Hope’s Scary Halloween Costume

Hope’s Halloween costume didn’t quite work out as planned.

A while back, The Civee and I decided that Hope should be something she’s interested in. With that in mind, and thanks to an article I read on Wired about why parents should make their own costumes (not that there’s anything wrong with store-bought costumes), I was inspired. For a while, Hope has been really into helicopters (and anything else that makes noise). With a little imagination, a cardboard box and some other accessories, I figured it wouldn’t be too difficult to make Hope into the cutest and coolest chopper since Airwolf.

We knew this was a gamble- there was the possibility she would not like the idea of walking around in a box. But at the same time, we thought this was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

So I made a cardboard box into a helicopter using some scissors, tape and aluminum foil.  We also got a little propeller beanie to make the costume more realistic.

But when it came time to get Hope into the costume, things fell apart.  She didn’t mind the hat. But trying to put the box over her head was problematic. She’d cry, try to wiggle out of it and run away. We took her trick-or-treating, with her wearing the cap and The Civee or I carrying the helicopter. We hit a few houses, explaining that she was a helicopter (and I think once people heard that, saw the cap and the box, they got the idea), and by the end, she rather enjoyed going up to houses in the neighborhood and getting candy.

By the time we got back to the house, she wasn’t so leery of the helicopter. She wouldn’t put it on. But she could at least sit next to it (the fact that we let her sample some of her candy probably helped).

It’s a good thing we had the cap as a backup. For next year, she’ll be more used to the idea of dressing up and will be able to give us some input as to what she wants to be. And now The Civee and I know to have a pre-made costume (or idea) on standby in case the original costume doesn’t work out.