Halloween Etiquette: Decorations, Costumes, and More! 

Every year, what every kid looks forward to for weeks, even months in advance, is Halloween. It’s a universal experience: walking down the street on Halloween, seeing cute little kids dressed in their cute little costumes, and holding their cute little baskets of candy… But wait! Amongst them, you suddenly see a herd of full-grown men (or women), dressed as a ghost in some old crusty pillowcase, with a paper bag to collect candy. I mean come on now, aren’t you a little old for this? Also, if you’re going to do something clearly NOT meant for you, shouldn’t you at least try your best to look the part? There has got to be an age limit on these things. Seriously. I guess on Halloween the creeps really do come out.

 

The half-assed costumes must be fixed, but we can get into that later. What really gets me going is the DECORATIONS! We all have that one neighbor who overdoes it WAY TOO MUCH. You know who I’m talking about. They have plastic skeletons hanging everywhere, those blow-up zombies that look partially deflated, and maybe even some music playing… At that point, it’s just tacky. Now let me make myself clear, this is NOT at all what I want from you. If you don’t like to celebrate Halloween, fair enough. To each their own. But if you’re going to go to all the trouble of getting decorations, please just make them half decent, that’s all I’m asking. There are so many different kinds of ways that people decorate for Halloween around the world. In America, people like cutting Jack-o-lanterns! In Latin America, people celebrate Dia de los Muertos with fun hats and decorating altars to honor loved ones. People from all over love to hang up ghosts, cobwebs, spiders, and even skeletons! The decor is all a part of this fun holiday. Maybe just put up some nice Twinkle lights or a little Jack-o-lantern. Whatever tickles your fancy. What drives me mad are those houses with just a single strand of twinkle lights, dangling haphazardly by the window. That is just a disgrace to the entire holiday. Honestly, it’s worse than not even decorating at all. Have some pride in your community, and even more so, have some self-respect. 

Okay, that got me way too riled up. Let’s talk about costumes. Throughout the Halloweens I have witnessed in my life thus far, I have seen some pretty clever get-ups. If you need some help, here are some of my favorites; 

  • For the parents who end up just chasing after their kids as they bolt from house to house, but still want a costume, I would go with something more simple. Maybe just paint a nose on and be a cat, wear a witch hat, or wear orange and call yourself a pumpkin. 
  • If you’re interested in doing a family costume, I have seen some pretty sweet ones. One year my neighbors (who had two young toddlers at the time) went as The Incredibles family. Adorable!


  • Another darling costume I saw was an entire family going as characters from the Toy Story movie. This next one doesn’t apply to me personally, since I was never into the Mario games as a child, but another family costume could be dressing as the characters from Mario Kart. (Mario, Princess Peach, Toadette, etc…)

  • There are some other cute group costumes I have seen that are more directed towards teens & adolescents. One example is dressing up as the Chipmunks from Alvin and the Chipmunks. This is a pretty simple costume to put together, but at least it LOOKS like you put in effort. Another one is all dressing up in yellow and becoming minions for the day! I love this idea, especially for larger friend groups, so that everyone can be included. Finally, a cute two-person one is going as Serena and Blair from Gossip Girl! 

 

  • If you want to do a Halloween costume with your significant other, here are some cute couples costumes! Patrick and Spongebob! This costume is unisex, and super fun if you loved Spongebob as a kid! Another show-inspired costume… If you love the Charlie Brown show, then it would be super cute to go as Charlie Brown and Snoopy for Halloween! (this one is probably my favorite.) Finally, you and your boy/girlfriend could dress up as Jake and Tricky from the popular game, subway surfers!
  • Finally, here are some fun individual costumes you would get a kick out of.
    • For the girls; some fun ones I have seen are R2D2 from Star Wars, being a Barbie, dressing as Cleopatra, or being Mia Thermopolis from Princess Diaries! Even just being a pirate is a great basic costume! 
    • For boys: I have seen some pretty… interesting boys costumes. These have included the Lorax, dressing up as the famous singer, Ice Spice, and wearing a blow-up among us suit!—very, VERY interesting. 

Halloween is such a special holiday because not only is it a time to have a little fun and show off our unique costumes, but it’s a holiday that people around the world enjoy, and it is something that brings us all together. Even though it is considered a more Western holiday, Halloween is still celebrated in various cultures around the world, each adding its unique traditions to the festivities. I hope some of these ideas have helped you out! What are you going to be for Halloween this year?