Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Sharna Johnson In search of ponies
Spooky, or silly and full of laughs, today is that day the kids get to don a costume and go door-to-door with pillow cases and plastic pumpkins — the one precious day of the year when no one will chide them for begging for candy.
Lucky for the kiddos, they aren’t the only ones who enjoy the holiday and, across the nation, more than 150 million kids-at-heart have stocked up on about $2 billion worth of candy in anticipation of treating the little goblins that will soon be shuffling their way up to doors in neighborhoods everywhere.
link Sharna Johnson
In search of ponies
Halloween is a uniquely fun holiday that has come to be associated with getting out in the community, socializing, coming up with and showing off creative costumes and of course the end game: candy … lots of candy.
Establishing a day where it’s OK to share no-strings-attached, no-restriction treats with children while watching their excitement at imagination come to life is something adults enjoy probably as much, if not more, than the kids themselves sometimes — or at least that’s one message that comes from the Halloween money trail.
According to the National Retail Federation, the average person will drop almost $75 on candy, costumes, decorations and all things Halloween this year with total national spending expected to reach $6.9 billion.
Interestingly, while the kids are often the driving motivation for the holiday, adults are the largest costume spenders, shelling out $1.2 billion in comparison to the $950 million invested in dressing up the little pumpkins, princesses and action heroes that toddle along behind them during the great candy trek.
It may be a relief to know as you secure that Superman cape on the pooch, that the critters are not being neglected. Just as parents and kids join in the fun, Halloween has become a holiday for the whole family including the furry kids.
Getting wrapped up in the fun right alongside everyone else, this Halloween about 20 million folks are expected to gussy up the pets with $350 million worth of special costumes made just for them.
While many of the choices made in decorating the pets mirror those of their humans — pumpkins, Batman, devils, Star Wars characters, princesses and Minions — the list of top pet costumes also has some unique favorites that didn’t make the top lists for humans.
Among them are hot dogs, bumblebees, sharks, the classic bows and bandannas and, of course, cat and dog costumes, (presumably in the inverse of their actual species).
Critters are doing more than just dressing the part too, according to statistics from pet treat producers who report 57 percent of New Mexico dog owners will give their pups extra treats, 29 percent will greet trick-or-treaters at the door with their dog by their side and 14 percent plan to take the pooch trick-or-treating and to Halloween events.
It bears mentioning that as fun as Halloween can be, trick-or-treating really is about the human children.
Animals untrained, skittish, aggressive or inexperienced with crowds shouldn’t be included in the festivities and are best left safe and sound at home — regardless of how cute they look as a mini-Storm Trooper.
For those families who do choose to include the pets in trick-or-treating, be sure to maintain a good grip on the leash to prevent confusion that ends in taking the wrong minion home.
If, on the other hand, including the critters means letting them help hand out treats to kids and four-legged trick-or-treaters, please, for everyone’s sake, don’t mix up the dog biscuits and the chocolate — some things just need to stay separate.
Sharna Johnson is a writer who is always searching for ponies. You can reach her at:
