Spirit Christmas, a holiday pop-up store concept that Spencer Gifts launched in 2024, is decking the halls again—but in a bigger way this year.

This spinoff of Spirit Halloween (well-known for taking over abandoned storefronts every fall and then disappearing without a trace after the holiday) is returning to the US with 30 locations in 2025, after a 10-store test run last year.

Doors will open shortly after Halloween across the Northeast and Great Lakes regions, featuring product categories including apparel and gifts. And photo opps with Santa will be on offer with partner Cherry Hill Programs from November 21 to December 24.

As a privately owned company, Spencer Gifts has not released much info about how well Spirit Christmas performed in 2024. But given that it’s tripling down on the concept this year, it’s probably safe to say they did well. Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Christmas and Spirit Halloween, hints at this in a release, saying the stores are back “by popular demand”.

It’s not the first time Spencer has dabbled in Christmas-themed pop-ups—the company ran a small chain of seasonal stores in the 1990s and 2000s as well.

With this year’s Christmas season on the horizon, early spending predictions are looking promising for retailers and brand owners. In July, kids & family research company SuperAwesome predicted that families will spend an average of US$548 on holiday gifts for their children this year, a 16% bump compared to 2024. (And what will they likely be buying? Mainly products from big brands such as LEGO, Barbie and Nintendo, according to the report.)

Mastercard’s annual holiday forecast for the US and Canada, released earlier this month, also predicted an increase in e-commerce and in-store shopping. But that report notes that popular imported items like toys and Christmas ornaments will have some hefty tariff rates attached, and it’s not clear yet what impact that will have on retail pricing.

But if the forecasting is accurate, Spencer’s Spirit Christmas expansion could be perfectly timed  to take advantage of an increase in holiday spending.

Image courtesy of Spirit Christmas.