Neighborhoods across the U.S. are looking a little more ghoulish this time of year. Despite increased inflation hurting many household budgets, Americans are spending nearly twice as much on Halloween as they did a decade ago. However, a former Satanist and a former witch are warning Christians to stay as far away from the dark festivities as possible. 

Halloween has become the second-largest commercial holiday in America and has typically grossed around $10 billion in sales in recent years, according to the National Retail Federation. 

But Halloween spending for 2025 is way up, reaching a record $13.1 billion, the NRF's annual consumer survey reveals. 

"This reflects robust consumer enthusiasm, with 73% of Americans planning to celebrate," the report explains, "...despite inflationary pressures and tariff concerns." 

Consumers are spending a new high of about $114 on categories like candy, costumes, and decorations. 

This exceeds last year's year's $11.6 billion and surpasses the past record of $12.2 billion set in 2023.

In comparison, 10 years ago consumers spent a total of $6.9 billion during Halloween, and only 157 million people, or roughly 49% of the population, participated.

Essentially, in the last decade, spending on Halloween has doubled. 

Halloween's History

As CBN News has reported, Halloween, or All Hallows' Eve, originated in the ancient Celtic festival Samhain, which means "end of summer."

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the souls of the dead were supposed to revisit their homes, and many people believed that ghosts, witches, goblins, black cats, fairies, and demons roamed the earth.

So, in an attempt to protect their families and livestock during the coming dark winter months, the Celts invoked the help of their pagan "gods" with animal sacrifices.

The holiday took a different turn when Christians arrived on the scene and began celebrating All Soul's Day. That was a time for Christians to commemorate and pray for the souls of believers who had died. In the western Christian practice, the celebration began at a prayer service on the evening of October 31 and ended November 2. 

During that time, the poor would visit the houses of wealthier families to receive little pastries called "soul cakes" in exchange for a promise to pray for the family's dead relatives – a practice that isn't supported by scripture. 

Eventually, the festivities evolved into people dressing up and singing songs in exchange for treats. 

Ex-Witch & Ex-Satanist Turned Christian Issue Warnings About Halloween

Despite the trick-or-treat "festivities," an ex-witch is warning Christians that there is a sinister influence behind the popular holiday. 

Social media influencer Angela Sumner released a series on Instagram titled, "5 things that witches glorify on Halloween that will turn your blood cold."

She notes that during the month of October and specifically Halloween that there is a surge of demonic activity. 

"This is the time of the year when blood rituals and sacrifices take place," she shared. "As an ex-witch, there were things that I saw that I will never share. I pray that you stay away from Halloween and all Halloween-related activities. Just because something looks innocent, if it's tied to Halloween, then it is tied to these rituals and sacrifices." 

Riaan Swiegelaar, a former leader in the Church of Satan in South Africa, is urging Christians to pray in their neighborhoods around Halloween.

While appearing on the Jesus People Podcast, Swiegelaar explained how Halloween is "the highest day on the Satanic calendar."

"I can talk about this [all] day. I want to start with the following: The founder of the church of Satan had a very well-known quote...Anton LaVey, who founded the church of Satan and co-founded Satanism as a religion, he said, 'I want to thank Christian parents for allowing their children to celebrate the devil one day of the year.'"

"So many people think Halloween is about candy and it's about dressing up, but they don't question the meaning behind it," he continued.

Swiegelaar shared that while families are out celebrating in neighborhoods, something darker is taking place. 

He explained, "Let's say, for instance, in a neighborhood or an area, there are houses, there are homes that celebrate Halloween where they put up the decorations and they do the pumpkins and they do the candles and the candy, those things, right? And it's fun. Let's say in a neighborhood there is houses that do that. So, that whole perimeter becomes one big Satanic ritual for that whole neighborhood."

Swiegelaar contends that believers should not participate in Halloween, but take the spiritual warfare seriously and believe for a harvest of souls.

"So firstly, we make sure that we are in righteous standing with God," he said. "And then it is about praying like being in serious prayer that people who celebrate Halloween whether they [are] a Satanist or an atheist or someone having fun, that whilst they are doing that they will actually have a true encounter with Christ. That their eyes are opened, that God will reveal Himself to them."