Halloween and Christmas Best-Sellers at Party Stores

It’s been a big year for parties. Americans were feeling festive, spending big to deck the halls with balloons and lights. They decked themselves, too: Wearable Christmas decorations were a hot category, while Halloween revelers snapped up classic costumes.

“People were in lockdown a lot for a long time, and they really wanted to get out and have fun,” said Alejandro Monteón , manager at El Payasito Party Supply in Los Angeles. Sales were way up this year at the store; lights of all kinds, in particular, were a best-seller for fall and winter holidays.

El Payasito did a brisk business in Christmas ornaments and other festive decor. For Halloween, customers bought string lights in orange and purple, “which look really cool, especially against black lighting,” Monteón observed. Costumes were also big, with old-school pumpkins and witches the most popular.

While Halloween is traditionally more of a costume holiday than Christmas, that may be changing. From Santa suits to elf outfits, more Americans are donning kitschy getups to show their holiday spirit. “For Christmas, anything wearable was really big this year,” noted Andrea Taylor , manager of Brookside Party Warehouse in Kansas City, Mo. The store sold tons of kitschy apparel and accessories in that “ugly Christmas sweater” style — bright red and green, with loud graphics (reindeers, Santas and snowmen are big), crazy stripes and tacky addons like jingle bells.

This year, Halloween trends were evenly divided between “very classic get- ups,” like witches and devils, and the superheroes popularized by recent movies. For all the holidays, “people were just excited to decorate, inside and outside,” Taylor reported. No single decor trend stood out, but sales were up overall as patrons prepped for holiday parties.

Christmas wearables were also a 2021 winner at Special Events Alaska. The Wasilla store sold lots of Santa suits, elf costumes, patterned leggings and reindeer headbands, according to Manager Megan Steiner . “Some local businesses were doing promotions where you’d get free tickets if you came dressed up,” she noted. Corporate orders were robust for holiday balloon arrangements, many featuring Santa Claus or elves. “This year, I think people were really trying to be festive.”

Food-related merchandise was a strong category from Halloween through New Year’s at Special Events. Continued on page 98