Spirit Halloween Gets Jolly: Some Stores Turning Into ‘Spirit Christmas’
Have you ever driven past a vacant building and thought, “I wonder how long until they put a Spirit Halloween there?” For many, this has become a common thought. The first sightings of Spirit Halloween’s banner have turned into a seasonal tradition, signaling fall’s arrival, along with football. According to their website, the company first opened in 1983 at the Castro Valley Mall in Castro Valley, California. Even then, the setup was temporary.
This year, Spirit Halloween is transitioning from spooky to jolly. The pop-up chain will be sticking around a bit longer. PEOPLE reported that ten Spirit Christmas stores are set to open in the Northeast, with some taking over current Spirit Halloween locations and others launching in new spaces.
A real-life Santa will be available to meet and take photos inside the pop-up. “Each store offers a unique shopping experience, brimming with a vast assortment of holiday décor, apparel, inflatables, gifts, and stocking stuffers,” a spokesperson for Spirit Halloween told the outlet about the new pop-ups.
“Guests can meet Santa for their annual Christmas card photo and receive a free digital postcard featuring you and Santa,” the spokesperson continued. “Wander through the life-sized gingerbread village, where you can mail your letter to Santa at the North Pole and find out whether you’ve been naughty or nice.”
The official Spirit Christmas website also teases the free Santa pictures, which are now available for booking. The site shows a family posing with Santa among oversized presents and gingerbread houses.
Which Spirit Christmas location is opening first?
The first Spirit Christmas store in Mays Landing, New Jersey, will open its doors on Oct. 18, with the other nine locations following in early November.
Several more festive mall pop-ups will open in New Jersey, including locations in Marlton, Brick, and Woodbridge. In New York, Spirit Christmas will pop up in Albany, Bohemia, and Poughkeepsie. Additional locations will open in Erie, Pennsylvania; Waterford, Connecticut; and Dartmouth, Massachusetts. All stores will remain open throughout the holiday season.
News of Spirit Halloween’s Christmas pop-ups follows its headline-making interaction with Saturday Night Live. After the show’s season 50 premiere featured a Spirit Halloween sketch parodying the chain, the retailer responded on social media.
On Sept. 30, two days after the sketch aired, the chain replied with a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) and tagged SNL’s official account.
“We are great at raising things back from the dead @nbcsnl,” Spirit Halloween wrote, along with a meme of a Spirit Halloween SNL costume labeled “irrelevant 50-year-old TV show.”
Adding to the burn, the faux costume’s contents included “dated references,” “unknown cast members,” and “shrinking ratings.”
