Last time in Hallowe'en costume??

[Tuckervill]

We started dressing up again about 10 years ago. It depends on if you have somewhere to go or not, I guess. One year we went as Madonna and Dennis Rodman. (My husband--we painted his hair red, his face black, and put a veil on him. I couldn't let him go in the liquor store that night looking like that.) The next year we were a baseball catcher (me) and a blind umpire. The next year we were pirates, because it was a pirate themed party, and I was playing in an all-girl pirate band. My husband went as Smee from Peter Pan.

I've made costumes for my kids for the last 20+ years. Some of the best were Three Musketeers, and storm troopers and Darth Vader (which I made with poster board and duct tape, and a few different elbow and knee pads). My youngest was Billy Joe Armstrong last year and that turned out pretty good, too. I've made lots of Power Rangers masks for one child (construction paper). I like making costumes.

Re: Baby Blues, reminds me of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEs2P_Ftasw

Karen

[SouthernBelle]

I haven't dressed up in years. The last time I did, I wore an old suit of my mother's: padded shoulders, pinched waist. Wore red lipstick and really colored in my eyebrows. Wore my hair up. & carried a wire coathanger.

[Crankin]

Aggie, my last neighborhood was like yours. We lived in a town that didn't have sidewalks (most towns here don't) so parents drove their kids to our development of 25 houses. Plus, we did have a lot of kids in the neighborhood. The second to last year, I gave out 11 bags of candy and ran out! Then, finally, there was a slight decrease, due only to the fact that some of the kids were now in high school and no longer went out.
It was crazy!

[OakLeaf]

Ha ha Robyn, where I lived with my first husband, country churches would BUS kids into our neighborhood! We'd turn the porch lights off after we'd given out 20 bags of candy - that was enough. The interesting thing was that it was a "working poor" sort of neighborhood. I suppose the more affluent neighborhoods, where people could better afford to give away $50 or $60 in candy, wouldn't have welcomed the church buses. It was always great fun seeing all the kids in their costumes.

Where we live now, the neighborhood does have a trick-or-treat night, but there aren't so many kids that I've ever felt like standing around in the cold at the end of the lane for two hours. I do kind of miss it.

[Brandi]

We do a huge haunted house every year! And this year is going to be bigger cause we are combining my birthday. I was away woring for it and just got back. Seemed natural to combine both. We did dress up last year cause my friends who do it with us both had the flu. And they have all the lights,sounds and smoke. We have all the props. It just wasn't the same without them!
Here we are from a couple years ago. We always have some theme. This year is just monster mash since we have a bunch of people coming over.

[Aggie_Ama]

I must say I enjoy the kiddos but we are a starter home community. When the cars they are driving are Escalades and Lexus I know which neighborhoods they came from. The houses in that one are 3-7 acre lots and 5x what mine is to start. They must be able to afford Halloween for hundreds of kids but we can't. So it will be the "crap" generic candy (DH's description) this year that is about $5 for a HUGE bag. Last year we had the Snickers, Laffy Taffy, Sweetarts but we spent $10 and were out in an hour. I miss Halloween of old when my mom lovingly sewed me a costume. Those days sure were fun.

I went as a ghost, a mouse, a rabbit (uhh it was the mouse costume), cave woman, homemade tutu and a ballerina.

[tulip]

I'm giving out acorns to any kids who complain about my candy! I have lots of acorns.

[gnat23]

Aw, man, I *love* Halloween. I historically start planning my costume around July/August.

[Aggie_Ama]

I'm giving out acorns to any kids who complain about my candy! I have lots of acorns.

You know my little Oak trees may only be 6' tall but the one that does produce acorns has a ton. Maybe I should collect them.

[sfa]

I love to dress up for Halloween! Last year my sisters and I and my DD all dressed in traditional witch costumes, although for work we had a Disney theme and I was one of the seven dwarves, so two costumes in one year.

This year I'm borrowing my sister's coffee fairy costume--she made a dress out of fabric with coffee cups and beans all over it, made wings out of the cardboard coffee boxes you see at meetings, glued coffee beans all over everything and brought in coffee for everyone at work.

We emigrate for trick or treating--we go to my sister's neighborhood, which is MUCH more friendly for trick or treating (although our neighborhood could be the set for every horror movie ever made--there's a funeral home at one end of the street and a mental hospital at the other end). My kids are the only elementary age kids on our street so the place is dead (ha-ha! Pun not intended.) on Halloween. My sister's neighborhood has lots of kids and impromptu block parties for Halloween. We do, however, contribute our own candy to pass out. I wouldn't want to be a complete freeloader.

Sarah

[sfa]

Gnat, that costume is fabulous! How did you get the box to stay up?

[gnat23]

Gnat, that costume is fabulous! How did you get the box to stay up?

Hee, thanks! Take a close look at my shoulders and you'll see the halter strap, which connects to the bottom back of the box. (Or see more easily in the construction photo)

-- gnat! (this took 1st place in work's costume contest!)

[chicago]

oh gosh, probably 10yrs ago for work party...

prior to that, probably 10yrs... which makes 1 time since the age of 25 I'm really not into Halloween though...

[Aggie_Ama]

I didn't mean to sound like a total whiner about the kids who drive in, I was more sad that I ran out of candy last year. But I will buy cheap since the whole town seems to descend on our little neighborhood. I just priced it at the grocery store, $6 for 3 lbs. I wonder how it will be this year since it is a Friday in the middle of football season? At least I like hard candy (the cheap stuff) or can bring it to the work candy dish.

I am actually kind of excited about my work dress up. My Nanny's assisted living is having a big to do and she will be a witch. I wonder when the last time my 77 year old Nanny dressed up for Halloween was? I hope someone takes a photo of her in the costume, should be pretty funny knowing how uptight she was before the alzheimers started to creep in. Now she participates in all the parties.

[crazycanuck]

I'm really really annoyed that Halloween has become a bit more accepted down here. It's just another AMERICAN thing that we have to put up with.

URHG.