Getting the show on the road

AI gives me some statistics on what U.S. consumers spend on celebrations of various Days.

Major Holiday Spending

Valentine’s Day

In 2024, U.S. consumers spent $25.8 billion on Valentine’s Day, with the average person spending $185.81 capitaloneshoppingnrf. Major spending categories included jewelry ($6.5 billion), evenings out ($5.4 billion), and flowers ($2.9 billion) Americans expect to spend a record $14.6 billion on their significant others for Valentine’s Day, report finds.

Mother’s Day vs. Father’s Day

In 2024, Mother’s Day expenditure hit $33.5 billion, $11.1 billion more than Father’s Day spending How Much Money Is Spent on Mother’s Day vs. Father’s Day. The average person spent $259.04 on Mother’s Day shopping and gifts in 2025 2025 Mother’s Day Spending Statistics. This represents a significant spending disparity between the two parental holidays.

Halloween

For 2024, total Halloween spending was expected to reach $11.6 billion Average U.S. Halloween Spending Statistics [Infographic], though 2025 Halloween spending is projected to reach a record $13.1 billion Halloween | NRF. Despite the common belief that Halloween is second only to Christmas in retail spending, Halloween doesn’t even beat Father’s Day in retail sales, with Christmas topping $600 billion while Halloween is around $10-13 billion Halloween is NOT second only to Christmas in retail spending!.

Key Insights
The data reveals that Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day are among the highest-spending celebrations outside of Christmas. The significant gap between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day spending (roughly 50% more for mothers) reflects both cultural attitudes and shopping patterns.in

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Dosa is a savoury pancake made from a rice-lentil mix. We celebrated National Dosa Day on March 3, and Swiggy, a food delivery app reported a sale of 29 million dosas across the country.

The dish is a staple breakfast item in South India and has gained popularity as a meal in other states too. We have all grown up consuming it at home, but see who gains by turning it into a “Day.”

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HERD INSTINCTS

• People want a short escape from humdrum routines or stress, and they fall for anything that promises a change from the ordinary.
• They want talking points in social settings about the ‘different’ stuff they indulged in. (You MUSSST experience this…)
• FOMO rules. They don’t want to be left out of trends and activities.
• The number of likes and comments on Instagram matters.
• It doesn’t really matter if friends, family or partners love you, but it matters that others know they do, and indulge in loud expressions.
• Products and events do not have a market; the emotions they generate do.

We are all targets or victims of a smart business entity somewhere, and we keep falling prey with glee.

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Friday Faithfuls