Opting Out Of Halloween Tradition

1982 - The Thriller Year

When I was a teen, Halloween was easy. I found whatever scraps of cloth were available in my home, turned it into a costume, and danced the night away at the school dance.

As a mom, Halloween is fraught with stress and drama over what will the kids wear this year.

In the months preceding Halloween, I’ve been hearing lots of different costume plans from my kids. Starting November 1st, I remind them of the 2 month rule - no discussion of Halloween until September. Since September 1, I’ve heard at least 500 different costume ideas from my daughter. My son just alternated between 200 Pokemon characters.

Last month my daughter forced me to take her to the costume store where we spent hours inspecting every single costume and accessory. We walked out with a fake cigar and mustache. Kayla was set to be a “big shot” for Halloween. Panic set in last week when she realized that she didn’t have the rest of the costume, but a crisis was averted when she discovered a Whoopie Cushion costume online.

One child down, one more to go. Alex was certain that he had seen the perfect costume on PokemonCentral.com, but when we went online we discovered that this was a toddler sized costume. We weren’t worried. With hundreds of Pokemon characters, how hard could it be to find one 8-year-old sized costume? Well, it isn’t easy. Sure, there is a Pikachu costume for $80 on Amazon.com - but who wants to spend a fortune on a Halloween costume?

We kept searching, but soon discovered that there wasn’t anything else. And then, Alex said the dreaded words, “Mommy, can you make me a Pokemon costume? Squirtle is really easy!”

Yeah, I’ve heard that before, and now that I’m an older, wiser mom I replied, “You know, Alex, that is an awesome Pikachu costume, well worth the price.”

Take a look at my Halloween Shop of Horrors and see if you don’t agree!

1996 - The scarecrow family with a little pumpkin.

1998 - The clown family with the costume I sewed (all through the previous night,) and Kayla hated! She sobbed when we forced her to wear this instrument of torture. We had to promptly, and permanently, retire this costume.

 

1999 - Cinderella and our newest little pumpkin. Kayla LOVED her WalMart costume, and I loved that Alex was warm in his. The Cinderella costume was loved to pieces through several years of dress up.

 

 

2000 - I took the easy way out and ordered matching Lion costumes. These were warm, adorable, and we got many years of use out of them. They were featured in a Columbia Lions Homecoming Game article and were invaluable in several plays.

 

2002 - The bat costumes were also a wise investment. Kayla’s cheap vampire dress has been a treasured item in various skits, and has been borrowed for several Halloweens. Alex’s beloved “Stellaluna” costume was worn two years in a row, and has been used for several theatrical productions.

2004 - This was the year of the doll. Kayla, and her doll Kit, wore matching Greek goddess costumes. Alex, with his much loved Spidey, wore this Spiderman costume 24/7 for at least a year.

 

The Pokemon Years - The year Kayla decided to be Ash, the Pokemon trainer, it was easy to find a costume. Her regular clothes, a vest from WalMart, and a borrowed cap were all that was needed. This was a welcome relief from the horror of the previous year when Kayla was a Kindergartner.

The 6-year Halloween veteran decided she wanted to be a Pokemon character, but she left it up to me to find the costume. I researched the many Pokemons, and decided that Squirtle would be easy to make. All I needed were green sweats, a green ski mask, and a turtle shell. Well, it wasn’t so easy to find the right color sweats, but I succeeded. The turtle shell was a complicated structure devised with cardboard, batting, green fabric, and a staple gun. It was tricky, but I figured out a way to attach the shell. I even dressed her little brother in a handmade Pikachu costume to complete the ensemble. I was so proud of my creativity in producing this unique costume.

 

Kayla was miserable in the costume. Somehow, I missed the important nuances of Squirtle’s appearance. According to Kayla and her new school buddies, the costume didn’t look anything like Squirtle.  Instead, she look like a very embarrassed turtle. Oh, the shame!

If you would like to receive free articles from On Living By Learning by email, click this link.