As you scroll through these memes, you might notice that Halloween is not just an occasion. It's an aesthetic, a way of life, and an opportunity for fans of everything spooky and creepy to express themselves in ways that might not be appropriate all year round.
Although Halloween is a staple in American culture, not everybody celebrates it. According to the National Retail Federation, 73% of people in the U.S. plan to partake in the holiday in 2025. The most popular ways to celebrate are to hand out candy (66%), dress up (51%), and put up decorations outside (51%).
Decorations and costumes are the departments where people can let their creativity run wild. And this year, people are getting particularly creative. So far, I've seen costumes inspired by the Coldplay concert affair couple, Riverdale actor KJ Apa's TikTok stint as Mr. Fantasy, or the backflipping pop star Benson Boone.
However, in the National Retail Federation's survey, this year's costumes are pretty tame and classical. The most popular costumes for adults are witches, vampires, pirates, cats, superheroes, ghosts, zombies, and members of the Addams Family. For kids, Spider-Man, princesses, and K-Pop Demon Hunters characters are the top choices.
As probably expected, Halloween continues to be a favorite holiday for children, teens, and young adults. Financial services company Empower has found that 51% of Americans overall say Halloween is their favorite holiday. Gen Z and Millennials are also the most likely to overspend when buying candy, decorations, and costumes. 52% of Millennials and 48% of Gen Z say they go over budget. But what are you going to do? Halloween is only once a year, and you have to make it count!
Halloween is an especially big deal for kids, and parents' spending is a testament to that. Non-parents usually spend around $193 for Halloween. But parents often have to cover their own costumes, kids' costumes, candy, and intricate decorations, shelling out an average of $445.
But let's not forget pets! Those who don't have children spend a pretty penny on their pets' costumes, too. In 2024, experts predicted the total spending for Halloween pet costumes would be around $700 million. This year, the most popular costumes for our critters will probably be pumpkins, hot dogs, ghosts, bees, and lions.
When we think of Halloween, most of us immediately think about trick-or-treating. Perhaps surprisingly, that isn't the most popular Halloween activity in 2025. For Gen Z, hosting or attending parties or watching Halloween movies is the preferred activities. It's almost the same for Millennials, with a slightly bigger portion dedicating their time to trick-or-treating, perhaps because a bigger number of Millennials are parents. Older people aged 45+ say they'll spend their Halloween giving out candy and watching Halloween movies – the true cozy way!
Have these funny posts put you in the mood for the spooky season, Pandas? Let us know your plans for October 31st in the comments, and share what you'll be dressing as if you have your costume already!
And if you'd like to see more funny Halloween content, head over here, here, and here to see even more spooky and silly memes!
