Monday, October 20, 2008

Encouraging Gore and Creativity

To say that Halloween is a pretty big deal around here is an understatement. We usually spend weeks planning our costumes and buying the best of treats for family parties and trick-or-treaters. Storage boxes are pulled and I deck the house with as much decor as most use for Christmas. Even my husband yields to my evil wishes and wears a costume with a bit of convincing.



Here we are, inspired by the "Exorcism of Emily Rose". What a lovely couple.

Anyway..... every year my kids rip through the catalogs and ads, picking again and again what costume looks the coolest. I fork out 40 bucks or so, per child, and I am done with it. But every year they wear their new costume to school and realize it stinks, or fits funny, and the plastic is sticky/itchy/gaggy. So they come home and change into an old, used, tried and true costume for Trick-or-Treating.

This year I gently persuaded them to stop the insanity. For 15 bucks (that's right folks, 15 bucks!) I will pay them to make their own costume. I, of course, will provide gory make-up and colored hairspray, but I want them to dig, plan, mix and match with all the joys of Halloween's past. They all agreed to this idea and got paid on Saturday (and spent, might I add, every penny). I also decided to only put up a small, select few of my decorations. Just a small NOD to Halloween, rather than a house wide salute.

Now I will just sit back and let them discover for themselves the joy of making a disguise worthy of candy by the pounds. That is what this holiday reminds me of the most. And I have to say, this has been a nice October so far.

23 comments:

Kristina P. said...

Ooooh. Can't wait to see pictures!

Unknown said...

Will somebody please remind me at the photo stop of our family party NOT to 'pose in character'? This is just too much.

Even with bloody burns and bruises I better just stand and smile, don't you think?

TJ said...

I love Halloween and find it gets out of control around our place too. Good for you for taking back October.

Just SO said...

My kids usually come up with ideas and I try to help them make those ideas come true.

Can't wait to see the costumes they come up with.

Jillene said...

OH!! I can't WAIT to see pictures of the costumes!!

I am HAPPY to call you my friend!! I wish I could have talked to you longer and more but NEXT time.

Erin said...

I like the bloody, gory awesome pose in that picture. And cool idea about having your kids make their own costume. It's going to be a fun year at your house!

XO Marie said...

The one question I have is..Did Mike get the demons out of you that night? OK..that was alittle naughty, but I just had too.
You are so cute , I can't stand it!
L , Marie

Calvin said...

That's the creepiest photo ever... Kristen won't even mention that movie. We're scaredy cats.

Jo said...

Very clever mama! I always provided assistance with costumes until age 12, after that, they are on their own. Your hair looks lovely in the photo. You should wear it down more often.

Whitney R said...

Oooo, I LOVE the picture. The posing makes it even better. Oh and I especially love your burnt cross.

I wish my mom went out as much as you on Halloween costumes!!!

*MARY* said...

You give out the best candy to the trick-or-treaters? I want to come to your neighborhood. The people around here give out tootsie rolls, dum dums, and after dinner mints they stole from a restaurant.

Shannon said...

ick. that pick always creeps me out.
With my house for sell, I have barely any decorations up. I'm itchin' to get it all up though. So I'm going to go decorate Rich's office at work.
I LOVE OCTOBER!

Jessica G. said...

Great idea! Wish my kids were old enough to get in on this one...with my luck Boo would opt to wear her dance outfit only to spend the whole evening freezing and complaining that her feet hurt. The Boy would just go naked.

Goob said...

I am always full of amazing costume ideas and no desire to follow through on them. I love your incentive to keep them doing it themselves, awesome!

Wendy said...

that is a really fun idea!! I'll bet they'll remember it always too! p.s. love your photo of you and your hubby.

Teresa Jordan said...

I'm making my kids recycle the costumes I spent a fortune on last Halloween. One year ago we were headed to Disneyland with our PIRATES costumes.
Love your Nightmare Before Christmas song. It's reminding me of the Haunted Mansion all decked out in Jack the Pumpkin King.
O.K., now I'm getting really bummed. Can I come to the Burton family party?

Cristina Fritzsche said...

Whoa, you guys are so way over the top on costumes I feel lame. Teague is a puppy, I am a bag of dog food with holes for my arms, Ryan is going to be a box of treats and Jack the dog will be a dog.

Unknown said...

I LOVE the pic, great costumes and great pose!! That burnt cross on you is AWESOME!!

Hey I often had to be creative, my Mom didn't shell out big bucks for costumes from a store. She made a bunch, but she WAS a seamstress. I was 80's rocker, cheerleader(Dad had a letter sweater), etc. Hey and I was warm most of the time, OH and when I was younger she had us wear our dance costumes...yeah sweatpants under a ballet/acrobatic costme....SCARY!

Wendyburd1 said...

Okay that one up there IS from me...stupid gmail account messed me up! How did Emily Rose end again? I know I hated An American Haunting because that "twist" grossed me out. TMI. TM bad I.

Unknown said...

After seeing this scary picture every time I click on my page, I feel I should put up the one of the year I was a "French Maid", just to balance my Halloween ugliness.

Wendyburd1 said...

So NOT ugly Ramona!! Scary cool!

Stephanie said...

LOVE the picture. Wish I had as much halloween spunk.

Shauna said...

How fun! Hope you have a very Happy Halloween :)