Western Mass. families gearing up early for Halloween

Halloween spending is expected to top previous records this fall. And we have 20 News reporter Eretta Odaya live in studio with how much locals are budgeting for the occasion. Yeah, that's right. The families we spoke to today definitely had the Halloween spirit. The kids were definitely excited, and there's one household in particular that goes over the top for spooky season. Who are you going to be for Halloween? A unicorn. Kids in Western Mass are getting excited for Halloween. Their costumes, yes, but more specifically, all the candy they'll get from trick-or-treating. I'm going to be Enid. My favorite part is probably just spending time with my family and friends and a lot of the candy. The National Retail Federation projects Americans will spend $13.5 billion this Halloween, topping last year's record. 74% of families plan to celebrate the spooky season. And parents we spoke to say they started shopping early to hopefully save a few bucks. We try to do it a month ahead of time, so we started in September because I want to make sure the kids get their costumes because, you know, it gets picked through all the time fast. We even make stuff to go with the costumes, so it's cheaper. Each year, I want to say probably $200, and that's not, like, counting decorations for the house. As for decorating your home or yard, that's about 42% of how people mark the occasion, some going larger than life. Boo! So we found this Halloween wonderland on North Hampton Street in Holyoke and I just spoke with the homeowner, Yvette. She says over the years she's spent about $5,000 on these sick decorations. Now Yvette says people are welcome to take photos and stop by to check the decorations out. She says there will be even more come Christmas time. time. Working for you, Arata Udaya, 20 News.