It’s October! This is one of my favorite months out of the year, and no, it’s not my birthday month, it’s HALLOWEEN! Yes, we have 31 days of scary movies, fun decorations, haunted houses, and the most important….planning and preparing Halloween costumes.
Halloween costumes are important. So important, that I never let my mom forget about the worst costume in the history of Halloween. Every Halloween I called her to remind her of the costume that still haunts me….of course we always laughed about it.
I was in kindergarten and we got to dress up for Halloween at school. My cousin and I had planned months ago that we would both be Wonder Woman for Halloween. We both had Wonder Woman swimsuits and I had a crown and bracelets, so I thought this was perfect. Now, I did wear my Wonder Woman swimsuit to school, with a red leotard and red tights under it to be warm and most likely look more appropriate for school.
Unfortunately, October in Oklahoma City can get cold. Not chilly, COLD! But no matter what, I was ready to be Wonder Woman with my cousin that night. However, my mom had other plans.
It was finally time to get my costume on and get ready for Trick or Treating. For some reason my mom had me put on a pair of jeans (over my red tights and leotard). I kept asking why, because I’m Wonder Woman! Then came a sweater? What? What was happening? All of a sudden my mom put my rabbit fur coat on me and then a red Spanish Flamenco dancers dress over the coat! Yes, over the coat. At this point, I’m 5 years old crying, “why why can’t I be Wonder Woman” and “what I am?”. The only answer my mom gave was “you are warm”. Then she topped it off with a yellow and white stocking cap. At that point, my 11 year old brother said, “I’m not taking her Trick or Treating with me, she looks dumb.” Then my cousin shows up in her Wonder Woman costume and she brought me a plastic Wonder Woman mask to wear. MY MOM MADE ME WEAR THE MASK! She said it would keep my face warm. I was confused, sad, and angry all at the same time. First of all, what in the world was I dressed as? Why did my cousin get to wear her costume and I didn’t? And, the most memorable thought, if my mom thinks I’m wearing this mask, she has lost her mind. I drew the line at the mask. I already looked like a fool. So, I left the mask in the yard with cold rainy sleet hitting it. And, yes my face got cold.
Keep in mind, I was confused and embarrassed and everyone asked, “What are you?” I just answered with, “I’m warm”. Now, I did get a lot of candy that night, and I didn’t get sick, unlike my cousin. And I still laugh about that Halloween.
My mom passed away almost two years ago, so now I tell my boys about the “WARM RABBIT FLAMENCO DANCER WONDER WOMAN” costume. They laugh and laugh and then thank me for always letting them choose their costumes.
Remember, Halloween is a fun time and make sure you let your kids wear the costumes they love. Have a wonderful October and a Happy Halloween!
