Monday, October 21, 2024

The Reds Dress Up for Halloween



HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Do you love to dress in costume? For Halloween, I mean. When I was little, ALL I wanted to be was a princess–and Mom made me a magical outfit. She took an opalescent pink plastic shower curtain and wove a pink ribbon through the holes, and then tied it around my neck for my beautiful cape. (Whoa, thinking about that now, would we tie something around a kid's neck? Whatever, I lived to tell the tale.) But I loved it. Then she got a piece of silver poster board, and twisted it into a cone, and stapled it for a pointy hat, then put a pink floaty scarf through the top, and then elastic under my chin for my BEAUTIFUL princess hat. Oh, I LOVED it, and I swanned around in for DAYS. Until the whole thing fell apart.

No photos of it exist, sadly. 

In college, we had to dress up as a popular song, so I dyed a white sheet black (a MESS, truly, do NOT do this) and then put it on like a ghost sheet, and went as the 45 record “She’s Not There.” (It was subtle, I admit.)

And listen to this.  Once a boyfriend and I rigged up an unbelievably elaborate rectangular wooden form, which we covered with a red and white checked table cloth. We used ropes to hang it over our shoulders. Then we got poster board, and made it into a cone big enough to fit both of our heads through the hole. Then I made spaghetti, and tried to glue it to the poster board cone. (You have to imagine trying to glue spaghetti, MASSIVE fail, so I ended up sewing it to the cone.) Then we got two brown paper bags, and covered them with glued-on cotton balls,and sprayed all the cotton balls a mixture of red and brown. Then we made eye holes in the cotton-ball covered bags. Then we got into the cone of spaghetti, slung the ropes over our shoulders, then put the cotton ball bags over our heads, tied them around our necks (theme!) and we were a plate of spaghetti and meatballs on a table.

It was AWESOME.

Someday I will tell you about the moment that we realized we had to drive ourselves, AND that contraption, to the party.

The next year-- in 1984!-- I was a tea bag. See? Yes, that's me as Constant Comment. (It took me SO long to create and fill in that tag!)




 I tore brown tights and a brown leotard. Then I tore up brown paper shopping bags into tiny pieces. Put them into a clear dry cleaning bag, and made a pouch. Then I stepped inside tied it around my neck (theme!) with the tag on a string. And the other person was dressed as Hunter S. Thompson, who I met that night–a true meet-cute--and we clicked because I was the only person who knew who he was supposed to be. (We dated for a year, then he left town to follow a traveling circus and shoot a documentary.) 

And Jonathan and I made a pretty satisfying Bellatrix Lestrange and Dumbledore. (My wand is the stem from an artificial rose, I just cut off the flower.) Jonathan is wearing two of my necklaces, and that skirt and top are in my party wardrobe.  I just never wear them together like that.We bought Jonathan's hat, and his "robe" is just burlap with a  hole cut for the neck.




How about you, Reds and readers? What’s the best Halloween costume you’ve ever worn? Or have ever seen?

JENN MCKINLAY: I think the best one I’ve ever created/worn was when my college girlfriends and I made ourselves into Coors Light Cans with the logo “Reach for a Silver Bullet Tonight” on the back (it was soooo 1987). So ridiculous and fun!



Of course, the Hooligans LOVE Halloween and their costumes were always so much fun! From Batman and Robin to Death and the Crash Test Dummy. LOL. 

The best Halloween costume I’ve ever seen was online. A dad made his kids actual Transformer costumes where the kids could turn from the robot to the truck or car. It was amazing. Here’s the youtube: https://youtu.be/fndYxbykd8k

HANK: Jenn! Awesome!

RHYS BOWEN: I didn’t grow up with Halloween, although these days it is as big in UK as it is here. But when my kids were growing up I spent a lot of time making costumes. I remember Clare went once as a tree. One of them went as a dragon with a long tail that kept falling off. Then in the elementary school years when it’s important to conform there was the period of bought costumes. Princesses, Star Wars, witches etc. Then high school they became creative again. Clare once went as the character from Dragonslayer with a dragon on her shoulder. I’ll see if I can find a picture of it.



John and I attended several adult parties but always went as something easy to make. My favorite was John as the devil. Me as a fallen angel. We had to stop a group of teenagers in a dark area to ask for directions. A boy gave them then noticed John. “You have horns!” he said in a horrified voice. “Yes, I’m the devil,” John replied as we drove off.




DEBORAH CROMBIE: Oh, wail!! I'm such a fail on Halloween costumes!! I've NEVER had a really good one. Although my mom could sew, she ranked a big zero on the costume creative front (bless her) so mine were always store-bought. And as I can't sew, and as my mom apparently passed on that big fat ZERO to me, I've never made anything remarkable. The best one I can think of is one year I was a gypsy fortune teller, complete with 8-ball, but alas no pics.

Maybe I need to add "Wear a really good Halloween costume" to my bucket list…

LUCY BURDETTE: I love those pictures! Especially the one of Rhys and John as Devil and Angel! I have not dressed up lately, though I can assure you there are plenty of opportunities in Key West. My very favorite costume was one I made in graduate school, where I went to a party as Wonder Woman. 



Honestly, we had much more fun than we had any business having while getting our PhD’s! As you can see, this choice was more about what would look cute than how clever I could be. I think this must have been 1982. I still have the costume up in the attic waiting for granddaughter Thea I suppose. Maybe I should pack it up and send it to her just in case she knows who WW is…

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I never had a store-bought costume as a child, and so, even though I wasn’t as ambitious as my mother, I did sew several and pulled together others with a little help from Goodwill. My kids were, variously, a witch, a leopard, Old King Cole, a glamour witch, Batman, a princess, a princess fairy… two daughters, lots of sparkles and tulle.

As an adult, I had a few banger costumes, starting with going to the Midnight Hallowe’en screening of Rocky Horror Picture Show as a very authentic Magenta. I had an amazing night in London dressed as a Gay Nineties Chorus Girl (my friends and I went to a fancy dress rental place for our costumes that year, as none of us had brought any in our junior-year-abroad luggage.) For a New Year’s Eve party with a theme of “Come as an important news event,” I was infant Prince William, in adult-sized footsie pajamas with a British flag pinned to the rear flap.

And my favorite, the year I sewed matching Robin Hood and Maid Marion outfits for me and Ross. We won a prize!



HALLIE EPHRON: We made our own costumes growing up and I’ve always been lousy at it. My kids, whom we tortured by not letting them buy store-bought costumes, are aces now at Halloween costumes.

And now my grandkids benefit. With a little makeup and clothing on hand, last year Frances dressed up as a slightly broken, thoroughly creepy doll.




HANK: Hallie, that is SO truly creepy and fabulous!  How about you, Reddies? What's your best costume, or even the best one you've ever seen?







82 comments:

  1. Best costume I've ever seen? A child dressed up as a Crayola crayon . . . .

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  2. Gearing up here for what will probably be the last of our many biennial Halloween parties. (I've been decorating already for three weeks!) While I was putting together a slide show of past parties I marvelled at some of the creative costumes, and was kicking myself at not getting pictures of some truly epic ones. Like our petite, blonde friend Judy, whose identity it took two HOURS to figure out. She manages the nail department of a local salon, and she had the girls do her makeup to create a grumpy old man. She had bushy grey hair and a walrus mustache, and in her husband's ratty clothes, she shuffled around just as a man would. I hadn't started giving awards yet back then, but she would have won best costume, hands down.

    Steve very patiently indulges my couples costumes. But before we met I once went as Charlie Chaplin. Complete with porkpie hat and swinging cane.

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    1. 3 weeks of decorating--wow! we must see pix of your house!

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    2. One year I went as a short, round, European gentleman in a beret, pillow stuffed belly, and vest. SO fun!

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    3. Lucy, when it's done? Happy to share.

      Edith, that does sound like fun. Some people didn't recognize me with my hair under my hat and a mustache, although that wasn't my goal.

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    4. People ar so creative! And yes, Karen, we need pictures!

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  3. I love costumes and making them. When Allan was three, he wanted to be a red-winged blackbird. Done! John David went as Aladdin one year, complete with little fake-leather shoe covers that curled up at the toes. For several years my bestie and I (same size) dressed up identically, with black wigs and face paint or masks and tried to make friends at parties guess which was who.

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    1. Another favorite costume as an adult is to go as a tart. I have been described as a "crunchy-granola" type, so when I don the black wig, apply red lipstick and eye makeup, and pair all that with a tight white jacket showing cleavage, a short tight black skirt, fishnet stockings, red heels, and a cigarette (unlit), I have stymied many a party guest.

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    2. Playing against type (or perception thereto)! Like the year I dressed as an angel to Steve's devil. LOL

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    3. Awwww...a red-winged blackbird--so adorable!

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  4. The best costume I wore as a child was the Flying Nun. My mother made it with cardboard and dish towels. It was a windy night trick or treating and I swear I lifted a few inches off the ground.
    I got the costume making gene from Mom and made a lot of great ones for my kids. They won the group prize the only two years we did the Jaycees 4th of July parade. The first year the oldest was 7 and he was a wounded Minuteman (overalls and a bloody bandage wrapped around his head) and he pulled 3 year old Betsy Ross sewing the flag (giant cardboard needle and yarn with flag)and infant Uncle Sam (cute baby outfit he had with red and white striped pants, white shirt and red vest and a paper hat) in a wagon. The second time they re-wore their Halloween costumes of Uncle Sam, the Statue of Liberty, and an army guy in camouflage.
    Sadly, I parted with all the costumes in the great moving purge of 2024.

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  5. I am sure I had some Halloween costumes when I was a kid, it's my birthday, but the costume I loved best was one my aunt sewed for my two cousins and me for Purim (a very festive Jewish holiday.) She made chiffon dresses for each of us in different colors, mine was peach, and dainty cardboard crowns so we could each go as Queen Esther.
    In my twenties, I sewed a pink satin witch costume with a witch's hat covered in that fabric with silver moon and stars on it. It was ideal to wear to school ( I was a teacher). My best high school friend, Nicki (also a teacher) borrowed it and we used to trade it back and forth. It was flowing and fit over other clothes.
    The year I was in Israel at an Ulpan, I had a flowing silk shirt, a black velvet vest and a full length skirt and went as Snow White. Very fetching.
    I also threw Halloween parties for years and had great costumes including a Susie Wong style Chinese silk dress, a flapper dress, and the year I went in whiskers as Gabby Hayes.
    I sewed costumes for little Jonathan, too. Most notably a mountain lion out of fleece with a super headpiece and shoecover claws.
    It's been years since I dressed up. Now, I put on a dress and go out for dinner.

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    1. A dress?
      I no longer own one.
      Could we go out to dinner anyway or is that a deal breaker?

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    2. Ann, just a quick thought on balance maintained in the universe. I now own more dresses (a dozen!) than at anytime in my adult life. Never comfortable in shorts, a move to FL prompted “beach walking” dresses….Sending warm thought to your corner of northern NY. Elisabeth

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    3. Each costume is so of a time in our lives, aren't they?

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    4. Ann, I would be thrilled to dine with you at any time, in any garb. Life is short. Seize the day!

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  6. My late mom made all my Halloween costumes.
    My favourite one was as Tinkerbell. I still remember those cute blue wings.
    Alas, i have no photos.

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    1. I'd love to have seen you as TInkerbell, Grace! (Wait, I just looked up ho to spell Tinkerbell (I thought is was Tinkerbelle) and turns out it's Tinker Bell. Like--her last name is Bell. Is that how you all think of it?

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  7. Best costume we ever had was the year we dressed as the bride and groom from Beetlejuice. We went to a local radio station's Halloween party on the Intrepid. We came in second place. Lost out to a guy dressed as roadkill :(

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  8. I can't remember what my best costume was as a kid. I know one year my mom painted up a good-sized box as a Rubik's cube. Another year, she painted up two boxes and my sister and I went as a pair of dice. (No pics)

    We had store bought costumes as well but I can't remember them. I think one year I had a Batman one.

    I joke that nowadays I dress up every year as a nice guy who gives away free crap at his door. And I'm doing it again this year since I'll be giving out candy, comics and prizes for good costumes.

    Since I've been to a number of comic conventions over the years, I've seen some incredible costumes. But it would be hard to compare those works of art to Halloween costumes.

    But I've seen some good costumes at my door over the year. One girl came in a wagon that was done up as a Cabbage Patch Kid...packaging included. I've had The Ninth Doctor stop by for some candy, and I had one girl come in her wheelchair that was done up as the car used on the Hawaii Five-0 car from the more recent series. There are others but those are the ones that come to mind off the top of my head.

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    1. I love how creative people are--and the Rubik's Cube is so genius!

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  9. Favorite Halloween costume: Smokey the Bear…1954, my mother made it for me modifying a “feetie” pj pattern with clawed toes and clawed gloves and my very first full face mask. And there I was, truly delighted with my costume and wanting to show it off to the WORLD! And, the “last” polio epidemic (just as Jonas Salk’s vaccine was being widely tested) plus 80 degree weather in Connecticut cancelled school and Halloween. :( Elisabeth

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    1. Aww..poor little bear! I hope you still wore it around the house..

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    2. Oh, yes, Hank! Elisabeth

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  10. Don't really like Halloween, but in my younger days there were costume parties with friends. Most unique, and possibly slightly offensive, costume I ever saw was a woman dressed in tights and a large, clear plastic bag filled with white crumpled papers, tied at her neck. She went as "white trash." Gotta love the originality, but I question the wisdom of dressing as that in the South. -- Victoria

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  11. I can tell, today's going to be one of those days on the blog when I wish you could post pictures in comments. These all sound so fantastic and make me feel so colossally inept. I am remembering the year Jerry went to a Halloween party dressed as a pencil - he wore an orange bathing cap. It was scary actually -- Eraserhead was what friends guessed.

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    1. Uhhhhh, just a bathing cap?
      Wondering where he wore it!

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    2. Ann! Teehee. Jerry would have been such fun at Halloween.

      Years ago I saw a guy dressed in all white, with a cotton ball hat and big cotton ball puffs on his feet: a Q-tip. And a woman dressed in a body stocking with a big clear plastic bag over it with colored balloons stuffed inside: a bag of jelly beans.

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    3. That sounds so bizarrely funny, Hallie! And didn't you both once come as...jailbirds, or something?

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  12. My mother was also an expert seamstress and could make any type of costume. And some were extremely difficult to pull off. When my brother and I were around 3 and 4 ish (mid 1950's) my mom made Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy costumes complete with red yarn wigs she made, sailor hat, apron, dress, and dyed red and white stripped stockings. Everything was all hand made in those days - no store bought anything for costumes.

    Forward to 1976 and her 6 year old granddaughter (my daughter) she made a beautiful pink fairy princess dress and wand for her. Then she had a big sign she wore that said "Toothless Fairy" and when she smiled she had a BIG toothless smile.

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  13. Living out in the country, we never had trick or treaters, nor did I get to go trick or treating. But when I was about 16 or 17, I created a costume for our 4H Halloween party. I wore a black dress I had, did my makeup to look like Alice Cooper, sprayed green paint (the kind that washes out) in my hair and went as Miss Transylvania 1975 (or whatever year it was). I was shooting for the Most Scary Costume award but won the Funniest Costume one instead. *sigh*

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    1. And here you have it---it's all about perception. xoxooo

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    2. I love the creativity! My final year trick or treating, I wore a kimono borrowed from my Aunt Yoko -- thinking back, I'm amazed that she said yes. In the '70's I wore my belly dance costume to a disco Halloween contest, and danced with Darth Vader. As kids we made our own costumes out of whatever we found appealing. I used that as part of my Black Bubble Gum story (inspired by a Steinbeck story). -- Storyteller Mary
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DvvltvnfFo&list=OLAK5uy_nv8Ttgxj7vi4gDR4kwjZRlNOaiaBwWxEY&index=11

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  14. What fun you all are! My twin and her husband won a prize when they went as "The Anti-Coffee People" to the Boo Ball that KBOO radio used to hold each year. I don't remember all the details of the costume, but Coffee People was a popular local coffee chain and they were protesting against coffee.

    When we were kids, my little sister loved the TV show The Flying Nun with Sally Field--so I made Kit a flying nun costume out of old sheets and some cardboard. It actually turned out pretty well.

    My son's most memorable costume was 2nd grade. We scoured thrift shops so he could be Miss Scarlet with the candlestick--red dress, black wig, black pumps, a candlestick. The dog used to grab the wig out of the closet and shake it like prey. Fun times.

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  15. Those are all great costumes! I think the best costume in my family was my son's when he was in grade school. He and his dad bought this all black head-to-toe body suit, and had no plans for it. I turned it into Peter Pan's shadow and it turned out amazing! That was the year I peaked for Halloween. Now I have to rely on full sized candy bars for popularity...

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  16. I love Hallie's granddaughter's "Dolly" character; the makeup was spot on perfect. And creepy! All of the costume photos were wonderful to see as a glimpse back to another time when all of us were much younger...sigh...and a Halloween party was always on the agenda. I must say the teabag costume brought a chuckle. I thought the "constant comment" brand and logo was very profound considering that later on in life Hank's second career did indeed revolve around many comments in the form of mystery/crime novels. :) My favorite Halloween costume when I was trick or treating in my younger years was that of a devil. It was quite an impressive get-up consisting of a one-piece fuchsia red pantsuit with matching fuchsia cape lined in metallic silver. The headgear was a pair of fuchsia horns. I was lucky that my Halloween costumes were custom made because my dance recital garb were always "recycled" for trick or treating on Halloween night. I'm dating myself here but back in the 50's there were no pre-made costumes available for dance recitals. The entire ensemble and accessories were always custom sewn from precut fabric based on body measurements by a seamstress who would then create each costume custom made just for me. My Mom's ability to sew never went beyond attaching a button to a piece of clothing so a neighbor who lived on our street always custom sewed my dance recital costumes. She was a remarkable dressmaker and woman who only accepted payment via homemade apple pies. ;)

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  17. Oh Hallie, that really takes me back. Until this moment, I would swear I never went through a Princess phase. After all, that would have been the 50s. But sure enough, I remember I too once wore a long skirt and a tall conical cap with a flowy chiffon (remember chiffon?) scarf at the point. There's a picture somewhere.

    My best costume as a putative grownup was Minnie Mouse. I made the ears (black cardboard discs tied on with a red ribbon & bow) and the skirt -- red and white polka dot fabric gathered at the waist, with a long black cord (with a bow on it) hanging down from the back. For the rest...black turtleneck, white dollar store gloves, crinoline, black tights and suitable shoes. So easy and effective. A little whiskery make-up, too.

    It still hangs in my guest room closet; I am ready to wear it again whenever the occasion arises.

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  18. Thanks for directing me to this from Reds and Readers

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    1. Isn't it amazIng? SUch cool costumes! And we love that you came from Reds and Readers!

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  19. I love the creativity! My final year trick or treating, I wore a kimono borrowed from my Aunt Yoko -- thinking back, I'm amazed that she said yes. In the '70's I wore my belly dance costume to a disco Halloween contest, and danced with Darth Vader. As kids we made our own costumes out of whatever we found appealing. I used that as part of my Black Bubble Gum story (inspired by a Steinbeck story). -- Storyteller Mary
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DvvltvnfFo&list=OLAK5uy_nv8Ttgxj7vi4gDR4kwjZRlNOaiaBwWxEY&index=11

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    1. You were a belly dancer? Love that! I would never have the courage!

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  20. Hallie, love Frances's makeup!! So creative!! Everyone is so creative!!

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  21. Love this. Deborah, I have never met another person who cannot sew. Hubs bought me a sewing machine once - our first year together - because I wanted to learn to quilt. It's still in the box. Probably a candidate for Antiques Roadshow now if it ever makes it to our area. My mom was genius for costumes. She made them all- Olive Oyl, a leopard, a pirate, a pirate's wench. She did the costume and makeup for all. I'll just say it's a good thing I never had kids. They'd be traumatized by going as a ghost or nothing!

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  22. One year Frank and I went to a party with space as its theme. I put on a black pantsuit, trench coat, ID clip, and with my red hair I was Dana Scully. Frank wore green face paint, pointy ears, and turtleneck and slacks and was my alien. Those ears attracted all the women! I also slayed it one year as Lizzie Borden, complete with fake axe.

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  23. My birthday is the day before Halloween, so when I was a child, it seemed like MY holiday. My mother was not a good seamstress but nevertheless very creative, so she somehow managed some excellent costumes--at least, as far as my sister and I were concerned. I think my favorite of her costumes was Thumbelina for my sister: big green cloth leaves sewed together for the skirt and pink petals sewed in a circle for the bodice! One year I went to a Halloween party in a floor-length wide-skirted dress as a Martha Washington (why? no clue) with my hair powdered white. AT least, it was white until I forgot about it and bobbed for apples!

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    1. Oh, no, white powder in the apple barrel! Such a funny memory...

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  24. My best was a Robin Hood costume, one year in grade school. Fortunately no pictures survived. I'm enjoying the pictures y'all have posted!

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  25. I did not see this; only read about the medical school couple who attended a party dressed as following. The male wore army fatigues, dog tags and military cap with blue jeans and tennis shoes. The female wore a tee shirt and Denim jacket with army fatigue pants and combat boots. It took awhile to figure out they were upper and lower GI’s.

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    1. That is the FUNNIEST thing I have ever heard. Truly. Hilarious.

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    2. Hilarious!!

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  26. I've never been much for Halloween and I don't like dressing up. But one year, The Boy made himself a costume of a traffic cone out of cardboard - it was huge - and covered it in orange wrap. Then he'd hide himself inside it. During class changes, he set himself up in the middle of the hallway and students would have to go around him.

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  27. These are SO fun. Julia, you and Ross crushed it!!!

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  28. Costumes were never my forte, we always had to wear a coat over them, so my last two years to trick or treat, I decided to wear my mother’s old nursing cape and one of her old caps. White tennis and tights took care of the rest since with the cape wrapped around me, no uniform needed. My favorite costume was the year I was charged with running a company wide open house in our office. We had around 2500 guests by days end. I dressed as a ring master, complete with whip! Needed, but not used! And I came today by way of Refs and Readers

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    1. *Reds. I hate doing this on my phone, Marcia

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    2. SO wonderful to see you! And it sounds like you managed perfectly, (The ring master is extra priceless in that situation!)

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  29. Best one I’ve seen recently was a lady in a tall chef hat and apron, carrying on her shoulders a baby dressed in a (very adorable) fuzzy gray mouse costume. Get it? It took me a minute. Ratatouille!

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  30. Our son and Daughter-in-law went as Richard Simmons and Peg from Married with Children a few years ago. They were hilarious
    A friend dressed her family as Ruth Bader Ginsberg, with clever names including the dog - Ruth Bader Barkberg.
    I enjoy Halloween, but am not creative! (Heather S)

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  31. I also came over from Reds and Readers. I don’t remember much about my childhood costumes but I had a really great she devil costume as an adult and it was sexy too. No photos unfortunately.

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  32. Every single one of these is so creative! I haven't worn a costume in years, but I love seeing all the incredible outfits people can come up with. I wish I could have seen the princess costume!

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  33. I was a Gypsy Fortune teller and I had Tart cards to tell fortunes. I wore a long blank skirt velvet, pointed witch shoes, Black shirt a shawl and a bandana and a few necklaces and rings. Deborah

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