Spirit Halloween Turns Into Spirit Christmas—And Illinois Gets Stores

If you thought Spirit Halloween disappearing from empty big-box stores was eerie, get ready for something even stranger: Spirit is doing Christmas now. Yep, the chain best known for fake blood and polyester capes is rolling out “Spirit Christmas,” complete with lights, ornaments, stocking stuffers, and even Santa photo ops.

Where Spirit Christmas Stores Are Opening in Illinois

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This year, Spirit is opening 30 Spirit Christmas stores across 13 states, and Illinois made the cut. Three suburban Chicago spots are on the list:

• Bloomingdale – Former HHGregg, 340 W. Army Trail Rd. (Opens November)
• Joliet – Former Party City, 2661 Plainfield Rd. (Opens October)
• Naperville – Former Bed Bath & Beyond, 336 Illinois Route 59 (Opens November)

For those of us in Rockford, the Naperville location is the closest—just over 50 miles away.  📍 More U.S. store locations here.

Santa Claus Is Part of the Deal

Yes, Santa will be at select Spirit Christmas stores. You can even reserve a spot online at Bloomingdale and Joliet, with more locations to follow. No guarantees on whether he’ll accept requests for fog machines and plastic skeletons, though.

From Scares to Stockings

According to NBC Chicago, last year, Spirit tested the Christmas concept with only 10 stores nationwide. None were in Illinois, but clearly, the experiment worked. Now you can get your holiday fix in the same kind of vacant storefront you haunted for fake cobwebs in October.

READ MORE: Wrigleyville Christkindlmarket Returns for 2025 Holiday Season

Plan Your Visit

If you want photos with Santa, or just want to see what happens when Halloween’s favorite pop-up tries on Christmas cheer, plan ahead and book a reservation. Be sure to start following Spirit Christmas on Facebook.

READ MORE: The Gifts That Will Make Illinois Parents Secretly Hate You