The days when we cut two eye holes, put a sheet over our heads, and ran around the garden trying to scare each other. Have we forgotten those days?
Of course, the homemade ghost costume was really terrible. My eye sockets were constantly shifting from side to side, often making it difficult to see anything, and the seat would flap around regularly, causing me to trip and fall. But it was fun, and those of us who grew up in the 1960s and 70s remember it well.
Some children used old sheets again, cutting them into strips to mummify themselves and wrapping themselves in the material, or using toilet paper.
At that time, we made costumes using whatever we had on hand: sheets, bags, old clothes.
Sometimes they would drizzle tomato sauce on the costumes to add a bit of fright.
I don't know what happens to old seats these days, but that's definitely not the case.
Now when you go to a Halloween party or go trick-or-treating – thankfully you didn't as a child, half the attendees probably wear the same ghost or witch costumes as Asda. There will be.
That's a shame. Making costumes for Halloween, Christmas, World Book Day, etc. stimulates children's creativity. I loved digging in the backs of drawers, rummaging through the storeroom and my mom's sewing box to find odds and fabrics to make costumes.
I remember making dozens of chickens out of cotton balls, painting them yellow, and sticking them into Easter hats made from cereal boxes. Today you can buy a ready-made bonnet and all the accessories to decorate it. I'm very disappointed. Creating something from scratch stimulates the imagination and, most importantly, is a lot of fun.
There was no World Book Day when I was a kid, but if there had been, I would almost certainly have been Anne of Green Gables. He was my favorite character. I have hair and with my mom's help, I could have made the outfit look sleek.
World Book Day has become such an event that major supermarkets reprint clothing worn by children's book characters. Parents can purchase ready-made Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Harry Potter costumes. I know it's harder to find time to sit down and create something with kids these days, but maybe you can encourage young people to try it themselves. No.
In my day, we scavenged boxes dressed up. It contained old clothes, hats, and other knick-knacks. That included my mom's wedding dress, which she donated to us kids.
Thankfully, all is not lost. Some people still have to make their own costumes for events like Halloween. Cardboard boxes and tubes, kitchen foil, egg cartons, cereal boxes, scarves, socks, zippers, cushions, trash can liners, marker pens, and even old bed sheets.
If you're looking to dress up this Halloween, we encourage you to look around, rummage through your cardboard recycling bins, dig out your old clothes, and go crazy. We are sure that your outfit will attract more interesting comments from your family and loved ones. Friends than store bought ones.
