[	Tags	|	general	]
[	Mood	|	playful	]

Many consumers are creating their own doom and gloom these days - and really enjoying it.

 . . . . . people are determined to have a good time this Halloween, despite the nation's slowing economy. And that is driving a modest jump in sales - close to $6 billion - in Halloween-related spending, according to an industry report.

 . . .  .The average person plans to spend $66.54 on Halloween,  . . .

According to the survey, 64.5 percent of consumers plan to celebrate Halloween compared to 58.7 percent a year ago, . . .

 . . . "What's interesting is that ... this year more plan on celebrating than ever before," the federation's spokeswoman Kathy Grannis said.

 . . . "It's a cheap and inexpensive way to escape the harsh realities that many consumers are facing," Grannis said.

Plus, the fact that Halloween this year falls on a Friday gives people a chance to go out and have a good time, she said.

"You just want your kids to have fun," Cook said.

To have that fun, consumers will spend an average of $24.17 on Halloween costumes, $20.39 on candy, $18.25 on decorations and $3.73 on greeting cards, according to the federation's survey, which was conducted by consumer research firm BIGresearch.

This year, most people - 73.7 percent in the federation's survey - plan to simply hand out candy. But watch out. The goblins will take to the streets: 33.6 percent plan to trick-or-treat, and 44.6 percent plan to carve a pumpkin.

 . . . .