Time to get Christmassy

It’s now one month until Christmas. I remember the days when the Christmas season began the day after Thanksgiving. My mom always hit the big After-Thanksgiving sales. She was up before dawn and off to the Del Amo Fashion Mall in Torrance, California, along with her partner-in-crime, my aunt. At about this same time Christmas tree lots opened up and Christmas lights were hung. It was tradition. These were the things that kicked off the Christmas season.

Nowadays I’ve noticed a change. Christmas things appear in stores on Halloween day. They can’t even wait for November 1st. I was in a store on Halloween day, and they had all their Halloween things on clearance and in their places were Christmas displays of all sorts.

At our retail costume store, we actually keep Christmas costumes out all year long. You wouldn’t believe how many people buy a Christmas costume to use as their Halloween costume. I don’t blame them either. The Christmas costumes are very cute and fun.

Even our mannequins have been eyeballing the Christmas costumes for the last week. So we dressed them up for the Christmas season. They are at the front of the store, ready to greet all who enter.


Now the BIG question:
What are you wearing to celebrate the Christmas season?? There are so many choices – a huge variety of Santa hats, super-sexy costumes for private parties, fun Christmas costumes for parties, Santa and Elf costumes for more traditional events. I always pull out my loooooong Santa Hat during this season. I had a necklace that was mini-Christmas lights that flashed. I loved that necklace, but alas, it bit the dust, and I never replaced it. Santa hats from a favorite sports team is always a good way to go. Or maybe just some nice Christmassy accessory.

Don’t be all bah-humbuggy this Christmas season. Find a costume or hat or something that works for you and have add a little merriness to your mon

That 70’s Party

There are birthday parties and there are BIRTHDAY PARTIES. Yeah sure you could just put together a list of friends of the Birthday Guy or Girl, have them all show up and serve food, drinks and cake. Throw on some music and maybe folks will get down a bit. I’m sure it will be a fine time. People will dance, talk, drink and laugh. What could be better??

I’m glad you asked. Make that party a theme party and that “fine” party goes way past being just fine. Just add a theme and your birthday party can be off the charts. Friends of mine just had the best time at a birthday party – with an 70’s theme. She sent me some pictures and they are all the evidence I need to prove my point.

Let’s hear it for big hair, long moustaches, silky, sparkly, polyester shirts with loud patterns. You just have to love the way the shirts are unbuttoned to show that manly chest hair. And who can forget those bitchin’ bellbottom pants! And if you are going to do the 70s right, you just have to have some cool platform shoes so you can strut your stuff under the disco ball. Blast some Bee-Gees or Donna Summer over the stereo and you’ll have a birthday party everyone will remember for ages.

Want that kind of fun? Plan your own 70's theme party!

Gobble Gobble

Gobble, gobble, gobble. Turkeys all over the country are plumping up, getting ready for their big day. That yearly event where family and friends gather to gobble up a big old feast, watch football, play football, and have a day off work is almost here. Are you ready? I don’t mean with the food preparations! I mean, are you ready to make it fun?

I’ve started my own little Thanksgiving tradition. For the last three years I welcome Thanksgiving by wearing my turkey hat. I get all sorts of looks as I traipse around with this goofy bird perched on my head – my dog thinks it’s a stuffed toy for him and I have to stay alert, with eyes open, or he will take my bird and run off with it. All that hard work is totally worth it though, because this is my funnest, craziest hat of all. I look forward to this time of year, when I get to plop that turkey on my head and walk proudly about in public!

I ran across another fantastic turkey hat as well. This one is the naked, headless version and just brings back memories of that Friends episode where Monica a turkey has a turkey on her head. I love it (the episode and the hat)!

If you are a big old football, loving fool. If your Thanksgiving plans revolve around cheering on your favorite college team in front of the TV, there’s a special turkey hat just for you. Buy Costumes has the perfect companion for you. You’ll be totally into the holiday spirit and the game.

Wearing some fun holiday headpiece makes for great laughs and a day you just won’t forget. Not much for wearing a turkey on your head? Then how about something more traditional? Slip on a pilgrim hat or an Indian headpiece.

Do you have a play or event with school or church? Halloween Express has great pilgrim and Indian costumes for both kids and adults. Both Buy Costumes and Halloween Express even have pieces galore – from shoe buckles, to wigs, to moccasins - so you can put your own costume together. Wear a full Thanksgiving costume this year and see how much more memorable the day will be.

Now, if you are an all-out, over-the-top, Turkey Day fanatic, you could always go with the full turkey costume.

Buy Costumes has this fairly inexpensive version. If you are the cook for the day, I wouldn't recommend this one.

Now check out this deluxe one over at Halloween Express. Now I love to dress up, and I think this costume is awfully cool looking, but . . . . $500?! I’d have to REALLY love Thanksgiving to do that ---- or be a school mascot! Somebody out there must have been just that sort of person, because they are sold out! Even the one for $1300 is sold out!

I’ll just eat my pumpkin pie (the best part of Thanksgiving) and wear my snuggly turkey hat, keeping a watchful eye out for my turkey-hat-snatching-dog, of course.

A Halloween Survival Story

ScavengeInc.com is our online costume store. In addition, there is our retail store, Scavenge, in Santa Barbara, CA. Things get downright crazy there as Halloween gets closer. Work days get longer and longer, the crowds get bigger, and the people get more and more desperate and stressed.

I put in lots of time there in the weeks leading up to Halloween. The feet get sore, the house gets messier and messier, and (just about) everything else in the world gets put on hold.

To keep in the spirit of the season (by the way, when exactly did Halloween reach “season” status?), I come to work in costume for those final days leading up to Halloween. So it’s not just thinking of one costume, but seven! And here they are . . .

Started out fun, and celebrating my refusal to grow up, wearing the coolest Peter Pan costume. I love this thing. It’s simple, it’s comfortable, it’s fun looking. I was ready for NeverNeverLand by the end of the day, though! My poor tootsies were aching after 8 hours standing a walking in ballet-type shoes.

Did I learn my lesson, though? NOOO! The next day, I dressed as first-mate pirate. Back in the ballet shoes, so I could show off my cool stripey pirate-type socks. I put this outfit together myself (mini skirt, striped t-shirt, satin bandana, belt and sword, to go along with my socks), but people kept asking where in the store they could find this costume.

I needed a break from aching feet, so I decided I would come up with a costume based on shoes first. So I picked out my most comfortable shoes (some big old Doc Martins) and came up with something to go with that. So here I am, a Rambo-inspired soldier. Maybe not the best look ever, but the feet were happy with me.

I had planned to be Wonder Woman for the next day, but that costume just wasn’t made to fit me. I already had the boots, so I was excited to get to do the whole look. The extra small size just crushed my chest, and the small was too long in the torso. It was all good, if I were doing Wonder Woman, I’d prefer the panty bottoms anyway.

So the ever-ready pirate outfit was my fallback. (Confession time – I have about 6 different pirate outits. Do you think that means something?) This one is actually made from a guy’s costume. I eliminated the pants, just wore the shirt and headband. Topped it off with some tights and my, way-cool, pirate boots. Not ultra-comfy on the feet, but not nearly as torturous as the ballet shoes. The feet merely grumbled a bit at the end of the day. This was a tough day, though, and I was one pooped pirate by closing time.

I let someone else pick my costume for the next day – my boss. I was a lucky Leprechaun for the work. It’s a one piece strappy dress, with a long-tailed shrug. Topped off with this fun hat, some black thigh-high stockings, and another pair of even more comfortable Doc Martins and I was a happy girl.

The final two days before Halloween are pure craziness. Mostly guys in the throws of last minute desperation. It’s nuts! We had a line down the street to get in the store and people smashed into every open space. This was a situation that needed some SUPERness. So out came the seasonal superhero – the Halloween Hero! She appears every Halloween to rescue those poor helpless folks who wait until the last minute to get their costumes. Faster than a speeding witch, stronger than Frankenstein, able to point customers to their perfect costume in a single wave. Someone suggested a name change – she may be called the Great Pumpkin in years to come. Something to ponder for the next 12 months.

Finally, a classic costume to finish out the madness – a simple, yet effective witch. I haven’t been a witch since I was a little girl. Maybe some green skin and a long crooked nose would have been a nice touch with those green and black striped tights of mine. Next time.