Halloween

I was having high hopes for Halloween this year, and it's one of my favorite holidays. I usually wear a pair of fake plastic horns or something, especially if I have class. (One year I came in with the horns and said, "What you have been suspecting about me all semester really is true." Then a wag in the back of the class shouted back, "That's not what we've been suspecting about you all semester...") This year, I decided to splurge and buy the really good ones. There are plenty of kits available, based on stage/movie makeup, that let you create some great special effects for costumes. I'd seen horns plenty of times before, but hadn't been willing to actually get some. This year was my year.

I saw some great examples of the kits while I was down in Atlanta a few weeks ago, plus some really awesome decorations. Target also had a nice selection of decorations this year. I thought it was likely to be a good year for Halloween. I set out a week or two ago with two goals: (1) good horns, and (2) a cheesy Halloween themed tie.

No luck. Everyplace I checked didn't carry either. A local downtown store used to have lots of great costume supplies in their basement every year, but this year it's become devoted to fraternity clothes. The closest I came to a Halloween tie was a rack of discounted Christmas ties at the local Goody's. (And the crazy thing is, I'm sure I've seen these ties before everywhere. Someone heard me planning.) I'm slightly miffed that I've seen several stores offering Halloween themed clothing for women, but none for men.

I've also realized I'm going to miss some of the trick-or-treaters this year because I won't leave work until 7:00 on Halloween night. (Yes, I'm finally living someplace where we get trick-or-treaters, and I love having them. My favorite last year was a tiny girl dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, sitting in the arms of her parents as they coaxed her to say something. All she could manage was to stare at me with enormous eyes and a slightly agape mouth. I think it was all a bit much for her.)

I'm not completely discouraged yet. K-mart has some passable horns, and I at least have a nice orange shirt and black leather jacket that would work well, if no tie. And maybe I can still find some good horns somewhere. (I know I'm doing my job if some of my students start wondering about me on Halloween. If I do find the horns, I think my line this year will just be: "It's a little physical problem I have this time every year, and I really don't want to talk about it.")

Alternatively, it occurred to me I'd probably also get my students attention if I went with the Elvira costume I saw and a big pair of fake boobs. Whatta ya think?