No Halloween costume? No problem. (I said so on TV.)

Halloween! Tomorrow! If you don't have much ready, let me reassure you: it's okay.

Halloween is the holiday for which very little preparation is necessary, despite what the press and Pinterest are telling you. The only thing you need for a great Halloween is candy, a costume, and readiness to have fun.

I was on our local morning show yesterday demonstrating last-minute costumes your kids can make using stuff you probably already have.

Here's the clip:

(I took pictures and described the experience in more detail at The Accidental Expert in Last Minute Halloween Costumes...From Your Closet.)

Those are real items from my family's closets and dress-up bin. The resulting costumes are not particularly flashy or magazine-worthy, nor will they blow you away with their cleverness. That's the point. A good costume is doesn't have to bring down the house...it simply needs to be something your kid can wear with pride and a sense of fun. Believe me, kids' standards are a lot different than adults'.

So let your imagination make up for your lack of preparation. If you're contending with the effects of Hurricane Sandy, your Halloween celebration will necessarily be different this year. Let's all just enjoy the annual parade of oddly-dressed children eating far too much candy...that's the best treat of all, right?

Any good last-minute Halloween costume ideas?

More: Best of Parent Hacks: Halloween

Comments

[krista colvin]

great job asha!

[Diana]

I love this, Asha. You did a great job. I've only made minor Halloween purchases for years and this year told my kids they needed to find 100% of any costume they were going to wear around the house. We have a cowgirl and a ballerina and everyone is happy.

[Asha Dornfest]

Thank you, Krista and Diana! It really was a good time. Also: fun to see a grown man wearing fairy wings we got when my son was in preschool. Also, footie pajamas! I won't tell you which member of my family wears those.

[BKC]

Your segment was so chill, but very fun! You're a good presenter. I'm usually one of the aforementioned crazy costume moms, but money has been tight and we ran out of time. I gave my kiddo one of my scrub tops (tied in back to fit), a pair of latex gloves and she made a little name badge that said Doctor Lily. We'll make it work this year just fine.

[My Kids Mom]

You are AWESOME!!! This year my burglar has a $1 white sweatshirt from the thrift shop with black duct tape stripes, a $1 black mask, a ski hat and black pants. His brother is going as an old man, so we purchased a $3 beard, borrowed a cane and some suspenders and will draw wrinkles on him. Creativity is cheap!

[Karen from Chookooloonks]

You were AWESOME! Well done, friend!

K.

(P.S. Love the scarf and beaded bracelets. :) )

[Asha Dornfest]

CHILL! I love that you described my little schtick that way, BKC! It just seems a shame that anyone would stress out over something as goofy as Halloween. I mean, I get why people do...it's almost built into our culture to feel inadequate about these things. I just relished the opportunity to put some non-"perfect" stuff on TV so people could actually see something modest and low-key in the media.

[Elizabeth Kane]

Nice “minimalist” costuming ideas. :) You’re great on camera, Asha!

[Elizabeth Kane]

Nice “minimalist” costuming ideas. :) You’re great on camera, Asha!

[Asha Dornfest]

Thanks, Elizabeth! I'm one of those weird .02% who likes public speaking. The great thing about this was it was like public speaking without having to face a crowd (which, though I enjoy it, still can be nerve-wracking).