'Trick or treat'
Wonder when people first started dressing up? Wearing strange, crazy and weird clothes just for fun. Dressing up like a fantasy, another occupation or like dead people. And why, religion? Let off steam? Be kids again? Well, who cares - Halloween is over us again and no time for philosophical thoughts. Costumes need to be made (ok, purchased), we have pumpkins to carve and candy to buy.
As frugal Scandinavians, we observe the Halloween traditions with one part eye rolling (isn’t obvious that it's just yet another commercial holiday created by an enormous industry to sell even more crap made in China?) and one part pure joy. After all, it's so much fun! It's fun for the kids, I mean, how often do you get candy thrown after you, by adults dressed in crazy costumes?! It's fun for the adults, our inner child can resurface for a bit.
How to add warmth to your Halloween costumes
Our major concern, though, is keeping the kids warm. With all the money and effort put into amazing costumes, they can't be hidden under coats. So please, please put some merino wool underneath. Just one layer next to the skin is enough to keep babies and children so much more comfortable when temperatures drop. OK? It's the end of October. At night. A level red sugar high is not really enough to keep your kids heated.In our family, the costume catalogs are treated like collectible editions of vintage fashion magazines, carefully read and reread. And sometimes the adults feel like taking a look too. Wonder how I would look in that tight flight attendant costume? Ella wants me as an Egyptian dancer. If I wear my wool top under, I could even be out in public wearing that nurse costume husband votes for...