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Halloween is just days away! How do these days sneak up on us?
I like Halloween. I don’t love it. I mean, the whole goblin, zombie and vampire thing is just a little too yucky for me. But a day devoted entirely to how much candy you can amass? It’s hard to pass up. Plus, you get to wear a costume while collecting it?! Well, count me in! I love dressing up.
When I was little, my mom always made my costume. My brother and I always dressed as a couple. When we were younger it was Dorothy & the Scarecrow, Snow White & Dopey. Then when we got older we were Aladdin & Jasmine or Cleopatra & Marc Anthony.
It always makes your costume cooler if you have another person to be a part of it. For example:
- You found a good dragon costume for your son? How about letting your daughter be a princess? Or your other son be a knight?
- Get a bunch of friends together and go as a group costume: The Flintstones, the characters from Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, The President and the Secret Service, The American Idol Judges or Michael Jackson through the Years. (OK, maybe you should think of something a little more kid friendly than that last one…)
Another great addition to a costume is a prop.
Don’t just wear a blue checked dress and red flip flops and be Dorothy—make sure you have ruby slippers on even if you have to pour red glitter on your tennis shoes! And Dorothy can’t carry a pumpkin candy bag! Instead, try a basket with a little dog inside. Use a paint bucket for your little construction man costume. Hold an apple if you’re Snow White. My daughter is a chef this year. She’ll be carrying a colander to hold her candy and a wooden spoon in the other hand! Think about your costume, which prop could you hold to make your costume better?
My favorite costumes are the ones that tell a story or a joke.
One year at our church’s Halloween alternative party, a little boy dressed up as a mummy—but with a nametag that said, “Lazarus”! Get it? Here’s a few more Bible costumes with a twist:
- Lot’s wife. Dress in all white, paint your face white and carry a salt shaker.
- An Egyptian during the Plagues. Dress like Cleopatra, then attach plastic frogs or bugs to your outfit!
You don’t have to be a seamstress to make a great costume. Go to the thrift store, look through your closets and hit up the after-Halloween sales to get some fun pieces for next year. Parenting Magazine and Family Fun Magazine always have great no sew costumes.
Here are some of my favorites:
Corn on the Cob
Spa Princess Costume
Scuba Diver
Blackbeard Costume
Good Egg
Halloween costumes are more than just something to wear to get candy—if you put in a little time, it can be a memory! I remember going to the fabric store with my mom, looking through the big books, then picking out the fabric, standing still for my her to measure me. I loved the excitement when the costume first started coming together. No one ever had a costume like mine!
What I really like is that something as trivial as a costume could become a special family memory—a tradition even! I think it’s important to not just go through the motions of life, but to make every moment count. It’s the small traditions, the dedicated family times and little memories that give your family a firm foundation for the future. When a parent celebrates the little things of a child’s life, that child will to turn to their parents when the big things come!
So, this year, take some time, have a conversation with your child and make a memory when you dress up for Halloween!
by Amanda
from Oh Amanda
Adventures In Babywearing says
These are so funny! Good job, Amanda!
Steph
My Quotidian Mysteries says
What a fantastic post! I’ve been debating doing a costume for Lil’ Bug this year (not much trick-or-treating in the Persian Gulf, this year, I’ll tell ya), but this definitely inspired me.
Hope to read more from Oh Amanda. She’s the bees knees!
FeeFiFoto says
Great post! Isn’t half the fun of dressing up planning your costume? Your post reminded me of some favorite costume concepts; I linked to this post on my blog: http://feefifoto.typepad.com/feefifoto/2007/10/amanda-todays-p.html
Kristen says
Very creative ideas there!
Jennifer, Snapshot says
What great ideas! My daughter and I like coming up with costumes for her as well. This year she wants to be a penguin. Hmmmm. She has black leggings and a black long sleeved T-shirt, so I’ll probably try to find a long black stretch skirt to make her more waddle-ly and put a big white oval on her chest, and then make some sort of stocking cap for her head with a beak on it, I guess.
annie says
Cute ideas!
Stephanie says
The chef costume idea is so simple and cute – I love your idea for props too (colander and wooden spoon)!