October Holiday Resources
So here are the holiday resources for October. This is the challenge with some months (December is another one) where almost all the events take place in the last week of the month. So 75% of the links are related to Halloween or fall festivals . . . but most of the 2026 materials haven't come out yet! And unlike November (where I will do two updates - one for early events like Election Day and Veterans Day, and a second one for Thanksgiving/Black Friday), there isn't enough early in the month to justify splitting them. So plan instead on another update the last week of October with any new Halloween lessons or content I come across . . .
Other general ECON/PFL/Social Studies articles on October “holidays”:
“Celebrate Hispanic & Latine Heritage Month With Us”, NextGen Personal Finance (NGPF), Aug 2025, https://www.ngpf.org/blog/current-events/celebrate-hispaniclatinx-heritage-month-with-us/
“Costume Clownery” (talking about historic costumes in Colorado), History Colorado, Oct 2023, https://www.historycolorado.org/story/2023/10/12/costume-clownery
“Economic expert explains why Halloween has already invaded retail stores”, Virginia Tech News, Aug 2023, https://news.vt.edu/articles/2023/08/Early_Halloween_expert.html
“Forget tainted candy: The scariest thing on Halloween is parked in your driveway”, VOX.com, Oct 2022, https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2022/10/31/23427256/halloween-children-car-deaths-pedestrian-safety
“From Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day”, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Oct 2021, https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/usable-knowledge/21/10/columbus-day-indigenous-peoples-day
“Halloween costume spillover: The shutdown that went ‘Boo!’”, CNBC, Oct 2023, https://www.cnbc.com/2013/10/11/halloween-costume-spillover-the-shutdown-that-went-boo.html
“Halloween Retail Holiday and Seasonal Trends”, National Retail Federation, Sep 2026, https://nrf.com/research-insights/holiday-data-and-trends/halloween
“Halloween Shopping Statistics”, Capital One Shopping Research, Sep 2026, https://capitaloneshopping.com/research/halloween-sales-spending-statistics/
“How Halloween Consumer Spending Boosts the US Economy”, Investopedia, Feb 2026, https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/102714/how-does-halloween-affect-economy.asp
“How You’d Survive (or not) in a Horror Movie, Based On Your Myers-Briggs® Personality Type”, Psychology Junkie, Oct 2023, https://www.psychologyjunkie.com/how-youd-survive-or-not-in-a-horror-movie-based-on-your-myers-briggs-personality-type/
“How Will Inflation Impact Your Halloween Spending in 2023?”, GO Banking Rates, Oct 2023, https://www.gobankingrates.com/money/economy/how-will-inflation-impact-your-halloween-spending/
“Indigenous Peoples’ Day Resources”, Zinn Education Project, 2026, https://www.zinnedproject.org/campaigns/abolish-columbus-day/resources/
“Indigenous Peoples' Day: Resources for Educators”, Colorín Colorado, 2023, https://www.colorincolorado.org/indigenous-peoples-day-resources-educators
Kahoot Ready-Made Resources for Halloween (NOTE: some are free, some are paywalled) - https://create.kahoot.it/hub/premium_Halloween
“The Long Path Toward Establishing Indigenous People’s Day, a Day to Honor and Recognize the First Peoples of America”, Smithsonian Magazine, Oct 2024, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2024/10/11/indigenous-peoples-day-a-day-to-honor-and-recognize-the-first-peoples-of-america/
“The Scary Truth: Inflation Impacting Halloween Plans”, The Food Institute, Sep 2023, https://foodinstitute.com/focus/the-scary-truth-inflation-impacting-halloween-plans/
“A treat of a tradition: Consumers embrace the Halloween spirit”, Deloitte.com, Sep 2026, https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/retail-distribution/halloween-survey-consumer-spending.html
Lesson Plans and Related Resources on October "Holidays":
“Beware the Finance Monsters”, NextGen Personal Finance (NGPF), Oct 2025, https://www.ngpf.org/blog/curriculum-announcements/new-halloween-activity-beware-the-finance-monsters/
“Celebrating American Historical Holidays - Columbus/Indigenous Peoples' Day”, Gilder-Lehrman Institute of American History, 2026, https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/curriculum/columbusindigenous-peoples-day
“Economic Marvels #9: The Economics of Spirit Halloween” (lesson plan), Foundation for Economic Education (FEE), https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/19-EurrdcNo4ESvtK6XIRUr62He2UCSi9R0Arso_yJLA
“Escape from the Haunted Mansion: A Halloween Activity”, NextGen Personal Finance (NGPF), Oct 2025, https://www.ngpf.org/blog/activities/escape-from-the-haunted-mansion-a-new-halloween-activity/
“FinCap Friday: Frightening Financial Figures”, NextGen Personal Finance (NGPF), Oct 2024, https://www.ngpf.org/blog/fincap-friday/fincap-friday-frightening-financial-figures/ (blog article) or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYwgUxP9oVg (just the video)
“FinCap Friday: Tricks on Treats”, NextGen Personal Finance (NGPF), Oct 2022, https://www.ngpf.org/blog/fincap-friday/fincap-friday-tricks-on-treats/ (blog article) or https://youtu.be/ffWHavPlbek (just the video)
“Math Monday: Highlighting Hispanic and Latinx Mathematicians in the Classroom”, NextGen Personal Finance (NGPF), Sep 2023, https://www.ngpf.org/blog/math/math-monday-highlighting-hispanic-and-latinx-mathematicians-in-the-classroom-2023/
“PLAY: Guess How Much Is In The Jar”, NextGen Personal Finance (NGPF), https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kr_z8QnLVobQgJbn6SITiXsfCOjZKQylWVxEY6DbFvA/edit
“Question of the Day [Hispanic & Latine Heritage Month]: How much have wages increased for Latin(o/a) Americans since 2010?”, NextGen Personal Finance (NGPF), Aug 2025, https://www.ngpf.org/blog/question-of-the-day/question-of-the-day-hispanic--latine-heritage-month-how-much-have-wages-increased-for-latinoa-americans/
“Question of the Day [Hispanic & Latine Heritage Month]: If Hispanic & Latine Americans were a country, how would their gross domestic product (GDP) rank in the world?”, NextGen Personal Finance (NGPF), Sep 2025, https://www.ngpf.org/blog/question-of-the-day/latinxhispanic-heritage-month-if-the-latinxhispanic-community-in-the-united-states-were-a-country-how-would-its-gross-domestic-product-gdp-rank-in-the-world/
“Question of the Day: [Hispanic & Latine Heritage Month] Who was the first Latino man and the first Latina woman to serve as CEO of a Fortune 500 company?”, NextGen Personal Finance (NGPF), Aug 2025, https://www.ngpf.org/blog/question-of-the-day/question-of-the-day-hispanic--latine-heritage-month-who-was-the-first-latino-man-and-the-first-latina-woman-to-serve-as-ceo-of-a-fortune-500-company/
“Question of the Day [Hispanic & Latine Heritage Month]: How many banks and credit unions in the United States are Hispanic-owned?”, NextGen Personal Finance (NGPF), Oct 2025, https://www.ngpf.org/blog/question-of-the-day/question-of-the-day-hispanic--latinx-heritage-month-how-many-banks-and-credit-unions-in-the-united-states-are-hispanic-owned/
“Question of the Day: [Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month]: What are the 3 most marketable second languages for job hunters in the U.S.?”, NextGen Personal Finance (NGPF), Oct 2023, https://www.ngpf.org/blog/question-of-the-day/question-of-the-day-hispanic--latinx-heritage-month-what-are-the-3-most-marketable-second-languages-for-job-hunters-in-the-us/
“Question of the Day [Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month]: What are the top 3 industries for Hispanic/Latinx-owned businesses?”, NextGen Personal Finance (NGPF), Sep 2023, https://www.ngpf.org/blog/question-of-the-day/what-are-the-top-3-industries-for-hispaniclatinx-owned-businesses/
“Question of the Day: How much are Americans expected to spend in total this Halloween? How much per person?”, NextGen Personal Finance (NGPF), Oct 2025, https://www.ngpf.org/blog/question-of-the-day/question-of-the-day-how-much-are-americans-expected-to-spend-this-halloween-how-much-is-that-per-person/
“Question of the Day: How much money do Americans waste on uneaten candy for Halloween?”, NextGen Personal Finance (NGPF), Oct 2023, https://www.ngpf.org/blog/question-of-the-day/question-of-the-day-how-much-money-do-americans-waste-on-uneaten-candy-for-halloween/
“Question of the Day: [Indigenous Peoples' Day] Can you guess any of the most recommended menu items at this popular Indigenous restaurant?”, NextGen Personal Finance (NGPF), Oct 2025, https://www.ngpf.org/blog/question-of-the-day/question-of-the-day-native-american-heritage-month-can-you-guess-any-of-the-3-top-selling-menu-items-at-this-popular-indigenous-restaurant/
“Question of the Day: What are the top 3 ways consumers plan to celebrate Halloween?”, NextGen Personal Finance (NGPF), Oct 2025, https://www.ngpf.org/blog/question-of-the-day/question-of-the-day-what-is-the-1-way-consumers-plan-to-celebrate-halloween/
“Question of the Day: What are the top 3 most popular Halloween candies?”, NextGen Personal Finance (NGPF), Oct 2024, https://www.ngpf.org/blog/question-of-the-day/question-of-the-day-what-are-the-top-3-most-popular-halloween-candies/
“Question of the Day: What percent of Americans say Halloween is worth going into debt for?”, NextGen Personal Finance (NGPF), Oct 2023, https://www.ngpf.org/blog/question-of-the-day/question-of-the-day-what-percent-of-americans-say-halloween-is-worth-going-into-debt-for/
“Question of the Day: What percent of Gen-Z and Millennials will buy Halloween costumes for their pets and how much will they spend on average?”, NextGen Personal Finance (NGPF), Oct 2025, https://www.ngpf.org/blog/question-of-the-day/question-of-the-day-what-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-will-buy-halloween-costumes-for-their-pets-and-how-much-will-they-spend-on-average/
“Question of the Day: What percentage of Americans say they’ll cut back on Halloween spending due to inflation or higher living costs?”, NextGen Personal Finance (NGPF), Oct 2025, https://www.ngpf.org/blog/question-of-the-day/question-of-the-day-what-percentage-of-americans-say-theyll-cut-back-on-halloween-spending-due-to-inflation-or-higher-living-costs/
“Question of the Day: Which Halloween item do consumers expect to spend the most on: Decorations, Candy or Costumes?”, NextGen Personal Finance (NGPF), Oct 2024, https://www.ngpf.org/blog/question-of-the-day/question-of-the-day-updated-which-halloween-item-do-consumers-expect-to-spend-the-most-on-in-2020-decorations-candy-or-costumes/
Government Resources (U.S. and World) for October "Holidays": (NOTE: I am carrying over some of the resources for Hispanic Heritage Month, since it goes from mid-Sep to mid-Oct)
“CPSC Offers Safety Tips to Keep Hazards from Haunting Your Halloween”, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Oct 2022, https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/2023/CPSC-Offers-Safety-Tips-to-Keep-Hazards-from-Haunting-Your-Halloween NOTE the infographic link at the bottom
“Earth Science Week 2026 - Critical Minerals for a Thriving Society”, American Geosciences Institute, 2026, https://www.earthsciweek.org/ or resources - https://www.earthsciweek.org/resources/2026/
“Fire Prevention Week resources”, National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA), Sep 2026, https://www.nfpa.org/events/fire-prevention-week
“Halloween, October 31, 2025” Facts for Features, U.S. Census, Sep 2025, https://www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2025/halloween.html
“Halloween Fun Facts (handout and teaching guide)”, U.S. Census, Sep 2026, https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sis/resources/fun-facts/halloween.html
“Hispanic Heritage Month Fun Facts”, U.S. Census, Sep 2026, https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sis/resources/fun-facts/hispanic-heritage.html
“National Hispanic Heritage Month” government website, Sep 2026, https://hispanicheritagemonth.gov/index.html
“National Hispanic Heritage Month: 2026” Facts for Features, U.S. Census, Aug 2026, https://www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2026/hispanic-heritage-month.html
“National Hispanic Heritage Month: Sep 15 – Oct 15” Stats for Stories, U.S. Census, Sep 2023, https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/hispanic-heritage-month.html
“A Profile of the Nation’s Hispanic-Owned Businesses”, U.S. Census, Oct 2024, https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2024/10/hispanic-owned-businesses.html
“Unlearning Columbus Day Myths: Celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day”, National Museum of the American Indian – Smithsonian, Oct 2020, https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/resources/Unlearning-Columbus-Day-Myths-Indigenous-Peoples-Day
Economist Articles, Infographics, Videos, and Podcasts on October "Holidays":
“5 Economic Principles My Kids Learned on Halloween”, Foundation for Economic Education, Nov 2020, https://fee.org/articles/5-economic-principles-my-kids-learned-on-halloween/
“All We Need to Know About Halloween Candy”, Econlife.com, Oct 2025, https://econlife.com/2025/10/halloween-candy-states/
“All We Need To Know About Pumpkin Slingshots and Fall Farm Festivals”, Econlife.com, Oct 2022, https://econlife.com/2022/10/farm-festival-prices/
“All You Could Ever Want to Know About a Pumpkin Slingshot”, Econlife.com, Nov 2021, https://econlife.com/2021/11/pumpkin-purchases-and-pumpkin-slingshot/
“Boo to spooky chocolate prices! It's the year of chewy, fruity Halloween treats” (article and podcast), National Public Radio (NPR), Oct 2025, https://www.npr.org/2025/10/24/nx-s1-5582259/halloween-candy-prices-chocolate-cacao
“The devil's in the detailing at haunted Halloween car washes” (article and podcast), National Public Radio (NPR), Oct 2025, https://www.npr.org/2025/10/27/nx-s1-5566674/haunted-car-wash-halloween
“Econlife Quiz: Halloween”, Econlife.com, Nov 2025, https://econlife.com/2025/11/econlife-quiz-halloween/
“Go behind the scenes at a New Jersey Spirit Halloween store” (article and podcast), National Public Radio (NPR), Oct 2025, https://www.npr.org/2025/10/30/nx-s1-5354870/go-behind-the-scenes-at-a-new-jersey-spirit-halloween-store
“How Spirit Halloween Became A Billion-Dollar Business” (video), CNBC, Oct 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj8V_wVr_qw
“How Spirit Halloween Became a Titan of the $10 Billion Halloween Industry | WSJ The Economics” (video), Wall Street Journal, Oct 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW_bQJAucbE
“Pumpkinscaping could be coming to a porch near you” (article or podcast episode), Marketplace, Nov 2025, https://www.marketplace.org/story/2025/11/03/pumpkinscaping-could-be-coming-to-a-porch-near-you
“The scariest part of Halloween: supply chains” (article or podcast episode), Marketplace, Oct 2023, https://www.marketplace.org/2023/10/02/the-scariest-part-of-halloween-supply-chains/
“The Spooky Shutdown Strategy of Spirit Halloween”, Monday Morning Economist, Oct 2023, https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/spirit-halloween AND lesson plan from the FEE Learning Center, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gy6N2GxD3kWqhevXmyV1IwgoShgO2eN1gS72YNYCA14/edit?tab=t.0
“The spookiest thing about Halloween? The waste” (article or podcast episode), Marketplace, Oct 2021, https://www.marketplace.org/2021/10/29/the-spookiest-thing-about-halloween-the-waste/
“What's the difference between Hispanic, Latino, and Spanish?” (video), Bustle, Jul 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs2tdjzla8Y AND NGPF article connected to it from Aug 2025 at https://www.ngpf.org/blog/activities/celebrating-latinxhispanic-heritage-month-whats-the-difference-between-hispanic-latino-and-spanish/
“Where Red and Blue Agree”, Econlife.com, Oct 2022, https://econlife.com/2022/10/halloween-candy/
“Why the US celebrates Columbus Day” (video), VOX.com, Oct 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNqOGhDMm8k
“Why We Like the Pumpkin Spice Latte”, Econlife.com, Sep 2022, https://econlife.com/2022/08/all-you-want-to-know-about-the-pumpkin-spice-latte/
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