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Halloween costumes, ideas and safety for singles on fright night
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Pet costumes: yea or nay? AP Photo/BuyCostumes.com
With Halloween 2009 falling on a Saturday, perhaps a few tips will prepare you for a happy haunting at your house, or a howling good time with friends. If you don't already have a plan in place, I'm including last minute Halloween costume ideas, in case your Saturday night takes a sudden turn for the better.
As is true with any singles social situation, think safety first. Taking care of number one is solely your responsibility, but passing along safety tips to others who live alone is just plain thoughtful, so please do.
With your door open to strangers on Halloween night, it's best to block the view of your home's interior. A folding screen or bookcase near the door, with your conscious effort to open the door only part-way all evening, keeps your property and the layout of your single abode private. You never know who will be escorting the little tykes, and in some cities, teens also trick-or-treat (ridiculous, but true). For singles in a city with loads of strangers, you can stay anonymous by wearing a mask or makeup and a hat to answer the door, letting kids enjoy your effort, and outsiders hitting your neighborhood can question your identity, if not your sanity (depends upon your presentation, really). If you are happily participating in the harvest season tradition, have your doorstep well lit and the path to it cleared. My number one safety tip for metropolitan single women, however, is to enjoy the evening with someone else, avoiding the stranger danger altogether. It's a skeptical, defensive way to look at an open house holiday, but it may keep someone off the evening news.
So, you don't have a date for Saturday, October 31st? Or the 50 Saturday nights after that? Share a scary movie with another single friend, or a group, costumes optional. It's just better to enjoy anything with others, really, even if it's opening the door and pelting kids with candy early in the eve, then settling down to some serious adult imbibement in front of a TV after the doorbell stops chiming. If, however, you and a friend are excited about the costume concept, certainly wear one for the kiddies to see. Some adults enjoy pulling pranks at their doorstep with visitors on Halloween - a way to avoid opening the door altogether! Not that you wouldn't give the freaked out munchkins some candy, anway - you just keep it with you in the yard, tree, or wherever you've staged the special effect.
New Halloween Peeps. PRNewsFoto/Just Born, Inc.
There's a new candy in town this year, so all the cool kids will have it. If you enjoy the sugary marshmallow treats called Peeps normally associated with Easter, look for them (see photo) in a chocolate mousse flavored cat shape this Halloween.
Another entertainment idea can be found at JibJab.com. Upload face photos onto a pre-recorded "Monster Mash" video, and send them online for free. Other JibJab formats are available, of course, but why not save your money for more Peeps and party food?
If you are someone who thinks pet costumes are acceptable (argh), maybe a daytime pet parade for single parents is in order? Or, a neighborhood contest, with the reward being that the winning pet gets to disrobe first, and regain his/her comfort and dignity before the other poor creatures (okay, a slight bias peeking through on that one, eh?) The bumblebee dog costume in the photo with this article, along with many others, is available at BuyCostumes.com.
It is growing late to order a costume online, but last minute options for single adults are usually as close as your closet, imagination, or cheap makeup collection. I must admit the most memorable costume I saw a single man put together in 10 minutes was a green shirt with dark pants, a green cap, and packaged Trojan condoms taped all over his shirt. He was a rubber tree. Good to know he had that many condoms available in his apartment, before the party. Fortunately for him, he was a very attractive guy, or he might have fended off comments about his lack of need for sexual protection all evening.
Two last minute costume ideas for men with little time or effort: a suit and a politcal mask, or a very scary single ladies' nightmare - - a married man (you'll need a ring) with an online dating profile pinned to your back, complete with "creative" profile info for people to read at the party. Two last minute costume ideas for females: oh, come on, you don't need ideas. You're the ones with access to more wardrobe, makeup, hair experience, etc. Oh, alright - two female ideas would be a snake dancer, with a (stuffed animal) snake wrapped around your neck, sarong skirt with bikini top, bangles, glitter, etc., or a very scary concept for the male singles - - a relationships advice columnist. Well, maybe that's just me.
Anti-Halloween shirt from Zazzle collection. AP Photo/Zazzle.
Realizing there are many folks who juuuuust don't give a hoot about Halloween, and indeed, some people who are completely against it, Zazzle has created a line of anti-Halloween tee shirts and sweatshirts, available online. So, a final suggestion for those singles with nothing to wear on Saturday night, or for those attending parties and purposely avoiding a costume purchase, consider yourselves appeased by the Zazzle brand. The cheapskate's way to go might include a visit to their web site, then creating your own shirt based upon their examples. (They call them merchandise, but you can call them examples.)
Whatever your solo or group plans are this Halloween, be reminded that others may not drink responsibly, on Saturday night. Beware the safety of trick-or-treaters hyped on sugar, darting across darkened streets, as you go to parties or the home of a friend. And, if you choose to stay in and make a love potion, just be careful to follow those witchy recipes vewwy, vewwy carefully....there's no telling what or who might appear on your doorstep in the morning (ribbit, ribbit).
A single thought: sugar rush
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