Spooky Season

Are you a fan of Halloween? I always HAVE been. I dont know..there's just something fun and whimsical about the whole thing and, as a little kid, I loved dressing up and trick or treating with my friends. It wasn't about the candy! For me, it was about the costume and walking through the streets when the night was dark and spooky, seeing how others had transformed themselves, and gathering adult reactions to what we were wearing.

Later, when I had kids of my own, I loved going through catalogues and finding just the perfect costume for my little ones. I can't remember HOW many times my daughter was a witch! Several. Orange taffeta with black lace, lace-up black boots and velvet and satin pointy hats. Yes, um, I went overboard. Always. My son liked doing the whole BOY thing. He was a vampire with a cape and fake blood dripping from his mouth. He was a ninja, too. The cutest costume he ever had was a black spider. It was a 'cute' black spider though. At the time he was about four and I'll never forget that one. It was a suit with a colorful padded belly. Many 'spider legs' were attached and when he held out his arms those legs spread out. The outfit came with a black top hat that featured a big orange and yellow band. So cute. I later sent the costume across country to my sister in Florida and her two boys used the costume.


I honestly felt a little guilty getting very pricey costumes. BAAAAD Regina! But I worked out a way to deal with the guilt by finding other 'like minded' moms. We began with trade costumes every year. This way the child had something new and fun but it didn't cost mom the moon and the stars to do it! We began a nice little sharing network with this stuff. In October, the calls would start...what do you have this year? A funny spider? A witch? Perfect.

I know there are lots of cute 'make em yourself' costume ideas but I never leaned toward the crafty. I envy those who can whip up something fantastic with a little bit of felt and a huge imagination! What are some of the best costume ideas you've come up with? Do you make them up at home or do you whip out the credit card?