Dozens wait in line for Spirit Christmas store opening in Whitehall, Pa

WHITEHALL, Pa. — Dozens of eager shoppers, including families with children, waited in line for hours Friday as the first Spirit Christmas store in the area opened at the Whitehall Mall. However, conflicting information about opening times left some customers frustrated.

The store, located at 1911 Whitehall Mall, finally opened its doors at 5:12 p.m. Throughout the day, posted opening times changed several times, and store management later announced a 5 p.m. opening.

A call to corporate offices on Friday morning indicated the store would open next week. However, a social media comment claiming someone had seen a sign indicating a 3 p.m. opening prompted some customers to arrive earlier in the day.

Tom McCarthy of Whitehall was first in line, having waited three hours with his wife and son for one specific item: an Art the Clown Terrifier nutcracker.

“I’m a huge fan of the Terrifier franchise, so that’s part of my collection,” McCarthy said. “They came out and told me they got one. I told them I’m not moving until I got it.”

The store had six of the limited-edition items in stock. McCarthy purchased one.

Kim Teprovich’s daughter Isabella came home from college specifically for the store’s opening. Isabella, who decorates every room of the family’s house with a different Christmas theme, had been eagerly anticipating the new location. Her husband also accompanied them.

“My daughter Isabella is obsessed with Christmas and found out they’re opening today and came back from college to come here,” Teprovich said. The family was second in line.

Isabella Teprovich said she and her roommate had already decorated their college apartment for Christmas the day before. “I decorate all the time,” she said. “Every room is a different theme. Gingerbread, snowman, elk, reindeer, candy cane.”

Dawn Maynard made three separate trips to the store on Friday, initially arriving in the morning before learning the opening had been delayed.
“I kind of feel like they keep changing the sign,” Maynard said.

Jeremy Simpson, on-site zone manager, acknowledged that the store was designed similarly to Spirit Halloween locations, but with Christmas merchandise.

“It’s done a lot like our Halloween stores but with more Christmas in mind,” Simpson said. “I think we’re gonna have to wait and see what everybody gets excited about this season.”

Inside, shoppers found an “Inflatable Land” section featuring oversized holiday decorations including a giant Rudolph, SpongeBob SquarePants characters like Patrick Star, and SpongeBob’s pineapple house.

The store stocked both branded and general Christmas merchandise alongside Halloween-themed Christmas items, including Terrifier and Saw products. Several animatronics similar to those found in Spirit Halloween stores were also on display.

Simpson said the store carries Halloween-themed Christmas items. “That wouldn’t be Spirit Christmas without it,” he said.

Spirit Christmas is a seasonal pop-up concept launched by Spencer Gifts, the parent company of Spirit Halloween. The chain opened eight locations in 2024 and expanded to 30 stores across 12 states in the Northeast and Great Lakes regions in 2025.

The stores replace Spirit Halloween locations after October, utilizing the same short-term mall leases. They feature holiday decorations, gifts, apparel and officially licensed items from holiday classics.

Like Spirit Halloween, the stores participate in the Spirit of Children program, which raises funds for Child Life Departments in local children’s hospitals.