SURVEY SAYS: Halloween Plans 2013

Nearly 42% said they would be answering the door for trick-or-treaters, and 30.2% of responding readers indicated they have no plans. More than 11% said they will be taking children trick-or-treating, and 7% reported they will be attending a social gathering. Nearly 5% each indicated they will be taking children trick-or-treating then attending a social gathering and hosting a social gathering.

The majority of respondents (67.4%) will not be dressing in costume; 14% said they will for a social gathering. Seven percent each said they will while opening the door for trick-or-treaters and while trick-or-treating with children. Nearly 5% will dress in costume for work. No responding readers reported they will be dressing in costume for the entire day.

I asked respondents to share the best costumes they’ve ever seen or wore. Responses included:

• a co-worker wore a pink sheet with a tennis shoe attached to top and came as gum stuck on a shoe
• Actually costumes I’ve seen haven’t been limited to just the Halloween season. Darth Vader, Santa Claus, male ballerinas and the Easter Bunny running a marathon? Yup, except that running in costume wasn’t the crazy part. Running in costume in 87 degree weather is the crazy part.
• I dressed as a cockroach and my wife was a can of Raid.
• A shower curtain
• Upper and lower GI Man wore camo pants, woman wore camo shirt.
• Wife in a Scout-type costume – husband dressed as a proph.ylactic with a sign reading “Be Prepared.”
• I dressed as a retired Hooters waitress with fake bre.asts peeking out from the bottom of my shirt. My husband dressed as my daughter – also a Hooters waitress. I’m not sure whose costume was funnier.
• Will be putting on a minimal costume for a Disney World event – the hat I took from a Krispy Kreme. My BEST costume was Albert Einstein (rumpled suit, grey wig with light bulb attached). Favorite costume ever – friend who came as Cruella Deville wearing THE coat – made of stuffed dalmatian dogs – all ripped apart and covered with blood (sorry – gruesome, but funny).
• Someone else at work dressed in a hoop skirt as a Southern belle.
• Back in college, I went dressed as a woman (lost a coin toss with my roommate… he dressed as a pi.mp). We went with our women friends as a group to a few parties. Best costume ever, due to the high-conversion line “Have you ever kissed another woman?”
• Saw a group of guys in New Orleans once all dressed as Oompa-loompa’s from Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. They had it down to the orange faces and green hair (though some were a bit tall). It was great!!!
• The most creative was when my son was in grade school. There was a young child who was in a bathtub, with a shower curtain that moved above her head. She had on bathrobe and carried a back scrubber. Quite cute. He was Harry Potter with a very nice homemade robe. He was cool. However, my daughter makes the nicest costumes. She gets a picture of the caricature and then sews it just like the caricature. They turn out quite nice. She has blond hair and has been tinkerbell, Sailor moon and Alice in Wonderland. She always looks great!
• Flo & Mayhem Couples Costume
• My costume is the same but getting scarier each year. It’s more gray, more wrinkled, more round in the middle and worn at the seat, with hair where it shouldn’t and not where it should, it crackles n’ creaks and don’t feel so good, so gimme y’er candy and get outta my ‘hood.
• One boy was dressed as a robot. Had on a big, silver-painted box with holes cut in the sides for his arms. Had silver-painted dryer vent tubes for arms, and red flashing Xmas lights down the front. Super cool!
• Years ago a neighbor’s decorations included a scarecrow sitting on a bench, except on Halloween night the scarecrow was actually my neighbor. There was a lot a screaming going on when the scarecrow ‘dummy’ reached out and touched the trick or treaters.

In verbatim responses, most were upbeat about Halloween, while a few definitely were not. One shared a different tradition discovered upon moving to Des Moines, Iowa, and I’m sure many of you in the industry can sympathize with the reader who said: “I haven't planned for anything after October 15th - of course, I will be a zombie by that time.” Editor’s choice goes to the reader who said: “It is a time to have fun. In this time of Obamacare, government shutdown and a sluggish economy, I think we all need a little more fun. Candy is always good too.”

Verbatim

I don't need to dress up, I am scary enough as it is. My husband thinks otherwise

 

not my favorite holiday!

 

My second favorite holiday/season of the year because of all of the ghost stories. I love hearing the stories and going on ghost tours - but I really don't want to see one!

 

It's the most important day of the year -- a day of imagination.

 

We always do a graveyard scene for halloween every year. Our house loves Halloween and scary movies!

 

I haven't planned for anything after October 15th - of course, I will be a zombie by that time...

 

Our office did wear costumes, but now there are few of us and we are older, so no costumes anymore.

 

I love it, but I do not understand some of the traditions in my new home town, Des Moines, Iowa - they trick-or-treat on the 30th, and kids are supposed to tell a joke before getting their candy. The first year we lived here, I would give the kids candy, and I noticed a strange pattern of them showing reluctance to leave my porch, then nervously asking if they could tell me a joke. I didn't realize that I was actually supposed to be asking them to tell me one before giving the candy.

Verbatim (cont.)

I take my Dad to the casino so neither of us have to answer the door to the little beggars!

 

Will wear Halloween jewelry to work.

 

I love being able to dress up and now my son (5) is really getting into the scary stuff too. He thinks it's cool and loves helping put out our large creepy display every year. It is a time to be creative and have fun!

 

I think Halloween is stupid....unless you are a kid!

 

It is a time to have fun. In this time of Obamacare, government shutdown and a sluggish economy, I think we all need a little more fun. Candy is always good too.

 

UGH

 

Since halloween falls on a Thursday this year, the festivities will be spread out over the weekend as well!

 

I sure hope there's no costume contest at work this year. How sad it is to see all the managers dressed up because their bosses forced them. Wish they paid that much attention to processes that need fixing.

 

 

NOTE: Responses reflect the opinions of individual readers and not the stance of Asset International or its affiliates.