Costumes

Most of us like to hide our true selves at least once in a while, and any excuse to put on a costume is a favorite diversion. While it's true that my honey and I groan when someone says "masquerade party," that's mostly because we have to struggle to come up with an idea for a costume. Once the costume is selected or devised, we are as excited as two kids doing their first Halloween outing. I love Halloween dress-up. I can hardly wait to see what appears at my door.

One of my favorite Halloween get-ups was the year my granddaughter Bekah was around four. She spent part of the evening as her favorite fairy princess, courtesy of her doting paternal grandma. Then she returned home to done her knight in shining armor costume in order to finish her candy route. She felt perfectly comfortable in both, and how lucky she is to have parents who are willing to let her try out any role she pleases.

Another favorite is Bekah's younger sister Raenah as a very prim and proper Minnie Mouse. Her picture at the time says it all -- how special she felt in her special polka dot dress, hairbow, gloves, purse, and shoes -- a fashion maven in the making.

Then there is grandson Logan's first Halloween picture. He's just five months old, so he can't protest his furry skunk costume. He sits in his father's lap, a bewildered look on his face, his little pink curled-up feet peeking out from the black furry legs.

Sometimes, however, the very best costumes are the ones we make ourselves. Now that the economy stinks, maybe kids will go back to coming up with their own. How it challenges a budding imagination to have to figure out how to create an effect with cardboard, tin foil, and grandma's old pie pans. What fun to create a mask out of mom's old make-up. You can draw your face again and again until you get it right.

I know that computers challenge our kids, but I don't know if there is anything quite like making a costume out of nothing but what's lying around the house.