Nothing says Halloween quite like the iconic bright orange and yellow Spirit Halloween banners. The fun will extend further into the holiday season as Spirit Halloween turns into Spirit Christmas.
Vacated shops and buildings across the country turn into thousands of Spirit Halloween stores each year. The stores have symbolized the beginning of the Halloween season since the first location opened its doors in 1983.
In addition to being an iconic Halloween symbol, Spirit Halloween also runs Spirit of Children, a charity bringing Halloween magic to children’s hospitals by providing funding supporting Child Life Departments in hospitals across the U.S. and Canada. Each donation to Spirit of Children goes directly to each store’s local partner hospital’s Child Life Department, raising over $127 million.
Now, Spirit Halloween is expanding their stay. Instead of disappearing after Halloween, select locations will turn into Spirit Christmas stores.
Spirit Christmas will sell decorations, stocking stuffers, gifts and apparel according to its website. The stores will also have photos and free digital postcards with Santa, a Gingerbread Lane experience with a gingerbread village and a North Pole Post Office for people to mail their letters to Santa. Staying true to its Halloween roots, Spirit Christmas will sell a selection of spooky Christmas items in a Creepmas collection.
Spirit Christmas will be opening 10 locations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts. The first Spirit Christmas store opened Friday in New Jersey.
Like the Spirit Halloween stores, customers were greeted with themed animatronics upon entering the store. Nikki Balles, corporate director of public relations at Spencer’s and Spirit Halloween, said customers get the full holiday experience when they walk into the store.
“When you walk in, you’re seeing an incredible story of what the season is,” Balles said in a statement obtained by ABC News. The company said it hopes the new stores will resonate with customers
“Our goal is to create a festive retail experience that captures the spirit of the season, much like we do for Halloween,” the company said.
Although the Athens Spirit Halloween store located on East State Street will not turn into a Spirit Christmas store, locals will be able to enjoy the classic Halloween store in all of its glory.
