So my Mom had (has?) this thing... she's not a huge fan of Halloween. Because she doesn't really like it, she vowed to never let her kids buy store bought costumes. She wasn't so extreme as to not let us participate, however, so we still got to dress up for Halloween. The difference was, all of our costumes had to be homemade, so while everyone else came in elaborate (and storebought) costumes, we went in the costumes my mother's creativity dreamed up.
Now, my mom is actually really creative and came up with some awesome costume ideas. I wish I had pictures of all of them, but I don't, so you'll have to take a trip down memory lane with me using your imagination.
Most of my costumes were wins- some were fails, and some that were wins resulted in fails. Without further introduction...
Costume #1- A Nun
Yes, I dressed up as a nun for Halloween one year. Complete with a habit, a rosary, and my hands folded in prayer. Part of me remembers me not wanting to go as a nun for Halloween. This costume, however, turned out to be HUGE hit- everyone got a kick out of it seeing as I was at a Catholic School at the time. That was a good year.
Costume #2- A Black Cat
Now, you might be thinking, "Great, a black cat; a traditional Halloween costume." What you're not remember, though, is that all my costumes had to be homemade. What is black, a house staple, and something that can be easily shaped into a cat costume? Well a bunch of black trash bags naturally!
Yes, that year I was a black cat. I, however, affectionately call in the year I went to school dressed in trash bags. I do remember kids asking, "Um, why are you wearing trash bags all over?" Clearly, they nor I shared my mother's creativity. This costume was a fail.
Costume #3- A Headless Man
I wish I could have found a picture of this costume because it was totally baller. My mom fashioned one of my Dad's work shirts with stuffing and gloves at the end of the hands. This shirt was then put around a piece of poster board that slipped over my head. It was truly a work of art, and actually really looked like a headless dude. There was only one problem. I could barely see out of the costume. I had a tiny little peephole through one of the shirt's buttons and a small hole we had cut out of the poster board.
Each Halloween, our school had a little costume parade where we would get on the stage with the rest of our grade to show off our Halloween costumes. We would stand on the stage for a few moments allowing everyone to look and then march off, allowing the next grade to come on. Well my lack of peripheral vision proved to be a huge problem in this little parade. I made it on stage okay, stood for awhile... and then a long while. I was wondering why on earth we were standing for so long! It wasn't until someone in my class marched back on stage, pulled my (fake) arm and whispered "Sarah, c'mon, we're finished!"
That's right, folks, I had been left standing on the stage by myself. I couldn't see around me, so I had no clue. Unfortunately, I was old enough to feel mortified, and at that particular moment, I was pretty thankful my head was covered so that no one would see the embarrassment written all over my face.
This year was a win that turned into a fail. The costume was clever and I got a lot of compliments when I went trick-or-treating that night, but I will never forget being left on my stage by myself. At least it makes for a good story now :-)
Costume #4- A Nurse
I was a nurse long ago for Halloween. This was loooooong before I wanted to be a nurse. My Grandma was a nurse, and I think my mom took inspiration from her. Recently on Facebook I saw someone dressed up as a nurse for Halloween... I couldn't figure out why on earth they were wearing scrubs to the zoo, until I realized it was their costume... It was a little weird seeing someone dressed in a Halloween costume that reflects your career and your day-to-day reality.
Out of all the above costumes, I'm glad the nurse turned into reality. God forbid I ever become a black cat... or a headless man for that matter!!
What are some memorable costumes from your childhood? Did any of them go terribly wrong? Or terribly right?
