If you have your Lion King soundtrack handy, I recommend listening to 'Circle of Life' (Elton or no Elton - your choice) while reading this post. When I was a young lad my parents use to order us Halloween costumes from mail order catalogs. I'd dress up as a pumpkin, Superman, a mad scientist (to name a few) and my parents would walk me around the neighborhood. I would shyly ring a neighbor's door bell, wait for a the neighbor I had never met to answer, say trick or treat in a monotone manner, receive some candy, say thanks , and repeat. This process could continued on until my late teens (my parents still walked me around).
Now that I have a child of my own, I have made it half-way around the Halloween 'Circle of Life'. Who would have thought dressing a six month old up for Halloween would be a thing -- but it is. My daughter has two teeth - the doctor says she won't be eating candy anytime soon. So for Halloween I get to dress up as Papa Bear, and walk around with my wife, Mama Bear and daughter Baby Bear, and collect candy for us to eat (see "costume" and above ). I'm sure there are some families out there who find themselves in the same spot but perhaps don't have a costume plan yet -- it's not too late -- here are a few ideas:
1. The family in the stock photo used in most picture frames. This one is a classic and inexpensive too. Just throw a white shirt and khakis on the whole family and get ready to get some ooos and ahhhs around the neighborhood.
2. The family that just got back from a day at Magic Kingdom at Disney World. Blood, sweat and tears - this Halloween costume makes Friday the Thirteenth look like Freaky Friday.
3. The family waiting for a table at Outback Steakhouse. Get yourself a boomerang, a big bloke for Daddy-O and a restaurant pager and your all set to go down under with this Halloween classic.
4. The family who sings Christmas carols all year round. Break out your best holiday sweater and take the kids on adventure like no other. Forget Trick or Treat - give your neighbors a Trick and Treat with a beautiful family rendition of Deck the Halls this Halloween.
5. The family who lets their children cut in line and the doesn't say anything. This is probably the cheapest option. Just let your kids push their way to the front of the line at your neighbor, Jim's place to collect some more delectable mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups while you stand in the back and nod in approval.
I hope these options help your family celebrate Halloween this year and put you one step closer to winning best costume at your neighborhood party.