Parents Surprise 3-Year-Old with Visit to Her Dream Spot and Her 'Incredible' Reaction Leaves Them 'Speechless' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Jackey Johnson daughter Stella in front of Spirit Halloween.Photo:Jackey Johnson

Jackey Johnson

Jackey Johnson’s 3-year-old daughter, Stella, is obsessed with Halloween. So, when Johnson and her husband told Stella aboutSpirit Halloween, her enthusiasm soared, and she even walked around for days with a coupon the family had received in the mail.

“It’s raw, it’s real. I thought, how do you get this excited? You don’t even know what’s inside,” Johnson, 29, tells PEOPLE exclusively, recalling her daughter’s reaction. “We were so thrilled that she was so excited about it. It’s one of those moments as a parent that brings back the joy of the holidays.”

“We were just smiling, speechless, thinking, ‘This is incredible,’ " the Charlotte, N.C., local adds. “In these moments, you get to relive the experience through someone else and see the joy that Spirit Halloween brings her. Halloween in general excites her — she literally puts on 20 different costumes every day. It’s just amazing for us. I can’t even find the words.”

Jackey Johnson’s daughter dressed up as Beetlejuice.Jackey Johnson

“Everyone was saying, ‘This is the joy of Halloween,’ which is so nice,” she shares. “I think most of us don’t get that excited about little things anymore, so it was heartwarming to see everyone calling us great parents for letting her have her moment and express herself.”

“The feedback was overwhelmingly positive,” she adds. “I also made another video about taking our daughter to Spirit Halloween because she wanted to go. I think everyone was living vicariously through her, experiencing the joy of being a little kid at Halloween and picking out costumes, along with all the excitement that comes with it.”

Johnson tells PEOPLE that when Stella finally entered the store, she was overjoyed. However, she encountered a scary animatronic right at the entrance. While Stella was a little frightened, the family made their way to the kids' section, where she entered what felt like costume heaven.

As they browsed the costumes, Johnson recalls her daughter pointing at everything and exclaiming, “I want to be this now, and now I want to be this!”

Jackey Johnson and daughter in Spirit Halloween merch.Jackey Johnson

After going back and forth between the options, Stella decided on a Moana outfit, which she paired with a Hei Hei rooster costume for her little brother. Johnson adds that because the family has a few trick or treats and Halloween events, Stella also picked out a few more costumes including Wednesday Addams and Beetlejuice.

“Spirit Halloween actually sent her a box of goodies, which was so nice, and she was over the moon,” Johnson says. “She walks around with the tote bag they sent her every day. They included T-shirts, hats, and all these little trinkets. It was the cherry on top for her. They did such a great job with it.”

source: people.com