Costume Connundrum
Categories: Toddlers, Fun & activities, Kid decor & style
I'm a procrastinator. Most writers are -- that's why you always hear us going on about deadlines. It's no different when it comes to Halloween. My intentions are good. I have creative ideas, but no follow through. Last year, Nate was 9-months-old and my husband wanted him to be a hot dog. Homemade costumes are a tradition in his family, but I was sleep deprived and by 4 pm on Halloween I was in the department store buying a ready-made Disney outfit. He would have been cute in a paper bag if you ask me. He was too small to voice an opinion on what he wanted to be, anyway. Halloween, until age three, is pretty much about the photo op.
In January, on date night, my husband and I saw King Kong. "Wouldn't it be great if Nate was King Kong for Halloween this year?" asked my husband.
"Yes," I replied excitedly, "And you can be the Empire State Building! It will be the coolest costume ever! It's January, so we have plenty of time to make the costume this year."
For months we've been chanting, "Baby Kong! Baby Kong!" You'd think we'd have done it already. But here I am, on the day of Halloween, scrambling to put together a costume. Thankfully Nate has a Superman tee-shirt with a cape attached that he wears all the time. I may have to use it as a backup. I'll show you the results tomorrow.
What about you? Do you prefer homemade costumes or is it just easier to go out and buy one?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Maddy 10-31-2006 @ 1:20PM
I always had homemade costumes growing up. And I was always a fairy princess. ALWAYS. Growing up I don't think I knew you could buy a costume.
Now I have a two-month-old and it absolutely did not occur to me to dress her up until I got an email this morning from a relative asking for a pic of her in her costume! Oh no! And we have a Halloween party tonight!
So I dug through baby's hand-me-downs from friends and found a sailor dress and navy blue tights. I think I have a sailor hat that goes with one of my old dolls so I am about to go into the attic to dig it out. Apparently baby will be Sailor Girl.
So it seems I am to be not only a last-minute mom in the costume category, but also more of the homemade costume variety.
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ann adams 10-31-2006 @ 3:37PM
I think I said this before but that's okay.
For several years I've been grabbing assorted dressup stuff throughout the year from the thrift stores and shoving it all in a huge bag. They play with them throughout the year and about a week before H'ween start assembling and reassembling their costumes. I fill in with whatever is still needed. This year I went to the .99ยข store and added 3 headbands complete with pigtails (different colors of course), one purple witch hat, and two vampire capes. No masks, they do face paint.
I'm an oddball who thinks it's about the kids, not me. If they're happy with their creations and they're within the bounds of decency, I'm thrilled.
Rebecca is a purple witch, Rochelle a grotesque vampire, and Elcie is still making up her mind. Elcie is also the one who told me at 7:00 a.m. that she was supposed to bring one ingredient for nachos - today. I managed to find one lonesome can of refried beans buried in my pantry. Why oh why do they do that to me?
She'll have a couple of hours after school for her final costume decision. Otherwise she goes as her sweet self.
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Uly 10-31-2006 @ 7:16PM
I theoretically prefer home-made costumes. In practice, I prefer home-scrounged costumes, though I like to have some time to get the scrounging done.
Today I find myself with no costume but badly put-together wings - and no help from the parents, either. My niece went out in two articles of my sister's clothing (from her flamenco and burmese dance classes, so they were nice and shiny), an overly-elaborate hairdo, a wand, a paper plate mask still dripping with glue, and these incredbly heavy wings made from hangers. Called her the Pumpkin Princess, insisted she hide her face whenever seen, and was stunned to see that this was apparently the best outfit anybody had ever thought up, because random kids ran up to tell us that.
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