Halloween Hijinks: From Silly Costumes to Spooky Fruits

You know how some adults love Halloween and getting dressed up? Well, I’m not usually one of them. This might surprise you since just last week I was singing the praises of dressing as a banana. But honestly, picking a costume stresses me out. You have to think of something, either make or order it, check if it fits, and finally wear it all night long. On the rare occasions when I do dress up, I usually go for the comfiest outfit possible—like the year I bought kangaroo pajamas and went as a kangaroo.

My mom set the bar pretty high by making most of our Halloween costumes herself when I was growing up. These weren’t simple, “wear a sheet and call it a ghost” costumes, either! She sewed dresses, Cookie Monster costumes, and even a famous Winnie-the-Pooh outfit that all of us children wore.

As I said, I’m usually a Halloween Grinch. But having kids has helped reignite my spooky spirit. There’s nothing cuter than dressing your 1-year-old as a lion, throwing on some bear ears and a tail, and going as “Lions, Tigers and Bears, Oh My!” with the family. (Even when said Lion hates the costume and the furry mane around his face.)

Still, I’ve only dressed up for Halloween once or twice in the past eight years—so this year surprised me. My eldest son is really excited about the anime show One Piece. He’s going as one of its characters (Monkey D. Luffy), and I decided to make it a family theme and go as the green-haired Roronoa Zoro. It was an easy choice. He’s a skilled swordfighter (with three swords!), and while he’s intense in battle, he’s also got this chill, meditative side. Plus, he’s just plain cool.

Instead of buying one of the many pre-made costumes that exist, I took a leaf out of my mom’s book and started to put something together myself. I wanted to flex my creative muscles and save some money (although in the end, I’m not sure I did). I don’t sew, but trying to piece together my regular clothes into an outfit that looks like the character has been fun.

I’m still not sure how my costume will turn out. But even if it’s an epic fail, I’m considering the process a win. It reminded me of the freedom there is in pretending to be someone else for a bit and the creativity that Halloween brings. Having the perfect costume isn’t the point—having fun and being silly with those you love is.

Without my kids, I probably wouldn’t be dressing up, but I’m glad I am this year.

We’re having Halloween fun at the office, too. Our Farm-to-School Program is bringing spooky fruits and veggies to students all month long, and our whole team dressed up for a company-wide meeting on Halloween week. Here are a few of them in costume. I hope you enjoy their creative looks as much as I did!