Something Scary: Halloween Costume Flashbacks

Happy Friday! We're a week away from Halloween, a night when the phrase, "You can be whatever you want to be" becomes a strange reality. I went looking for pictures of my Halloween costumes but could only find one. I did, however, stumble upon this picture of my great-grandparents dressed up--

Do you remember all of the things you wanted to be for Halloween? I can only remember 10--

The first two I only know from photographs because I was too young to remember them: a little devil and Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. What I do remember clearly was that the tiny plastic ruby slippers sold in toy stores were always too narrow for my feet. At least once, I tried to wear a pair around the house with my pinky toe stuck out the side. 

After that, I was a witch, but only from the neck up. It snowed that year and we had to cover our costumes with winter coats. Then a princess, then a ghost--I remember decorating a white sheet with glow in the dark puffy paint and cutting out two holes for eyes. 

Next up: a hobo, followed by a zombie bride (this, I think, was one of my proudest costumes. I had full face-paint and dead leaves scrunched into my hair). 

Middle school was more about friends than cool costumes. One Halloween, we dressed up in 80s prom dresses we found at Goodwill. The next year, in anything Halloween-related we could find at Target (think t-shirts and bright orange pajama bottoms with skeletons on them). 

Then, I retired from Halloween costuming. but not before my most original, most spectacular, most ridiculous costume of them all.

The can man, inspired by a skateboarder from Bar Harbor, Maine who clinked and clanked up and down the streets in a vest made of aluminum cans. I went for a floor-length version and a crown. I clinked and clanked all around the neighborhood collecting candy. It was a great year.