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Store Bought Costumes

The Nurtured Mommy
STORE BOUGHT COSTUMES

By: Denise E. Bailey | October 17, 2024

I’ve never been a big fan of Halloween. Once I stopped trick-or-treating the magic just faded. As a young adult (and even now) Halloween actually became quite scary to me. I've always been a wimp, but back then, candy made everything better. I have a confession, my daughters have dressed as fairies far too many times for girls who are almost 7 and just turned 9. Every year, I tell myself this is the year I’ll finally nail the creative costume game. I have a few friends who go all out with glue guns, special makeup, and sewing machines. Me? Not so much. I stick to the Halloween Store and Amazon purchases. Well mamas, I have a confession for you…my daughters wear store bought costumes.

But this Halloween, I want to do things a little differently. Almost ten years ago, we got to celebrate every Hallows Eve with my three nieces trick-or-treating on D Street in Petaluma. It was beyond glorious. The evening started with homemade chili, a delicious salad, and some hearty cornbread before we headed off to hit 20-30 houses max. My sister-in-law taught me about the deeper customs behind Halloween from celebrating the harvest to warding off evil spirits, honoring saints, and even remembering and celebrating the dead. Of course, these traditions have largely been taken over by candy, fun, and creative costumes. But I’ll admit, my daughters’ Halloween parade is one of my favorite morning assemblies to attend (don’t worry mama if you can’t make it).

As my grandmother always said, “To each, their own” and it couldn’t be more true. So congratulate that mama who goes all out. She looks good and so do her kids. For the rest of us, plan ahead for what you’d like your littles to dress up as, and if you can muster the energy…go get yourself that Chilli costume! After all, who wouldn’t want to dress up as Chilli from Bluey?

Questions to Dive Deeper:

How do you make this holiday your own?
What traditions would you like to create? What traditions would you like to change?
For one night this year, who do you want to dress up as? Go ahead, anyone you want.

Denise is a coffee lover, over-sharer, and truth seeker who is dedicated to vulnerably discussing the not-so-pretty parts of this beautiful role of motherhood. She is inspired by her three daughters to help women manage their expectations, let go of perfectionism, and lean into their enoughness. Denise is a certified Early Childhood Educator (ECE) and K-8 Multiple Subject Clear Credentialed Teacher who has taught it all from preschool to middle school. Read more from Denise under The Crier: Online Archive.