Spirit Christmas returns to South Jersey this year, bringing festive activities and events to the community.

Holiday shopping has arrived earlier than ever for eager consumers in the Philadelphia region, with the opening of the first Spirit Christmas store at a former Best Buy location in Marlton. While Halloween is still over a week away, shoppers are already flocking to the new retail space, excited to purchase a variety of festive items, such as Santa costumes, inflatable Rudolph decorations, and Frosty the Snowman animatronics.

The Spirit Christmas store, established by the Egg Harbor-based company, follows the brand’s successful Spirit Halloween outlets. Next month, Spirit will launch two additional Christmas locations: one in a former Joann Fabrics at Marple Crossroads in Springfield, Delaware County, and another in an old Bed Bath & Beyond at Hamilton Commons in Hamilton, Atlantic County, conveniently located off the Atlantic City Expressway.

These expansions come in the wake of the closures of numerous Joann and Bed Bath & Beyond stores due to the companies’ bankruptcy proceedings. Bed Bath & Beyond has since been acquired by Overstock.com, which has started integrating Bed Bath & Beyond products into its Container Store locations, including those in Cherry Hill and King of Prussia.

The Spirit Christmas concept debuted in 2024, initially converting ten Spirit Halloween stores into Christmas-themed pop-ups, which opened in mid-November. The first stores included locations in Marlton and Mays Landing. Each subsequent holiday season has seen an increase in the number of Spirit Christmas stores, growing from 30 locations in 2025 to an anticipated 44 this year, spanning across 15 states.

Despite this growth, the footprint of Spirit Christmas is considerably smaller when compared to Spirit Halloween, which boasts over 1,500 stores across North America, with more than two dozen located in the Philadelphia area and its surrounding regions.

This strategic expansion into the Christmas market allows Spirit to capitalize on the holiday season, widely recognized as the most lucrative shopping period of the year. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), U.S. consumers are projected to spend over trillion this coming November and December—a 4.2% increase compared to the previous year. Additionally, the NRF estimates a record .5 billion will be spent on Halloween this season, underscoring the growing prominence of seasonal shopping.

As consumers embrace the spirit of giving, the emergence of these seasonal stores indicates a shift in retail dynamics, highlighting the importance of establishing early connections with holiday shoppers. Media News Source suggests that initiatives like Spirit Christmas not only foster seasonal excitement but also provide opportunities for businesses to thrive during key shopping periods.