But many Americans have been preparing for the holiday for weeks .
And businesses are hoping for good profits from Halloween purchases .
The National Retail Federation (N.R.F .) is the largest U.S . trade group representing sellers of material goods .
It expects total Halloween spending in 2024 to reach about $11.6 billion .
That sounds like a healthy amount , but it would be a drop from the year before .
So , you might wonder : What are Americans buying for Halloween and how do they celebrate the holiday ?
Halloween traditions in America are linked to Celtic beliefs in ancient Britain .
The Celts believed that spirits of the dead would return to their homes on October 31 , the day of the autumn feast .
Celts would build huge fires to frighten away any evil spirits that might return .
People from Scotland and Ireland brought these ideas with them when they came to America .
Some believed that spirits played tricks on people on the last night of October .
In modern America , the holiday mostly belongs to children .
After dark , children wear special clothing , called costumes .
They often appear as frightening creatures like vampires , ghosts and witches .
The children walk around their neighborhoods , knocking on doors of homes .
When someone answers a door , the children yell “trick or treat .”
If the people in the homes do not give them a sweet treat , the children may play a trick on them .
Some of the purchases people make for Halloween include candy and costumes .
This year , the N.R.F . expects the superhero character Spider-Man to be the most popular children's costume .
Children are not the only Americans in costumes on Halloween , however .
Adults also dress up in costumes and attend Halloween parties , parades and other events .
These celebrations often include costume competitions , with prizes for the most frightening , inventive or humorous costumes .
Overall , the N.R.F . reports , total spending on costumes for Halloween 2024 is expected to reach a total of $3.8 billion .
It says buyers will spend $3.5 billion on Halloween candy .
Americans also enjoy decorating their homes for Halloween .
People hang fake skeletons , witches , spiders and other scary things around their doors and from trees and bushes .
They also cut scary faces into pumpkins and light them to create a strange glow .
Some people do a little decorating , others do a lot , and still others do none at all .
But , the N.R.F . says researchers estimate Americans will spend about $3.8 billion dollars to dress up their houses for Halloween this year .