Starting to feel the holiday crush approaching

I can't be the only one who's realizing how few days there are until Halloween, and the official runaway freight train of the holiday season. I love Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas as individual celebrations, but the psychic weight of the whole two-month period can wear on me.

So I think today's topic is going to be a mishmash of comments about minimizing stress related to the holidays, finding things to be joyful about, and a little bitching just because this is a safe place to complain without anyone thinking we're blowing things out of proportion. Feel free to post what you've got. (And Canadians, you can brag about being done with Thanksgiving already.)

I'm going to start with my annual plug for the A Greater Gift fair trade catalog. You can buy fair-trade chocolate Advent calendars (the kid with the chocolate behind each window), and lots of toys and serving items made by fair-trade artisans. (And they have alpaca yarn and handmade knitting needles and crochet hooks this year, too!)

Ordering from the Greater Gift catalog makes me feel joyful because I know the gifts are handmade by people who are being fairly compensated for their work. And it just feels nice to have an item that you know was made by an actual person somewhere out in the world.

Now a question that I thought was really funny, because it was just so cranky. Let it be known that the writer knew it was cranky and not earth-shattering, but just wanted to express some frustration:

"Am I the only parent who thinks dressing up an infant for Halloween is ridiculous? I stand alone in my family. Already talk at family gatherings, by email and by phone has come around to "what will she be for Halloween?" My answer - "10 months old, in bed, not collecting candy" falls on deaf ears. Why must I spend 30$ on something she'll wear once? (yes, I admit to being a hypocrite since I spent far more than 30$ on a wedding dress I wore once, but still.). So, since I am losing this battle, any suggestions for a costume? And, aside from having no sewing skills to speak of, I can be pretty crafty with a glue gun, so suggestions that involve NOT going to a big box store would be appreciated too. thanks!"

I can gloat about the fact that my older son has chosen the costume he absolutely must! have! from the drugstore, so I'm 50% done with the costume craziness. I have no idea what the younger one will deign to wear.

Any suggestions for a baby costume that can be made with a glue gun? I'm no help, since I went all-out and sewed baby costumes when my kids were teeny. But then I'm a Halloween fan.

Anything interesting to share or complain about any of the upcoming holidays?

Comments

[theWallflower]

There's no need to feel bad about your wedding dress. A person only has one wedding (assumably), but there are multiple Halloweens. Plus, the wedding is meant to be remembered, whereas the kid will not know the difference between Halloween and cake.

[cynthia]

for Me: If you know the people in the neighborhood where your son will be trick-or-treating, maybe you could provide safe candy for them to give to your son. Some friends of ours did this for their daughter, who has all kinds of allergies, and the neighbors were happy to oblige. The parents just came by a day or two before Halloween and dropped off a couple of pieces at each house.

[Mia C]

When my son was 1, I made him a punk rocker. He had a tiny spiked dog collar and spiked up hair, sprayed with a little cheap green hairspray. I took a cheap white T-shirt, cut out the sleeves and frayed them, took a red fabric paint marker and scrawled the Anarchy symbol with "Punk Rock" scrawled underneath. I decorated it with safety pins and he wore it with jeans. It was cheap, fun, and different, I didn't want to make him something cutesy- although he was darling.

[Christiana]

Am I the only one who was a pillow case indian as a little kid? I bet it would be fine on a baby. A few feathers on a headband, fringe the open end of the pillowcase, cut holes for arms and head along the seams. Easy, cheap costume. You can magic marker some Indian markings on the pillow case. I tan one is best, but my mom dyed mine (it started white) w/ tea to make it look older/worn.

The only reason I'd dress baby up for Halloween is for the photo op. I'm more likely to put my infant in a Halloween-themed onesie for the day than actually make her wear a full-out costume.

[Kathy]

To "Me" (mom of kid with peanut allergy):

Trick or Treat for Unicef! Maybe your kiddo's a little young to think it's more fun to collect money for poor kids than to collect candy for himself. But, if you can get him on board, he can have the door-to-door fun, and then you can give him safe candy, later.

Personally, I'm always thrilled to fill those little orange boxes with spare change, rather than giving kids candy, and those trick or treaters always seem to be the ones having the most fun.

[kelli]

My baby shower was just before Halloween, so my mom made me and DH pumpkin costumes. Mom and MIL have also made other costumes in the past as DH's birthday is in early October and he can never decide what he wants. So we have Wizard/Witch, Clowns, Bears, Pumpkins...and various wigs and masks my mom made when I was a kid.

When DS1 was one we were the three bears as an Auntie had gifted him a costume with bear ears on the hood -- and I knitted the dog a Hallowig so he was Goldilocks.

Last year DS chose his own costume -- Engineer Doctor R. I had no idea what he meant, so Grandma made him a lab coat and I threw together an elastic headband with a CD on it (for a reflector) and a stethoscope from his Elmo toy. His younger brother became a cat thanks to my mom.

This year we're going to be a pumpkin patch. We're wearing the costumes from our baby shower -- DD (expected in Jan) will help me fill out the costume. Grandma sent little pumpkin costumes for the boys. We're going to dress up at each of the preschools (trick or treating parade with non-food treats), and visit our babysitter's house (next door), then just entertain people who are visiting.

I love Halloween, but it's getting to be a bit much with all of the holidays + family (all three kids!) + friend birthdays at the end of the year...but I used to always throw a pumpkin carving party as our big fall get-together with friends. It will be more fun when the kids can contribute, too (most friends have newborns or 1-year-olds this year). We don't trick or treat (beyond school & the sitters), but I love seeing the costumes!

[Auburn]

I just suggested a Stewie costume to a friend with a bald, big headed baby. I thought it was hilarious. She didn't laugh though.

[amy]

I didn't think about the peanut allergy, but since I had my daughter, I've been more highly observant of choking hazards. MnMs? Oy. So, I usually keep a bowl of little sticker packs or fake tattoos as an option for the littlest kids. Maybe I should make that an option for all the kids, in case of allergies. Parents of the peanut-allergic: would that work for your kids, I wonder?

[another Amy]

They sell ipod baby onesies, but one would be incredibly easy to make with a glue gun, a white onesie or shirt, and some grey fabric ... see here for a picture: http://blogs.chron.com/mamadrama/archives/ipod_ethan.jpg

[Maureen]

Hi... I'd second the suggestion to have a party at home for the child with the peanut allergy. Have a couple little friends his general age over (and their parents) and you guys could do some really fun things (A little costume parade, etc.) - I definitely think there should be more to the "holiday" than just candy collecting.

[Catharina]

We were four kids and when Halloween came around my youngest sister, who was barely a year old, was not going to come trick or treating with us. But she realized that we were about to go out and do something fun and climbed up into her stroller, so my Dad decided to take her along. She was not dressed up (since we weren't planning on taking her), but she happened to be dressed all in green. So my siblings and I drew a few green lines in her face with some facepaint and told everyone she was grass. The end.

[Claudia]

Now I'm depressed. In my rural area of Denmark, the concept of Halloween is just beginning to catch on, but actual trick-or-treating is years off. I have thrown a couple of Halloween parties pre-kid, and will do so again when she's old enough to participate.

I have received costumes from friends, and they are just for photo ops. Last year she was 7 months old, and was a pea pod. This year she is going to be 18 months old, and has a ladybug costume, which she will be going to daycare in, dadnabit! It's just a fleece outfit plus hat, so totally comfortable to hang out in all day.

I lived in SF for 10 years, so I'm really missing our "civic" holiday!

Abby as Cat in the Hat is too freakin' adorable. I made a Sneech costume, and have worn it a few times.

[cooler*doula]

Martha Stewart has some no-sew grocery store costumes that are pretty creative and may adapt to a 10 month old.

At 6 months, our son wore a black sleeper my husband found that had a long tail on it... And he was in bed by 6pm anyway.

At 1.5 I sewed tons of cheesecloth onto a white t-shirt and he was a ghost.

This year, I caved and bought a shark costume. $26. But I've found about 6 events to take him to in the damn thing.

[TW]

We're having a Halloween party and I got my 4 month old a super cute little devil costume on Ebay. $1.99+$6.00 shipping. It's basically a red hooded onesie with horns, so she'll be comfy, too.

[dawnf]

to ME: the mom with the peanut allergies issue
When my kids were that age we let them trick or treat & when they got home they "traded" all of their candy for one of the approved pieces we were giving out & they also got to pick out a small toy for my son it was a hot wheels car or 2 they even have special ones in plastic pumpkins with the cars characters at target for my daughter it was a little people halloween figure then those kelly dolls when she got older. They Never have gotten to keep their candy my Dh takes it all into work & leaves it in the breakroom & it's gone by noon! Now that the older two are 12 and 8 we pay them $1/lb for their candy & they can take a piece or two from our stash to school the next day but they are usually the only kids not spun out on sugar.
Basically if you start the pattern now when they are 2 or 3 it will always have been that way & for them the fun is collecting it with their friends anyways. I know I pass out the small playdough packs to the younger kids & stickers for the older ones last year mcdonalds or wendy gift certificates $1.for 10 . One year we even passed out pumpkins cut out of paper & glued quarters for eyes a dime for a nose & pennies for the mouth.
Good luck!

[ikate]

I'm usually a "make it yourself" kind of gal, but this year I found a darling flower costume for my 13-month old on babystyle.com in the clearance section for $7.99! It's so cute and warm and snugly and there is no way I could have made a costume for less (plus, since I was buying something else shipping didn't really "count" in the costume cost.

I personally think that if the kid can't walk, there is no reason to dress them up. Last year she had on a jack-o-lantern bib (a gift) as we passed out candy.

[A]

I am not much of a Halloween fan. The part about costumes and getting the kids all dressed up is great yet, I have not bought into going from door to door asking for candy. Where we live, the Zoo has a great Halloween event where kids get to walk through the entire zoo, be dressed for the occasion, check out the animals and get all kinds of fun zoo toys and of course some of the dreaded candy but when the kids explore the goody bags at the end of the event they head for the toys...so that's good too.

[heather]

Wait until closer to the actual day, then go shopping. Already Halloween costumes are 50% off in some stores near me, on Oct. 31 I bet they'll be almost giving them away!

Also, the daughter's grandparents are SO excited about her first Halloween. So I am dressing her up and taking her trick-or-treating before dinner. (Yes, her Dad & Mom will eat all her candy!) Then she'll be in bed at her regular time and we'll hand out candy to all the other trick-or-treaters.

[Deanna]

I second Moxie's plug for A Greater Gift. Also, Fair Trade Federation (www.fairtradefederation.org) has a member list with links to tons of excellent vendors.

As for Halloween, my friend dressed her 5-month old daughter as Maggie Simpson. Blue wearable blanket (like the Halo blankets), yellow bonnet, red pacifier. Easy easy.

[DD]

I am another one who is not sure whether my daughter will wear her costume this halloween or not. It's a fuzzy one-piece dalmation costume. Will probably need to figure out a backup costume that consists of regular clothes!

[Kim-Anh]

I'm thinking about doing a cheapo Superman outfit for my 7-month old.

Download a Superman logo from the internet and print onto inkjet iron-on paper. Iron onto blue onesie.

Put red tights onto fat baby, except button the onesie outside the pants. (Sure, Superman technically had blue tights and red briefs on, so if you can find that in a baby size, go for it!)

[Shandra]

I hate the holiday rush. I was ignoring it. :)

For peanut-free snacks, if you know the houses you are going to, could you ask those people to dispense your snacks for you? I realize this won't work every year going forward, but take it one year at a time.

One of my cousins is diabetic and at first his parents approached it that way. Then one year they traded candy two-for-one so he felt he was getting more. After that they bought his candy from him and he took the whack'o'cash to the store to get something really wicked.

GL!

[Maura]

Well, it's a big and boxy store, but....

When my mother asked me what my son was going to be for Halloween this year I said, "Same thing as last year. Whatever's on sale the night before at Burlington Coat Factory." Last year he was an $8 dinosaur.

[Maura]

Well, it's a big and boxy store, but....

When my mother asked me what my son was going to be for Halloween this year I said, "Same thing as last year. Whatever's on sale the night before at Burlington Coat Factory." Last year he was an $8 dinosaur.

[hedra]

RE: the peanut allergies. we have huge food issues with our kids (no fructose, no HFCS, no lactose, no gummy ANYTHING, nothing sticky, no hard candies, one with no chocolate and another with no dyes... we're down to plain chocolate for 3 of 4, and pretty much nada for the fourth). After we get home, we trade one-for-one with candy they MAY eat, to a total of 30 items (they pretty much lose interest over that value), and then buy the rest off them for shiny cash. They like the cash bonanza, too. :)

I didn't want them to feel like it was all a let-down, but we think of it instead as if they're collecting barter goods - they'll get their bonanza, it just will be 20 minutes later, due to the swap-out-and-sell time required.

Works so far. Last year, they didn't even want to keep 30 items, even of the swap-out candy we bought for them. So we let them pick just whatever of the 'safe' items they wanted to keep (including the toys items), and bought the rest. Cash, shiny cash! ;)

[sue]

Thrift stores and consignment shops. My 7mo will be a $5 giraffe this year, and my 3yo will be a duck - she wants to be a duck every year. Her lovey is a duck and she likes to dress up as "him" So sweet. I'll really miss that when she grows out of it.

I have such trouble with Halloween. My mom died on Halloween 7 years ago (cancer) - it's really difficult to celebrate that day with my kids now. but the candy parade must go on. sigh.

[Elle]

My 2.5 y.o. daughter has decided she wants to be a ghost, and that her 6 month old baby has, of course, to be a baby ghost. I'm making both costume with a white hoodies and a cut up white sheet that was headed for the dust rag bag anyway. Last year at 20 months my daughter was a cowgirl. When she was an infant I just put her in an Old Navy Halloween themed shirt and some pants to help answer the door.

As for Christmas (I'm one of the Canuks done with Thanksgiving) I'm all about the online shopping this year. Convenient, no crowds,and avoids impulse buys so it's easier to stick to the budget. With our dollar at par we have even more options this year.

[Maggie]

Love and Logic has a great article on their website (www.loveandlogic.com) on how parents and kids can have a good time at holiday get togethers. It helped me a lot!

[Sheila]

For "Me" regarding the peanut allergy...
Our son has a peanut and tree nut allergy, and we've been trick-or-treating with him for the past 4 years. He loves Halloween, and it's not a big problem at our house.

The ground rule is that we sort through everything when he comes home - no tasting until it's approved by Mom and Dad. Yes, there are a lot of candy bars and small treats that "may contain traces" of peanuts. We take out at least 60% of what he brings home, and we take away his sisters' suspect treats too. Not really a problem, since they bring home huge piles of stuff anyway.

Of course we buy treats that are nut-free, and we trade, giving him one safe treat that he likes for every 2 "yucky" ones we take away. But at 3 years old our son didn't really count, and was still delighted with what he had left.

We hand out the bad stuff at the door, and my husband takes the leftovers to work. All are individually wrapped, so we aren't concerned about cross-contamination with other treats in the bag.

In Canada there are 4 kinds of mini chocolate bars that are made in a nut-free factory: Smarties, Aero, KitKat and CoffeeCrisp, all made by Nestle. All kinds of potato chips and corn chips are fine. So are "rockets" sugar candies and lollipops, gum, and a few other small candies. Look in your local grocery stores and department stores to familiarize yourself with what's for sale, and read the labels on the big boxes, so you will have some idea of what he might be bringing home, and can recognize the ones you need to remove.
Happy Halloween!

[Sheila]

Here's an article from AllergyMoms.com that talks about dealing with Halloween, with some very good ideas. (found it via ParentHacks).
www.allergymoms.com/uploads/newsletters/halloweentipstreats.html
I hope you and your family will have a safe and happy Halloween.

[Jen]

White "sweatsuit" (or onesie) + white hat + black magic marker = dalmatian
(ok, so you have to glue or sew on two "ears" of some kind; but felt is cheap!)

:-)

This is a great outfit for toddlers who walk around trick or treating, too, since you can put layers of clothing underneath the sweatpants and sweatshirt and it still looks great. My sister in law did this with my nephew one year and I thought it was brilliant.

[Jessica King]

Hello,

Thanks so much for including us in your blog! We've gotten some catalog requests already from people who said they found us on your site, which is awesome. We really appreciate your support, because we're a nonprofit and can't spend a lot on advertising.

Thanks again!

Jessica
A Greater Gift

[tin whiskers]

Hi,
I'm the anti-halloween mom...I'm not against the holiday in principle, just don't see why it's such a big deal. thanks for the costume ideas though.