Everyday Is Halloween, When You're a Geek

My family loves Halloween. Of course we do 0- we're all geeks, and Halloween is like the geek High Holy Days.

Back when we were kids, my brother Mr. Funny would start planning his Halloween costumes on November 1. He always had these great, elaborate ideas, and since our mom is a talented seamstress, she could make pretty much any costume he wanted. One year -- this was the late 80s/early 90s, remember -- he went as Dana Carvey's character The Church Lady from Saturday Night Live. Another year he and his best friend donned matching unitards and went as "The Running Men." Another year he put on a glittery teddy underneath a suit, a black toupee, and fangs -- Marv Albert.

Like my brother, I spend a great deal of creative energy on coming up with costume ideas. Years when the creative juices just aren't flowing, or cash is tight, I stick with my old standby of wrapping my hair into buns, throwing on a white robe, and going as Princess Leia.

Now that I have a baby, and while I still have complete control over what he wears, my ideas for mommy-baby Halloween costumes know no bounds. I would love to get Husband in on the action, too, but though he loves Halloween he's not so much into dressing up for it.

Last year for Halloween we bought the Juban Princeling's costume even before he was born. By October 31, the Princeling was exactly 3 weeks and 2 days old. We got him a little pumpkin costume with feet and a hood (with a stem), and he was the hit of the night. (See photo below and try to not die of the cute.) Belatedly I came up with what would have been, in my mind, a hilarious family costume: Husband and I as Mary and Joseph, then duct tape some Baby Bels onto the Princeling -- the Little Baby Cheeses. Geddit???

A friend of mine actually came up with a really funny idea: she and her husband dressing up as Eskimos with clubs, and dressing their baby (who is 11 days older than the Princeling) as a bloody baby seal. However, since they do not want to be run out of their hometown by angry and offended neighbors with torches and pitchforks, they will probably go a more traditional route, and dress their daughter up like a doll or a puppy or something.

I have no doubt that the neighborhood we live in now, which has more children per block than an average day at Disney World, will not let us down in terms of Halloween parties to attend. So I have to make sure our costumes this year kick ass.

Here are some ideas I have for the Princeling and myself, and yes, I realize that I probably have an unhealthy obsession with this mommy-baby costume theme. But in just a few short years he'll want to do his own costume ideas, and I'll be on my own once again.

• A dragon (the Princeling) and a princess (me)
• A baseball (the Princeling) and a Yankee (me)
• An Ewok (the Princeling) and Princess Leia (me)
• Mr. Spock (the Princeling) and another Star Trek officer (me)
• Hedwig the owl (the Princeling) and Harry Potter (me)
• A flying monkey (the Princeling) and the Wicked Witch of the West (me)
• A skeleton (the Princeling) and the Grim Reaper (me)
• A ghost (the Princeling) and a Ghostbuster (me)

Decisions, decisions.

Right now my mother and husband each vote for the Hedwig/Harry Potter idea. That's probably what I'll end up doing because all I have to do for myself is get a black robe and a scarf with the Gryffindor house colors. I already have black glasses I can wear, and I can use my lip liner to draw a lightning bolt on my forehead. For the Princeling, though, I'm not sure what size costume to get him no matter what I finally decide on. He's big for his age -- he was already wearing size 12-months clothes when he was just 7 months old -- and I have no idea what size to expect him to be shortly after his first birthday.

And this is why I have to start thinking about Halloween NOW. There is just so fricking much to consider here!

But wait, there's more! If our next baby (in a few years) is a daughter then I don't care what the husband says -- we're going to do the Skywalker family together, with the Princeling and his sister as Luke and Leia, and Husband and I as Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. (Hope I didn't just ruin the movies for anyone.) In fact, even if our next child is another boy I might still dress him up as Princess Leia because I am liberal and insane like that. Or perhaps I'll make everyone put on a psychedelic band uniform and we'll go as the Sgt. Pepper album.

Oh, yes. Count On It.