Halloween Costumes for the Family

As much as I like the silliness of Halloween, I have never really enjoyed the process of choosing a costume. For some reason, the thought of coming up with something fun, unique and not trashy is enough to make me want to stay home snuggled up on the couch in pajamas on the big night.

I seriously cannot recall any of the costumes that I wore growing up, or if I dressed up at all! One time in college, I was invited to a Halloween party and was literally the only person not wearing a costume. Thank goodness it was dark in the house and people were, ahem, distracted enough not to notice. :-) When Stefan and I started dating in 2001, we developed our standard couples costume that we would wear year after year. It was simple, cheap, and actually had a bit of truth attached to it (I’ll save that story for another time, if you don’t already know it). :-)

You might be a redneck if... you meet your wife at a family reunion...

Fast forward a few years. Now that we have kids, Halloween dress-up feels like a requirement, practically a rite of passage in parenthood. And you know, for some reason, I’m finally starting to enjoy the process! I can’t say that I’ve gotten it right every time,

Sebastian wasn't too excited about his little pumpkin costume that first Halloween.

but each year seems to get easier and easier.  

Halloween 2011 with the family on Pearl Street

I think it’s important that our kids see us parents getting in on the excitement of the holidays, so I am actually entertaining the thought of putting together a costume ensemble for the entire family this year. Yikes!

Oh, but where to begin? In true Sheryl fashion, I created a spreadsheet to organize the different categories of group costumes. I’ll spare you those gory details and just give you the fun pictures that served as my inspiration. Be sure to click on each image to enlarge the collage!

Pop Culture. These costumes always impress me the most. As long as you somewhat pay attention to the news, you can pretty easily (and cheaply!) craft a unique costume from this category.

Honey Boo Boo; Olympic Athletes; Tanning Mom

Media. I’m pretty sure that most of our kids watch some form of media throughout the day, and no doubt many of them have favorite movie or tv characters. 

Sesame Street; Phineas & Ferb; Angry Birds

Music. Kids + dancing = guaranteed awesome good time. And if they like to dance, why not let them totally rock out?

Rock on!

Food. We all need to eat, so why not dress up as our favorite treats?

Popcorn; S'mores; BLT Family; M&M's

People and Animals. Preschoolers love learning about the different people who make our world go ‘round, so why not dress up as one?

Burglars; Honeybees; Farmers; ZOMBIES!

 Kids’ Choice. Have you reached the point where your oldest absolutely must dress up in a particular costume? If so, let him/her take the lead and work everyone else’s costume around that.

Let your LEGO or Astronaut fanatics take the lead here.

Superhero. This isn’t just for boys! Really, who doesn’t love wearing tights, a cape and a mask while “flying” around to save the world from evil?

A mishmash of superheroes or streamline things with The Incredibles.

One particular challenge with all of these costumes, especially when planning for the entire family, is figuring out how to keep the cost down. We can shop for costumes at second-hand stores or on Craigslist, swap with friends, or make our own from scratch. My number one goal is to keep it simple so that we’ll have more time to enjoy the fun of it all!

So, what’s the final decision, you ask? With the added challenge of a baby in my belly this Halloween, the choice became obvious after our most recent MOPS meeting. Here's a sneak peak. :-)

Or should I go with SpiderGIRL?? :-)

Thank you, Kacey, for the inspiration!

So, what will you and your family dress up as this year? Please share in the comments!