Did you procrastinate thinking about your Halloween costume until the last minute again? Or perhaps you weren’t planning on dressing up this year, but something suddenly came up and that something requires wearing a Halloween costume? These types of circumstances can cause some justifiable panic as no one wants to embarrass himself, especially if your friends are typically Halloween costume overachievers. All is not lost, however, here are a few ideas you can throw together quickly with stuff you probably have around the house to create a very acceptable costume solution!
Mummy: Take an old white sheet or some inexpensive muslin and tear it into long strips along the grain. Wrap yourself carefully from head to toe in these strips leaving your face area open. Use dark makeup around your eyes and pale make up on your face. This is a pretty easy and inexpensive Mummy costume that can be put together rather simply. If you are completely desperate, you can use toilet paper to create your mummy look. Be prepared, however as you are likely to be picked on, as well as borrowed from all night.
Sock Wench: Remember that evil conniving wench that mysteriously steals one of each pair of socks from your laundry each week? Become her for Halloween. Wearing plain sweats as a base layer, safety pin oddball socks all over your body from head to toe. Label yourself somehow with your honored title.
Hugh Hefner: If you have a silky bathrobe you can get away with this look. Don your pajamas and slippers and tie on your best bathrobe (or your wife’s). Instant Hugh Hefner! To really get your point across, enlist the help of a couple of cooing bunnies to go as your sidekicks, Hugh is rarely seen without them.
Sexy Librarian or student: Any plaid skirt hemmed very short with knee-highs, Mary Jane shoes and glasses will do nicely. Tie a white blouse at your waist if you like and braid your hair if you are going for the student look, an up-do works for a librarian. Don’t forget a couple of books for legitimacy!
Mechanic: A simple one-piece workman’s jumpsuit will do nicely for this look. Make sure it has grease on it, and add some grease to your face as well. That’s it! An easy and perfect grease monkey!
Crazy Cat Lady: Using fabric paint, take a plain sweatshirt and write I ‘heart’ Cats on the front. Attach small stuffed cats to you with safety pins and carry as many more as you can hold.
Hunter: Wear camouflage from head to toe and carry an appropriate play weapon. This technique also can easily be used to create an army look as well if you prefer to go that route. Make sure and camo-paint your face as well with an appropriate make up kit. This look is easy to create and looks very cool.
Broccoli Spears: This look is a little bit silly but always gets a good laugh. Obtain a green clown wig and wear a schoolgirl outfit for the rest of your get up. (Plaid skirt, white shirt, knee-highs and Mary Jane’s) Who are you? Broccoli Spears!
Sports figure: This is not the most original costume, but when in a pinch you can use a tennis outfit and a racket or football pads and a helmet to create a sports figure costume. Face painting yourself for a “zombie” version of the sports figure will make it look like you at least made some effort and actually will redeem your costume immensely. (With actually very little effort involved!) Have fun and be creative!
Face Paint: To make your own last minute face paint:
- 1 t. corn starch
- ½ t. cold cream
- ½ t. cold water
- Food coloring
Mix all these together for each color you want to create. This will wash off with cold cream.
Fake Blood: To make your own non-toxic fake blood:
- 1 c. smooth peanut butter
- 1 qt. light corn syrup
- ½ c. liquid soap
- 1 oz. red food coloring
- 14 drops of blue food coloring
Mix peanut butter with the corn syrup to make a runny mixture. Add soap and food coloring and mix well. Add more corn syrup until you have the desired consistency. Like most fake bloods, this will stain so use this judiciously!
Last minute costumes don’t have to be a disaster. Aside from planning better for next year, use your creativity and you will be amazed at how even the simplest ideas can turn out to be very clever and unique. Have fun because at Halloween that is the point!
Pumpkins: Pumpkins are plentiful in the U.S. and are actually indigenous to the Western hemisphere. Normally harvested in October, pumpkins are most commonly orange, but these members of the gourd family also can be found in green, yellow, white, blue and tan! When the Irish immigrated to the U.S. they had been formerly making lanterns with scary faces in them out of turnips to use on ‘All Hallows Eve’, but they quickly switched to pumpkins because they were far easier to carve than turnips and were more readily available. A Halloween tradition was born!
Immigrants: Most of the traditions we have surrounding Halloween come from the Irish or other European immigrants who brought their ancient customs with them when they immigrated to the U.S. Halloween is an eclectic mixture of customs of the Irish, Catholic and the Romans. In particular, the highly superstitious Celts gave us many of the ideas for what we now know as Halloween. The Celts believed that the lines between the living and the dead were completely blurred on October the 31st and they were fearful of any mischief or problems that might be caused by these spirits when they returned.
Ghosts: Because of the ancient beliefs that the spirits of the deceased were out running rampant on All Hallows Eve, Halloween will always have a close association with ghosts and spirits. Throughout history it has been common to tell ghost stories and folk tales involving spirits around the time of Halloween. These traditions have carried on today and it is common for people to create and visit attractions that are designed to appear ‘haunted’ as part of a way to celebrate Halloween. 
Witches: The word witch comes from the Old Saxon word ‘wica’, which actually means ‘wise one’. In ancient days, witches were originally considered to be healers who were very familiar with the use of herbs and other remedies to help the sick and otherwise afflicted. As Christianity spread throughout Europe, the church clergy unfairly labeled these ‘healers’, calling them devil worshipers or sorcerers, even though that was hardly the case. Early immigrants that still believed these old ancient superstitions regarding witches brought these rumors with them into the U.S.
