What are you going to be for Halloween? It’s an oft repeated refrain each fall. When they are young, children may stubbornly set their sights on a particular costume, making their parents scramble to purchase or create the necessary attire. But then, on occasion, the kid changes his or her mind before the big day (after the pieces have already been assembled, of course), triggering another round of costume roulette. As they get older and more capable (and opinionated), kids gradually take more ownership of their costume design and parents are relegated to a more supportive role (translation: provide the $$$ and clean up the mess) in what morphs into a creative group project.
Sometimes individual costumes are part of a theme: characters in a book or movie, singers in a band, famous couples, etc. Friends or families may coordinate or match. A few years ago, my oldest son’s family dressed up as the characters from The Wizard of Oz. I was assigned the part of the Wicked Witch of the West. A not-so-subtle subliminal message? My son was the tinman, silver face and all. Another year, my daughter and her husband were chefs, and their firstborn child was a lobster. They carried around a big stock pot. Creative or creepy?
There is one Halloween that stands out the most from my childhood. Even though we lived in Manhattan Beach, less than a mile from the ocean, my parents indulged my love for animals. I had quite the menagerie over the years. At one point, I had a Toggenburg goat residing in my backyard playhouse. For Halloween, I dressed up as “Mary had a little lamb” (goat in this case) and brought Spunky along when I went trick-or-treating. He got more carrots than I got candy!
School carnivals and haunted houses. Trunk-or-treat and neighborhood parties. Costumes and candy. Have fun and be safe.
