In my household growing up, Halloween was not a beloved holiday. My mother often begged and bribed us not to go trick-or-treating. She told us she'd buy us a bag of whatever candy we wanted if we would just skip the ritualistic neighborhood scavenge for sweets. Each year we declined her offer, so each year she reluctantly made our costumes out of sweats or borrowed them from friends and family. I rarely got to choose what fantasy to live out on All Hallows Eve, so when my children reached trick-or-treating age, I swore I'd let them pick their costumes (within reason) and do my best to make their dreams come true. This has led to some interesting costumes.
Exhibit A: Bob Ross
Last winter, Sam discovered Bob Ross on Netflix. Always the art aficionado, he was immediately mesmerized by the soft-spoken man. Every morning, he would beg me to pull out his watercolors, and he would lay on floor and paint with Bob Ross. When he had the flu, he laid on the couch and watched Bob Ross for hours, falling asleep to the gentle scratching of his a paintbrush on a canvas and waking up if I dared turn off the show. It was during this time that he overheard Annie and I planning her Poppy costume, and he requested to be Bob Ross.
Though Annie changed her mind several times before Halloween, Sam never faulted in his desire to be Bob Ross. So, I procured a Bob Ross wig from a Halloween store, bought a large paintbrush from dollar tree, and purchased a paint pallet from Wal-Mart for five dollars. Using puff paint I already owned, I added paint globs that looked glossy and wet, even when they were dry. To complete the ensemble, I drew on a beard and some eyebrows, and dressed him up in a pair of jeans and a partially unbuttoned collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Keeping the shirt tucked in on that wiggle worm was a challenge, as was keeping his hands away from his "beard," but I suppose it was worth it because he absolutely LOVED his costume.
He won the costume contest at our church party, and strangers stopped us and asked for his picture everywhere we went. I guess it's pretty rare to see a happy little four-year-old Bob Ross super fan.
Exhibit B: Albino Moana
I will be honest, I was hoping Annie would stick with
Poppy as her costume of choice because I knew about the controversy that surrounded Moana costumes last year. There are some who believe that unless you are of Polynesian decent, you shouldn't dress up as Moana. I respect that opinion, and they are welcome to enforce it on their own children, but that doesn't mean it directs my life. I have worked hard not to point out race to my children. Annie attends a diverse school with people that are different colors and religions, but she doesn't care. She sees people with blonde hair and brown hair. Different skin tones are seen in the same way, as diverse physical characteristics. I don't want her to be afraid of celebrating the things that make us all unique. I want her to love and appreciate other cultures and beliefs so she is not bound by the prejudice of her ancestors. I want others to do the same. I love seeing girls with deeper skin tones dressed as Elsa or Belle. If we ever want to get past the racial divide, then we need to stop reinforcing it with hypersensitivity. Lest I be misunderstood, I don't think we should darken skin for a costume. Children should be educated about a culture and taught to respect it and celebrate it, not mock it.
With that said, I thought Annie made a pretty adorable Moana.
The dress and necklace came from a Halloween store. I added the sleeves using a white knit fabric that I dyed to *almost* match Annie's skin tone. This helped hold her dress up and keep her a little more warm and modest.
Keeping with tradition, my aunt and I made the wig. My aunt crocheted a tightly fitting black beanie, and then I looped in
this yarn (which looks like wavy hair) using this technique:
And then I hand stitched the top hairs back so they would lay more like Moana's unparted hair.
I darkened her eyebrows a bit so she wouldn't look so washed out. My poor kids and their blond eyebrows. On Halloween morning as I helped Annie into her costume, she said to me, "Mommy, you would make a good Moana because your eyebrows are so black and bushy." Later that day, Sam told me I had Bob Ross eyebrows. Gee, thanks, kids.
Annie loved her costume. She even gave me a "Moana dance of joy."
These two were quite the not-so-spooky pair, but they were a happy pair, and that made all of the Halloween chaos worth it.
For previous Halloween costumes, click
here or
here or
here.
