I used to be one of those Halloween grinches, not in costume, but in attitude, a killjoy who saw doom and gloom in the excess of the holiday.

It wasn’t the kids that got to me. Children donning Sponge Bob masks, princess gowns with tiaras, or whatever is the fad and favorite of the moment, and going out to indulge in candy-collecting wasn’t what I saw as a problem.

It was the adults, the full-grown men and women who put time, effort and a whole lot of money into ensembles and get-ups to reflect their alter egos, be they ghouls or Lady Gagas, to prance around without inhibition for a night.

Now I see that it’s just fun — and a dry run for the holidays to come.

In the prelude to the spending that makes our world go round, the National Retail Federation estimates that Americans will spend $2.6 billion on Halloween costumes this year. Of that, $1.2 billion will go for children’s outfits and $1.4 billion for grown-ups’ gear. The number drops significantly for pet wear, a mere $330 million.

In the candy column, sweets-spending tops the Halloween list at upwards of $12 billion, most of it in the form of chocolates.

Candy and costumes pay-outs, however, are gumdrops in the bucket compared to sales of $602 billion expected in November and December. But because of a still-unsettled economy, growth in sales will be small at 3.9 percent. 

So eager retailers are poised to attract shoppers, some jumping the gun to put ads in front of consumers before Labor Day. Even while back-to-school sale fliers were yet to be yanked from mail boxes, television screens and websites were popping with yuletide symbols of snowy trees with baubles dangling and gaily wrapped packages stuffed beneath them.

Chain stores and online marketers are hiring seasonal workers, strategizing for Black Friday to start on Thanksgiving Thursday. Layaway programs are underway, giving people a head start in paying for goods they may not be able to afford straight out. Consumers are also shopping earlier, some during the summer months, spreading out spending so as not to empty wallets all at once or max out credit cards at year’s end.

The season for holiday shopping then has already extended beyond traditional lines just as Halloween has widened from a children’s fantasy affair to one for the mature beings.

To embrace the spooks and spirits and tricks and treats is to accept that we are a nation of acquisitions and possessions.

I’m not sure which is more unnerving.

Cynthia Oi can be reached at coi@staradvertiser.com.