Well, it is that time of year when invitations to costume parties pop up. Or maybe you’ll be dressing up for Trick-or-Treaters or participating in a costume contest at work.

I don’t know about you, but as soon as I realize I need to find a costume, I hit the panic button.

It was all great fun as a kid plotting out what costume to wear for Halloween. My Mom used to make a lot of them for me. I remember one year going as a black cat. She took the fur collar off an old coat and made it look like a tail and created this black jumpsuit like thing complete with fur around the neck and black gloves.

It was pretty cool. Except for the plastic face mask. I hated those things. How were you supposed to see out of the little eye slits? Especially when it was cold outside and your mother insisted on tying your hood tightly around your head so the mask sat all gee-gawed? Everyone knew you were only going to wear the mask for the first 10 minutes anyway because by then you would have tripped up three sets of steps, over two dogs and stepped on four cats. All done with the mask.

As an adult, I’ve had some interesting costumes. Sure, it is fast and easy to buy a ready-made costume but I like mine to have a bit of character.

One year I bought a pair of red and white striped knee socks and went as Mrs. Claus. I think passing out the peppermint candy put it over the top because I won first prize at the contest that year. Another year I took the same obnoxious socks and made a Raggedy Ann Costume. No need for a coat with that one because after you get all the layers on, you are plenty warm. Believe me. And for the record… a grown up looks pretty dorky in a pinafore.

If you like fairy tales, Alice from Wonderland seems to be popular in the costume arena this year. I once made a  blue gingham dress and went as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. The mistake I made was wearing the dress after Halloween and one of the guys I worked with called me Dorothy for days afterward.

Some other interesting costumes I’ve seen are leaning toward the insect category. Can’t you picture yourself as a bumble bee, or a spider, or maybe a lady bug?

Yeah… me neither.

But you could go as a fairy. There are oodles of fairy costumes and props available.

I actually thought this one was pretty cute.

You could fall back on old standards like a witch, a ghost or a bag lady.

Flappers are an easy costume to put together. I  went as one to a party last summer. Then again, that may not have been the best costume since I was asked by more than one person if I was supposed to be a hoo… oh, never mind.

If you are hosting a party around Halloween and want to include a costume contest, it can add a new level of excitement and fun to your party. Choose three prizes and have the attendees vote on the best, the most creative, weirdest or funniest. Take 5 to 10 minutes during your party and have everyone take a turn being the center of attention then pass out slips of paper for voting. Or you could go on crowd reaction or just choose three to five people to serve as judges.

However you decide to dress up this year, keep it in good taste and have fun with it!

Happy Entertaining!