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While Halloween isn’t until the end of the month, I thought I’d discuss an idea that surrounds the festivities so that those who are interested can take advantage of the knowledge and do it this year. (Instead of saying, “I’d like to do that next year,” and promptly forget!)
There are two ways to look at “costume sharing.”
First and foremost, if you have children who are a year or two apart in size, you can literally share their costumes back and forth. This works best for families who have the same gender of child or who normally use gender neutral costumes such as animals. It’s a nice way to share something within your unique family unit and get that little bit of extra wear-and-tear out of something that might have only been worn once.
Secondly, and how I plan to handle it, you can “share” your costume without physically handing it over. If you’re like our family, you’ve already purchased your Halloween costume(s). I’m kind of obsessive about having things planned and ready, far in advance. (However, I also tend to procrastinate other things. I wonder why this is?) Anyway, the point is to go ahead and get your costume before Halloween arrives. No last minute shopping! Have the kid(s) give a fashion show in their costume, complete with pumpkin candy holder while you snap some photos. Not a good photographer? Consider taking them to a cheap photo studio. If you’re doing the pictures yourself, try to get the kids outside to take advantage of the beautiful fall foliage (if you have any!).
How you share them will be up to you. If you’re solely a technological family, e-mailing them will be fine. However, printing them, placing them in a Halloween themed card and writing something by hand might mean a little bit more to a young child. (Touching things means something more than seeing it on a screen.) You could also get together a small Halloween “care package” and send some boo-rrific things but be sure you discuss what candies are and are not appropriate before you mail the package. (Remember, some Moms are lunatics like me and don’t let their kids eat candy. We do cookies over here for another year! Next year? Bring on the candy!)
If you, the adult, plan on dressing up as well, either to take the kids trick-or-treating or for a party of your own, be sure to include the picture. In your note, wish your child a Happy Halloween and remind them to remind their parents to be safe!
Why did I choose this idea? It gets the flow of information and pictures going in both directions between birth and adoptive families. I’ve seen a lot of complaints on the forums about birth families who do not send any letters or pictures while the adoptive families are expected to document just about everything. I recognize this as a lapse in communication and hope to continue addressing it with this series. This one is just particularly fun because dressing up rocks!
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For more on Creating Traditions, read:
2. Favorite Books.
3. Family Tree Fun.
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Photo Credit.
