Halloween and holidays signal change in seasons, spending

Chamber Chatter

Well, here we are! Can’t deny that October kicks off the "Holiday Quarter!” As a gift to residents and shoppers, Marlow’s retailers traditionally offer bargains and hospitality the first weekend in November with their annual Christmas open houses. Get your walking shoes out, and plan to stay close to home and visit our merchants to find bargains and unique gifts of every kind Saturday, Nov. 5, and Sunday afternoon on Nov. 6! These are our friends and neighbors and it’s the perfect time to show them our support.

Backing up a bit to Oct. 31, everyone is looking forward to some Halloween fun before the month is out. According to a Sept.19, 2022 press release from the National Retail Federation, “Participation in Halloween-related activities will resume to pre-pandemic levels, with 69% of consumers planning to celebrate the holiday this year, up from 65% in 2021, and comparable to 68% in 2019. With the spike in participation, total Halloween spending is expected to reach a record $10.6 billion, exceeding last year’s record of $10.1 billion.”

The press release says, “The top ways consumers plan to celebrate include handing out candy (67%), decorating their home or yard (51%), dressing up in costume (47%), carving a pumpkin (44%) and throwing or attending a Halloween party (28%). Similar to last year, one in five plan to dress their pet up in a costume.”

”Consumers plan to spend $100 on average for Halloween candy, décor, cards and costumes. This amount is on par with last year’s record of $103 and is the second highest in the survey’s history. Unsurprisingly, costumes account for the biggest area of Halloween purchases. Spending on kids’ and adult costumes is expected to total $2.9 billion, the highest amount since 2017. Pet spending is expected to exceed last year's record high, reaching $710 million.”

“More than 2.2 million children plan to dress as Spiderman, more than 1.9 million as their favorite princess, more than 1.6 million as a witch, and more than 1.3 million will dress as a ghost. Batman and other superheroes are tied for fifth most popular costume, with 1.2 million children each planning to dress in character.”

“More than 5.3 million adults plan to dress like a witch, more than 1.7 million as a vampire, more than 1.5 million as a ghost and more than 1.4 million as a pirate. And tied for fifth place, more than 1.2 million adults are planning a cat costume and another 1.2 million say they will dress up as Batman.”

The fourth quarter each year also brings up some annual Chamber business. Under our by-laws, it’s time for members to voice their opinion concerning the leadership of the Marlow Chamber of Commerce. As a reminder, here are some of the established guidelines for the nomination process.

“No member is eligible for election as a director if they have not been a member in good standing for at least ninety (90) days prior to nomination. Four members of the Board of Directors are elected annually.”

“The nominating Committee during the month of October will cause notice to be mailed or a news story of notice to be published in a local newspaper that the Committee will receive in writing suggested candidates for the Board of Directors. The Committee, after careful study of the membership and suggested candidates received, will select nominees from the eligible members which would be desirable for a strong, well-balanced board.”

Please send or drop off your nominations to the office, 223 W. Main, Marlow, OK 73055, or e-mail the office at marlowchamber@gmail.com as soon as possible, but no later than Tuesday, Nov. 15.

Can you feel the excitement in the air? As we pick up speed through the fourth quarter of 2022, the holiday season is upon us!