Spirit Halloween Introducing Spirit Christmas In Limited Locations This Year

Spirit Halloween is transforming some of its existing stores and opening new locations as Spirit Christmas stores for the 2024 holiday season. This marks the company's latest entry into the Christmas retail market, expanding beyond its well-known Halloween focus.

A total of 10 Spirit Christmas stores will be opened, primarily in the US Northeast. - The stores will offer a variety of Christmas-themed items, including gifts, decorations, and inflatables. - Customers can expect festive experiences like a "life-sized" gingerbread village and the opportunity to take pictures with Santa.

The flagship Spirit Christmas store will open on October 18, 2024, in May's Landing, New Jersey. Some of these stores will be converted from existing Spirit Halloween locations, while others will be new locations.

This move allows Spirit Halloween to tap into the lucrative winter holiday market. While Halloween spending is significant (forecasted at $11.6 billion for 2024), the winter holidays are an even bigger business, with spending reaching a record $964 billion last year.

Interestingly, this isn't Spirit Halloween's first attempt at Christmas stores. In 1992, the company tried to launch a Christmas store concept, but there is little documentation about this earlier venture. The current launch in 2024 represents a renewed effort to expand into the Christmas retail market. Spirit Halloween's expansion into Christmas stores demonstrates the company's strategy to leverage its successful pop-up store model beyond the Halloween season, potentially creating a year-round presence in the seasonal retail market.

Time to bust out the sweatpants! The North Carolina State Fair recently revealed its overhauled food selection, which will feature over 70 new delicious food items for fairgoers to enjoy. Which mouth-watering treats will you be making a beeline for when you hit the fairgrounds this season?

The NC State Fair has a long, distinguished history of reimagining fair food in fun and innovative ways. And now it looks like they've outdone themselves for the 2024 season.

A recent news release teased some of this year's food offerings, promising fairgoers a bold new take on some of their favorite fair food like funnel cake and corn dogs. And yes, there's even more deep-fried goodies this year that are sure to haunt the dreams of your local cardiologist.

The 2024 NC State Fair in Raleigh will officially open October 17 and run until October 27. As stated on the state fair's official website, the week-and-a-half long event strives to "showcase and promote the state's agriculture, agribusiness, arts, crafts, and culture..." This mission is further exemplified by the fair's theme this year: "Home Grown Happiness."

There's something for everyone to enjoy at the NC State Fair. Thrill seekers can get their hearts racing on some of the event's many pulse-pounding rides, while others can enjoy a leisurely stroll through the fairgrounds and attend many fun exhibits. Click here for a day-by-day schedule of events at this year's NC State Fair.

Tickets to the fair are on sale now. Advance tickets are available until Friday, October 18, at which point you can still buy tickets online at regular gate prices. Click here to order your tickets and ride passes.

Since I'm what the kids nowadays would call a "big back" individual, a lot of these new fair food items have got me slobbering up a storm as we speak. After surveying the entire menu of new food additions, I've narrowed it down to 5 tasty treats that I believe will steal the show. In no particular order, here are the fair foods I can't wait to clog my arteries with this month:

I mean, come on. How can you not love every single word there? If this ends up even being half as good as it sounds, I'll have no choice but to leave everything I know behind and carve a new life for myself in Sweden.

Ezzell's literally and figuratively COOKED with this one. The Mema Mia is a deep-fried spaghetti sandwich topped with sweet coleslaw, fusing rich, hearty Italian cuisine with a tangy southern kick. If I could go back in time and tell 8 year old KC one single thing to look forward to in the future, it's this.

It's hard to top deep fried cheese puffs with a smattering of cheese, bacon, jalapeños and ranch dressing. So much cheese, so much spice. I can't wait to eat an entire basket of these beauties then proceed to singlehandedly put my plumber's kids through college.

It seems that the people at Kono have cracked the secret to making both savory and sweet foods extra delicious: make it cone-shaped! Everyone knows that the cone is the perfect shape for maximizing flavor. That's just basic science. My only fear is that this may ruin classically square-shaped s'mores for me forever, but that is a risk I'm willing to take.

I'll admit I'm not the biggest coffee drinker, but even I can't deny how breathtakingly yummy this whole setup looks. This thing looks like it'll give me the caffeinated jolt I need to finally get my life in order. You absolutely do-nut want to miss out on this fair food delicacy.

For a full look at the new food items being offered at this year's North Carolina State Fair, click here!