Halloween: Imganitive Costumes in the 21st Century

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Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. It is the beginning of the New Year or the beginning of the end.

I was asked the other day by some Waldorf parents how I encouraged my Viking Kiddos to use their imaginations when creating their costumes and not tempted by the materialism of the modern 21^st century.

1. We really limit what they watch on television. What shows we allow the Viking Kiddos to watch reflect our values and beliefs as a family. I wrote about finding the “Soul in Educational Television” in a previous post. I think this value has allowed our Kiddos to create an extensive imagination.

2. We have been reading to the Kiddos since they were inutero. Like television we also pick books and literature that have souls, morality and clear pictures of right and wrong/evil and good. I want our Viking Kiddos to see and read about heroes that over come obstacles and limitations. Viking Dad and I want them to have a strong ethical and moral code based on a strong foundation. The one way we have been able to establish this is through literature, the Sagas, fairy tales and legends.

Viking Dad and I are self proclaimed comic book geeks and we are having a great time introducing Teen Titans, the Justice League, the X-men and Avengers to the Viking Kiddos. One of the powerful elements that make comic books so appealing is being able to tie the story lines to classical literature. It was one of these comic book heroes that our Son picked to be this Halloween. Our daughter is still living in Fairytale land which is just fine with me and Viking Dad. She still loves all things Princess and animals. So, this year she is a Princess Kitty.

Costumes created from imagination are not easily found in the stores during the Halloween seasons. So, Viking Dad and I have become creative and excellent costume designers. This year, I lucked out when my favorite knitting site, Raverly.com, had kitty paws and ears to knit. It is designed by Lions Brand Yarn. Add princess accessories and poof! A Princess Kitty. Check out the pattern here.

Our Son’s choice for his costume is rather interesting. He has grown up listening to the stories and legends of Viking sagas, myths. legends, and history. He loves watching and reading about the Teen Titans and Justice League. So, when he asked to be Captain America and I had a surge of pride but was curious why this particular character. He hasn’t read the comics or seen the movie. When asked why he explained that, “Captain America is cool and he’s a pilot.” Our Son is obsessive with planes and pilots so to us this seemed a reasonable answer. The costume is very basic and will be used afterwards in different portions. We found a T-shirt with the Captain America iconic design and we will match them with blue pants. He has the gloves, the shield and mask already and now he’s ready to go. Captain America is your typical hero. He is motivated by his ethical and moral beliefs and he overcame many obstacles to become the Man and the Hero he is today. I know that Captain America is a fictional character the elements that Stan Lee used to create this character are elements I would gladly use as a model for my Son. Plus, put Captain America in Viking/Anglo-Saxon clothing and he could be Beowulf, Leif Erikson, Prince Ottarr, etc. etc.

This is how we have developed the imagination in our Viking Kiddos. Each family needs to examine their own values and goals to determine if this is the path for them. There is plenty of time for reality. Lets let out children be children for a while longer.

Gwyl Mair