Last year we made a list of last-minute, book-inspired Halloween costumes. Those are definitely still good options, but I ran across an even easier costume this year: dressing up as Sookie Stackhouse from the Charlaine Harris books and True Blood TV series. Now, ideally you'd go all-out and get a blond wig, but if you're low on cash you can just skip that and go as one of the other waitresses at Sookie's job (the ones with the high mortality rate). You'll need a pair of tiny shorts, sneakers, a tight white t-shirt, and a tray. Write "Merlotte's" on the shirt and you're golden! Best of all, at this time of year you'll probably be able to find tiny shorts and white t-shirts galore in the deepest recesses of the clearance aisle.

I wouldn't trick-or-treat in this, though. You'd freeze vital bits off.

Labels: Charlaine Harris, Halloween costumes

And for lazy adults...

Guys:
Dig out your suit, make some paper chains out of gray paper, and go as Jacob Marley.

Ladies:
Our Nancy Drew costume idea works for you, too--but the vintage dress (or at least some kind of sixties skirt-and-sweater combo) is necessary for adults.

Anybody:
Pick up a copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and a lighter, and go as the kind of whackjob who burns books.

Hope that helps. Have a great Halloween, everybody!

Labels: Halloween costumes, Holiday

Let's start with the kids, shall we?

Pre-Hogwarts Harry Potter:
This one couldn't be easier, less expensive, or more cold-weather-friendly. Dress your kid in oversized, shabby clothes, slap some tape on a pair of non-prescription glasses, draw the scar, and you're done.

Nancy Drew:
A red wig or red-tinted hair spray, a flashlight, and a magnifying glass. (Bonus points for a shirtwaist-style dress, but it's totally not necessary.)

Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes:
Some serious hair gel to achieve that unique Calvin coiffure, a striped t-shirt, a stuffed tiger, and you're golden!

Labels: Halloween costumes, Holiday