Halloween is such a beautiful holiday at the end of the harvest. How does it become yet another excuse to wrap our houses and kids in plastic and fill them full of sugar? That is not the way my family celebrates. We embrace the beauty of the season as well as the fun of dressing up and parading around the neighborhood. It’s one of the few times we chat with some of our neighbors. It’s a wonderful time to celebrate abundance by giving out treats—more on treats Friday.
Deciding on a Halloween Costume
Today I was talking to a friend about Halloween costumes. She is someone who is very concerned about her environmental impact, so she was looking for a costume to wear to a family party that wouldn’t require her to acquire. We narrowed her choices down to a preference to wear black.
How could she take advantage of what she has? Well, she has scraps of colorful organic cotton in abundance, so I suggested she be a thieving magpie, since these beautiful black and white birds are known to take little scraps and shiny things as they find them. I love the idea of a magpie Halloween costume for an adult or a child.
Then, I realized she could have a costume together with her daughter. Last year, I gathered such an amazing collection of links to babywearing Halloween costumes with parent and baby. My favorite was an adult spider’s web wearing a baby spider. Granted, the adult wears white with black lines, but it is worth the switch to wear one of the best Halloween costumes I’ve ever seen. My friend is working on convincing her daughter to be a spider, maybe reading a bit of Charlotte’s Web to help her identify with spiders.
As you are considering what kind of eco-friendly and economical Halloween costume you might wear, start with a few preferences or really great pieces that you already have and see what brilliant ideas they might spark. Empty out the play clothes box and let your imagination wander.
Great Green Halloween
Many great green minds have applied themselves to thinking of ways to lower impact of Halloween while still helping your family, especially your young children, have a beautiful holiday. I recommend checking out Halloween Tips from the Environmental Working Group.
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