D.C. doesn't hold back on Halloween decor
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The Gross family has been going all out for Halloween for years. Photo: Courtesy of Amy Gross
Skeletons, monsters, spiders — oh my! You never know what you'll find on a D.C. stoop or suburban lawn come Halloween.
Georgetown residents Amy and Taylor Gross tell Axios they've been ghouling up the yard since their three kids were little.
- Stroll down 35th Street in Georgetown. You won't miss their pirate-themed giant skeleton display.
The intrigue: It's a big year for skeletons in D.C., and, in true Washington form, the election is even creeping into Halloween decor.
The big, scary picture: People are springing — sometimes months in advance — for 12-foot skeletons and other Halloween merchandise.
- Michael Seelig's Alexandria home is spook-tacular inside and out. He credits his wife, Connie, who starts planning her Halloween displays as early as August.
Decorations account for nearly a third of total spooky spending, which is expected to reach $11.6 billion this year, according to a National Retail Federation survey.
- And 47% of consumers nationwide now say they start Halloween shopping before October, per the survey.
- Compare that with 32% in 2014.
What's next: Gothic velvets and silks, woodland scenes lifted from fantasy novels and gourds in shades of cream, brown or green are biting into traditional haunted home decor, experts say.
