The first year, we were naïve.
My eight-year-old came to me and announced proudly that he wanted to be a stop light for Halloween.
So creative, I thought, let’s make this happen.
We cut and stapled pieces of a large cardboard box into a stop light shape. We attached colored paper circles in the lower sections for the yellow and green lights. Then we carved a face-sized hole in the top section and covered it with a clear red plastic plate so he could see through the red “light” to move around.
He looked great. Hands down one of the most unique costumes on the street that year.
But there was one problem: the box was too long, so his legs could only move so far. He could walk with short steps but couldn’t move quickly at all.
His friends tried to hang back with him, but soon the lure of candy was too much, and they took off. He quickly ditched the stop light and ran off with them, in his regular clothes with no costume.
The stop light costume stood out but didn’t work for him.
The next year, we had amnesia.
He came to us and said he wanted to be a washing machine. And for some reason, we consented.
We helped him create it with – you guessed it – a large cardboard box that he wore around his torso. His head stuck out the top and his arms stuck out the sides. We labeled it a Maytag. Painted it metallic gray to look like stainless steel. Put knobs on top. Even made it a front loader with a functional flap door so you could put candy straight into the “washer.”
He looked fantastic. Got rave reviews for creativity.
But even though the costume was shorter and he was taller, he still couldn’t run well in it.
So again, he struggled to keep up with his friends and ditched the box to go trick-or-treating in his plain clothes.
The third year, we learned (or so we thought).
I put my parental foot down and said “Listen, we cannot do this again. Please be something for Halloween that does not involve a box so you can keep your costume on and run around with your friends (and I don’t have to carry around a large box)!”
He decided to be a black blob.
Some call it Mega Morph. Others call it Blimpz. Regardless, the costume is essentially a black, inflatable blob from head to toe, with an internal fan to keep it inflated.
He looked super cool. There wasn’t another black blob on the street. But I was so excited he wasn’t wearing a box that I overestimated what he could do in this thing.
Picture a bloated Pillsbury Doughboy running down the street. He could move around better than the last two years but still had trouble keeping up with friends. And because it only circulated internal (body-warmed) air, it was hot.
Well before the end of the night, this one, too, came off and he ran around in his jeans.
For a time, it felt like costumes – as impressive as they looked – were just not his thing.
James Corden recently sparked controversy when he said to Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show that while he likes Halloween for kids, he doesn’t understand why adults dress up, calling out elaborate adult costumes as unnecessary and potentially scary for kids.
I love James Corden but respectfully disagree. Kids – and adults – should dress up for Halloween if they want to. It can be fun to pretend to be something you’re not for a few hours. As long as you don’t get stuck there.
So be outlandish. Color outside the lines. Act a little crazy – on Halloween and all year long if that’s how you want to express yourself.
But make sure the way you choose to dress or act or talk most of the time stays true to who you are. If you’re too busy trying to be cool that you can’t run with the people you care about or do what you’re meant to be doing in the world, what’s the point?
My son eventually grew out of the challenging Halloween costumes phase. But as a young adult, he still likes taking the unconventional path and thinking outside the box. Now he just does it in a way that lets him be completely himself – a win-win strategy!
Happy Halloween everyone!
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