Happy Halloween

Although Hallowe'en has never been my favorite holiday, I always like the costumes that kids are dressed up in. I remember when we were kids very few people bought ready made costumes. Instead we'd rummage through closets looking for something that could make an improvised costume - sheets for ghosts, parts of Dad's army uniform, home made masks, etc. My favorite thing to be was a gypsy. All it took was one of Mum's skirts and a frilly blouse, a kerchief for our head, a shawl and whatever jewellery we could find...and of course red lipstick for our cheeks and mouths. I'm sure we were beautiful although there's no pictures in existence to prove my claim.

After an hour of prowling the neighbourhood we'd come home with our bag full of apples, candy kisses and gum. Wendy and I would dump our loot out, being careful to keep it separate from one another's stash, and would proceed to trade. I liked one kind of candy kiss and she liked another so the trading was even. It always bugged me though that her stash would last till Christmas while mine was gone in a week!

I had a hard time improvising costumes for my little kids so one year I made two clown costumes and one witch.

Amy, Jenny and Rob

The kids loved them. Those costumes lasted for years and were handed down from kid to kid until all seven wore at least one of them once or twice. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the grown-up kids still has one of the clowns stashed away someplace.

Jenny (the witch in the picture above) made a small clown costume seen here worn by her 4th son Micah.

I don't know who these characters represent. Jenn's husband Anders gets a kick out of dressing up and taking the boys out trick or treating.

Clowns don't seem to be as popular a costume choice now though. And costumes have become a lot more sophisticated in design and manufacture. Over the past few years our grandchildren have been:

ANIMALS

Max as a dinosaur

baby Max as a spider

Max as a teddy bear and Layla as a bunny (with Charlie as a sulky fairy princess)

Elly as an elephant

Aidan as a fearsome shark

and Baby Aidan as a timid lion with Charlie as a concerned kangaroo with a joey of her own.

They've also been HEROS, super and otherwise,

I don't know what superhero sydney was last year

Max was an astronaut

and Charlie was WonderWoman

Then, of course, there's the ever popular PRINCESS costume

all worn by Kenzie for the past three years. Any guesses as to what she's dressing up as this year?

I'll be sure to be taking pictures of them all though. Have fun kids.