Tricks, Treats and Trends

About this episode

<p>Americans are expected to spend a record $13.5 billion on Halloween this year, according to the National Retail Federation. That includes costumes, decorations and <i>lots</i> of candy.</p><p>In this episode of “The Sunday Daily,” our host Rachel Abrams talks about these three tent poles of the Halloween season with reporters from across the Times newsroom.</p><p>Kim Severson, who covers food, tells us about the sour, peelable and texture-confused candy edging out longtime chocolate favorites. Louis Lucero II, an editor for style coverage, predicts the most popular costumes of the year. And Callie Holtermann, a reporter who covers style and pop culture, discusses the enduring joy of “Skelly,” the 12-foot-tall Home Depot skeleton with a cult following.</p><p><strong>On Today’s Episode:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/kim-severson" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Kim Severson</strong></a> covers all aspects of food culture for The New York Times.</p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/louis-lucero-ii" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Louis Lucero II</strong></a>, an editor for style coverage for The New York Times.</p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/callie-holtermann" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Callie Holtermann</strong></a>, a reporter who writes about style, pop culture and Gen Z for The New York Times.</p><p><strong>Background Reading:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/01/style/halloween-costume-ideas.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Halloween Costume Ideas That Scream 2026</a></li><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/28/style/home-depot-12-foot-skeleton.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Still the Biggest Skeleton In the Game?</a></li></ul><p>Photo credit: The New York Times</p> <p><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily"><strong>nytimes.com/thedaily</strong></a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p><p> </p><p>Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.</p></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>