Let’s face it: You’ve probably gotten your kids costumes weeks ago, in time for all the pre-Halloween Halloween parties. Now the big day is here, and you have nothing to wear to greet trick-or-treaters at the door. Here are a few ideas, all cheap and easy.
- Transform a white bedsheet into a ghost or (if you don’t want to cut eyeholes) a toga. Toga accouterments: Crown your head with a circle of houseplant for a real “Julius Caesar” look. (Bay leaves glued to a hairband will work, too.)
- Cut a few yards of raffia from a craft store into six-inch lengths, and use packing tape to secure them half underneath the cuffs and collar of an old flannel shirt. Put a bandanna around your neck and voila! You’re a scarecrow. If you own a lipstick you can paint red circles on your cheeks. Bonus points if you can get your partner to wear a blue gingham dress and red shoes.
- Out-of-place sports equipment is always good: snorkel mask and flippers, or ski mask and boots.
- Basic black and a couple of construction-paper triangle ears make a good cat. (Staple a long black sock to the back of your waistband for a tail, or tell people you’re a Manx.)
- Cut leg and arm holes into one of those orange leaf-collection bags that have pumpkin faces printed on them. Stuff with newspaper and secure (loosely) around your neck with yarn. (Don’t try this one for a kids’ costume.)
- A fat indelible marker and a white t-shirt can be almost anything: a lab coat (draw lapels and a pocket), a cell phone (buttons and a screen), a road map–you name it.
- Write a to-do list (“Fold laundry,” “Pick up groceries,” etc.) on a large piece of paper, and tape it to your chest. You’re the queer agenda.
Don’t let the kids have all the fun (and make sure to save a few pieces of candy for yourself, too).