Creative Costumes and Creepy Creatures

It’s no secret that I really like Halloween. No, I’m not particularly interested in being scared but I love the imagination involved in Halloween. It is different from most other holidays, which have traditions to follow. Halloween you can interpret in whichever way you want, and I love the creative possibilities. Remembering the Halloween parades we did at school when I was a kid makes me happy. The costumes were all so different and the surprise of seeing how everyone else was dressed made for such fun.

When I was a kid, my sister and I started plotting about costumes months (maybe seasons!) before the big day. I still remember many of the costumes we had, some of which we made at home. One year, I decided I would be a box of Cracker Jack popcorn. Mom found a box somewhere and I covered it with paper, then painted the outside to match the Cracker Jack box. I remember sitting on the floor of the laundry room, painting the box as I studied an actual Cracker Jack box. Naturally, I had to sample the product (such sacrifices for my art!), as I needed to be sure that what I was endorsing was as delish as it claimed to be. Yes, the popcorn passed the taste test! Here I am (aged 9 or 10):

We’ve been making decorations, too. Out front we have two dozen ghosts and jack-o-lanterns, as well as a few bats.

 

And maybe I’ve ignored boring household chores to make a few seasonal barrettes…

 

 

This morning I took this photo of a web dotted with tiny drops of dew. Pretty, I thought. Although I don’t like to think of the 8-legged artist who created it. The big spiders have come out in the last few weeks. They are volunteer Halloween decorators. Sure, I appreciate their effort but they are BIG! And SCARY! (I like my Halloween to be funny rather than scary and spidery…)

 

Halloween is fifteen days away. I’ve been working on my costume and I’m excited to show it to you. But you’ll have to be patient until Oct. 31. No hints. You’ll just have to wait. (Although if you were determined to get a hint out of me, I can be bought with milk chocolate…!)