words, a growth industry that depends on betting on the ego and smarts of your customer.