Scaring up some business.

        Does the economy have a ghost of a chance? Here's some important information from the Wall Street Journal.

        According to the National Retail Foundation, the top adult Halloween costume this year is the witch, followed by the pirate, the vampire, the zombie and Batman.

        On Halloween we Americans will spend nearly $7 billion this year, an average of $40.81 per person. Candy alone accounts for $22.05 of that. Interesting to note that the recession has had an effect on those numbers. The 2005 family average was $45.

        Why do we love Halloween so much? For one thing, dressing in a costume, a disguise, lets us be our alter egos and hidden fantasies, the person we generally hide most of the time. For others, it lets us be heroes, or be brave, or live in a simpler time or place, such as a farm.

         Of course, sometimes our alter egos and our friends' alter egos collide. A lot of relationships break up over Halloween. On the other hand, some relationships begin when the masks go on.

        Halloween is one our top holidays from a commercial point of view, which is easy to see with all those pop-up stores taking up the large mall spaces that other retailers ran away from.

        In advertising, Halloween is a great chance for rookie writers to do something embarrassing, especially at the car ad agencies. "We're scaring the wits out of competition!" and "All treats and no tricks at Hometown Chevrolet".

        Actually, it's starting to sound like a lot of fun. I think I'll go as Don Draper this time!