Halloween History and Facts
Facts and History about Halloween
Here are some great facts and a little history about Halloween put together by the National Confectioners Association. I have added some various comments in Bold Italics.
First, a little about the history of Halloween:
- The celebration of Halloween started in the United States as an autumn harvest festival. In pioneer days, some Americans celebrated Halloween with com-popping parties, taffy pulls and hayrides.
- In the late nineteenth century, with the large influx of Irish immigrants into the U.S., Halloween became associated with ghosts, goblins and witches.
- Jack-o-lanterns are an Irish tradition. In Ireland, oversized rutabagas, turnips and potatoes were hollowed-out, carved into faces and illuminated with candles to be used as lanterns during Halloween celebrations.
- The word “witch” comes from the Old Saxon word “wica”, meaning “wise one.” The earliest witches were respected dealers in charms and medicinal herbs and tellers of fortunes.
- The pumpkin originated in Mexico about 9,000 years ago. It is one of America’s oldest known vegetables. Pumpkins generally weigh from 15-to-30 pounds, although some weigh as much as 200 pounds. The majority of pumpkins are orange, but they also can be white or yellow. They are rich in vitamin A, beta-carotene and potassium, and their seeds provide protein and iron. They make great pumpkin pie too. I would like to carve a jack-o-lantern out of a 200 pound pumpkin.
- According to legend, the jack-o’-lantern began with a fellow named Jack, who was too stingy to be allowed into Heaven and too mischievous to join the Devil in hell. As consolation, the Devil threw Jack a lighted coal, which Jack placed inside a turnip he was eating. It is said that Jack continues to use the coal to light his path as he searches for a final resting place. Notice for all the over the top parents that don’t let your kids participate in Halloween, that this is a legend. That means it is NOT true. Halloween is a fun time. You don’t have to let your children dress up as the devil.
Trick-or-Treat Tidbits
Adults
- Four-in-ten (41%) adults admit that they sneak sweets from their own candy bowl. I bet this is closer to ten-in-ten (100%)
- On Halloween night, the majority (52%) of those providing treats to costumed kiddies will be passing out chocolate, while three‐in‐ten will drop hard candy or lollipops into the sacks. My question is, “Why do people still give out those nasty chewy fake peanut butter candies? You know the ones I’m talking about that are wrapped in either Black or Orange wrappers. Those are nasty and I bet most of them end up in the trash can. May since the stastics show that 41% of adults admit sneaking candy from their own bowl, that means the 59% that aren’t doing it are giving out these nasty candies.
- 62% of adults will be handing out candy because “it’s a personal favorite” or it’s a household tradition (55%) This is the way to do it. We give out Reece’s, Almond Joy, Kit Kats, and other GOOD stuff.
- 43% of grown-up celebrants cite costumes as one of the most indispensable parts of the holiday. What’s the point if you don’t have a costume?
- About 26% of households will include full-size candy (chocolate and non-chocolate) in their Halloween activities. I love these households. Don’t be stingy with the goodies.
- 90% of parents admit to sneaking goodies from their kids’ Halloween trick-or-treat bags. Me? Never! I can’t even believe you would suggest that.
- Parents favorite treats to sneak from their kids’ trick-or-treat bags are snack-size chocolate bars (70 percent sneak these), candy-coated chocolate pieces (40 percent), caramels (37 percent) and gum (26 percent). These statistics don’t quite add up to 100% but I guess that’s beside the point. Full-size chocolate bars would be closer to 100%. Don’t you know we want to help our kids eat healthier, so we have to ingest some of this sugar ourself. It’s just to protect our kids though, not for us.
- Parents least favorite goodie to take from their kids’ trick-or-treat bags is licorice (18 percent). No thanks on the licorice.
Kids
- 30% of kids report that they SORT their candy first when returning home with trick-or-treat loot, others:
- Savor it (20%) YES!
- Share it (16%)
- Stash it (14%)
- Swap it (7%)
- Kids say they prefer homes that give: anything made with chocolate (68%) followed by lollipops (9%), gummy candy (7%) and bubble gum or chewing gum (7%) Chocolate! Chocolate! Chocolate!
- More than 93% of children go trick-or-treating each year. I feel bad for that 7% that don’t get to partake in this event. Halloween is not a devil’s holiday people!
- Kids tell us that their favorite treats to receive when trick-or-treating are candy and gum. Eighty-four percent of kids said candy and gum are their favorites over other options like baked goods or small toys. I don’t let my kids eat baked goods. Who knows how many roaches and rats are running around these kitchens. Or these days, what kind of poison could be in those brownies.
Corporate Holiday Gifts
Yes, it’s only September, but that means that the Christmas holiday season is only a few months away. So, think about your your corporate gift giveaways for this year. Corporate gifts are great for customer retention as well as employee retention. Any type of personalized gift helps the recipient to have warm feeling towards the giver. The higher end the gift, the better it will be received and appreciated. The idea is to get your customers coming back and spending money with you. There is no better way to promote retention than making them feel appreciated. Choose corporate gifts that are either relative to your industry or at least ones that are useful for your clients. The more useful, the more they will use the item giving your corporate logo lots of exposure. It may be necessary to order two different types of holiday gifts: One for your top customers (more expensive gift) and the ones for the rest of your customers (less expensive). Everyone has a budget, so splitting your gift-giving helps with your budget.
The same goes for employees. Multiple surveys have shown that salary (although important) is NOT the most important factor in terms of employer loyalty. It is the way the are treated. Show them you care and they will work hard for you.
Why Personalized Halloween Trick or Treat Bags
So halloween is only a few months away so it’s time to order your halloween trick or treat bags, but many people want to know why should my business order personalized trick or treat bags? Here are just a few reasons why a personalized trick or treat bag is a great buy for your business:
- Halloween bags are cheap! Most are much less than $1.00 and as low as $0.37 each.
- Lots of Exposure - halloween bags are potentially seen by hundreds of thousands of people giving you a great marketing return on your purchase.
- They promote child safety. Most halloween bags promote safety while trick or treating. If your business invests in the safety of children, your customers will appreciate that and remember you the next time they need your services. For more safety look into buying the mettalic reflective bags.
- People love getting free stuff. You can’t deny that people love getting a free gift no matter how small the gift may be. You can give out your personalized bags with each order or just have FREE Take One Display.
- Halloween is one of the largest spending time for businesses to get promotional products, so don’t be left behind when your competition markets during this time.
- You can get the trick or treat bags with a detachable coupon at the bottom so you can get repeat business from your customers and draw in new customers with a special discount.
Billions of dollars each year are spent on Halloween related items, so make sure you are marketing your business during this important time. Halloween trick or treat bags are a great, inexpensive way to promote your business.
Fire Prevention Week 2009
October 4-10, 2009 is Fire Prevention Week 2009 and it is a great time to promote fire safety. Fire safety and fire prevention can be emphasized by any business and not just by fire departments. By getting fire safety items with your personalized imprint on the products, you are not only promoting fire safety, but also promoting your business. This is also a great time to thank the many fire fighters that spend countless hours on standby to protect our homes and business. Use this very influential week to market your company and thank our heroes. Be sure and order your fire prevention week promotional item in advance so that you can receive them in time.
Here are a few interesting facts about Fire Prevention Week:
- The first Fire Prevention Week was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
- The first Fire Prevention Day was proclaimed by President Woodrow Wilson on October 9, 1911 on the 40th anniversary of the Chicago blaze.
- Fire Prevention Week was created to get people thinking in terms of fire prevention rather than only fighting fire.
- Fire Prevention Week is sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
- Fire Prevention Week is the longest running public health and safety observance on record.
Corporate Gift Baskets
What better corporate gift is there than a corporate gift basket? These holiday gift baskets are great Christmas gifts or end of the year gifts for employee incentive gifts or for coporate gifts for clients and potential clients. There are hundreds of varieties of gift baskets with gourmet chocolate, nuts, chocolate covered nuts, and many other mouth watering candies and comfort food. These Christmas gift baskets are favorites by anyone who receives them. So don’t forget to let your customers know that you care, and that corporate gift will pay off and keep your clients loyal to your business.
Personalized Christmas Ornaments
Personalized Christmas ornaments make great corporate gifts and corporate giveaways for the Christmas season. Yeah, that’s right, I said “Christmas” and I haven’t forgotten the meaning of it either. A custom Christmas ornament with your business name imprinted on it is a great promotional item that will be used year after year so your customers and employees will always think jolly thoughts about you. You can’t go wrong with the traditional Shatterproof Christmas Ball Ornament. They have been around for ages and are still a favorite. However, if your budget allows a little more, why not go with the Silver Christmas Tree Ornament or the Silver Snowflake Christmas Ornament. For those special clients and executives, you can go with the Crystal Christmas Ornament, which is sure to make a big impression. Whatever type of Christmas promotional item you go with, don’t forget about the ever popular personalized Christmas ornaments. Promotional items are great for any season, especially as a corporate gift to say “Thank You” to your customers, employees, and potential clients.
Fire Prevention Week 2008 - Promotional Items
Fire Prevention Week 2008 is rapidly approaching. The National observance will be October 5-11, 2008. The purpose of Fire Prevention Week was establish to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The first Fire Prevention Day was proclaimed by President Woodrow Wilson on October 9, 1911 on the 40th anniversary of the Chicago blaze. Fire Prevention Week was created to get people thinking in terms of fire prevention rather than only fighting fire. Fire Prevention Week is sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Fire Prevention Week is the longest running public health and safety observance on record.
What a great opportunity to promote Fire Safety with children (and adults) by using fire safety promotional items. There are many options including fire safety coloring books, a fire safety growth chart, fire safety litter bags, fire related stress relievers, and many other fire related promotional items.
www.perfectimprints.com
Halloween Trick or Treat Bags to Promote Your Business
Halloween trick or treat bags are the perfect way to have fun with halloween while promoting safety with children and promoting your business at the same time. This is a Win-Win opportunity. many of the personalized halloween bags have safety tips on them to help guide the children (and parents) for fun and safe trick or treating. Also, there are reflective halloween bags that help the little trick or treaters to be seen by passing cars. Retail stores can get Halloween shopping bags that can be used the whole month of October to show your Halloween spirit. These are a cheap way to get into the upcoming season of Halloween, but don’t wait too late. Production time for some of the halloween bags can be up to a month. Don’t forget your personalized halloween trick or treat giveaways.
