There’s no wrong way to embrace the spooky season, but if you’re looking for a frightening experience, what might be even more terrifying than ghost stories and strolls through moonlit cemeteries in the wee hours of the night is arriving on October 31 without a clue of what to dress up as that evening! The horror!
When it comes to choosing the perfect Halloween costume, I always have a hard time. There are so many avenues to take, and I can never decide whether I should aim for a silly costume, a character I love, an impressive look, a character I actually resemble in real life, or personifying something clever like a pun. Celebrating Halloween always turns out to be a great time, but the weeks leading up to it are often filled with ruminating about what to dress up as. So to help all of you pandas (and let’s be honest, myself as well) decide on what to wear on the spookiest night of the year, we reached out to Miranda Enzor, the woman behind Spooky Little Halloween.
First, we wanted to hear what she loves most about Halloween and what inspired her to start a blog discussing October 31st all year round. “I love that you can make Halloween what you want it to be, from fun and family-friendly to creepy and gory,” Miranda told Bored Panda. “There's no wrong way to celebrate it. Originally, I started Spooky Little Halloween as a space to document my annual party, but it quickly became fun to seek out Halloween products, Halloweenify other holidays, and share those ideas with others.”
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While there’s no wrong way to celebrate Halloween, we were curious what Miranda thinks the best way to celebrate it is. “For me, parties are at the center of my celebration,” she shared. “I think it's a fun opportunity to dress up as an adult, drink a spooky cocktail, and spend time soaking in October. But you definitely don't have to host or attend a party to celebrate Halloween. Hosting at-home movie nights, visiting local haunted houses, or simply enjoying carving a jack-o-lantern are all great ways to celebrate too.”
We also asked Miranda what the most important factors to consider are when choosing the perfect costume. “I don't have a lot of rules for creating Halloween costumes, but I think an important factor to consider is comfort,” she told Bored Panda. “That doesn't mean taking the lazy route—it means finding ways to accomplish your look, no matter how simple or elaborate it might be, and making it comfortable to wear.”
“Nothing is worse than having an uncomfortable costume you disassemble 20 mins after you put it on,” Miranda noted. “One tip I always share is don't underestimate what costumes might be hiding in your closet! My favorite thing to do for myself is putting together costumes from clothing I already own. It's original, it's more affordable, and I'm always amazed at what I can create.”
When it comes to some of the best costumes she’s ever seen, Miranda says, “I LOVE costumes that take an idea and elevate it or put a unique spin on it. I have some friends who did a group costume of the Avengers, but they made 18th-century ball gowns inspired by their favorite characters. I just saw an idea the other day on TikTok where a group of girls made ice cream witch costumes—their hats were overturned ice cream cones with different flavors of ice cream, and their costumes coordinated with the ice cream colors. So clever and fun!”
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“My own favorite costume was my favorite because the creation process was so satisfying,” Miranda shared. “I dressed up as Janet from the beginning of Rocky Horror Picture Show, and I had the best time pulling together all the details. If you're not in a time crunch, it's so much more rewarding to put together a costume yourself than to buy one.”
If you’d like to gain more Halloween insight from Miranda or hear about some of her spookiest celebrations, be sure to visit her blog Spooky Little Halloween right here!
To gain even more insight on the spookiest day of the year, we reached out to another Halloween enthusiast, Black. As creator and editor of the Halloween and horror blog Halloween Love, Black shared with Bored Panda that their favorite aspects of Halloween are the season, the colors (both of autumn and the decorations), and horror movies. When it comes to how they recommend celebrating October 31st, Black told us, "For kids, classic trick 'r treating is a must. For teens and young adults, a house party is great. And for those of us that are getting older and settling in, a quiet night at home with snacks and scary movies is probably the wisest choice."
When it comes to choosing a costume, Black says comfort is key. "If your intentions are to have the best or scariest costume, that's most likely going to come at the cost of comfort because of masks, prosthetics, and accessories," they shared. "But, if you're going to be dancing/partying all night long, you better pick something simple and light."
They also told Bored Panda that some of their favorite costumes are "anything that's highly detailed and screen accurate". Some of their personal favorites are when people dress up as movie monsters, such as Freddy, Jason, or Michael.
If you'd like to gain more insight from Black and delve deeper into this spooky season, be sure to check out Halloween Love right here.
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In many countries, Halloween is a big day. The traditions may differ from place to place, but the holiday is celebrated all around the world. When it comes to an American Halloween celebration, candy and costumes are at the center of the show, as many kids look forward to trick or treating the entire year. In fact, one quarter of all of the candy sold annually in the United States is bought in preparation for Halloween. It makes sense though, as I remember my mother and I working our way through the massive bag of candy we purchased for trick or treaters months after the big day. And we did this every year, but we never learned to just purchase a smaller bag. Candy still tastes great in March anyway!
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While kids and adults have been dressing up in Halloween costumes for over a century now, more recently, there has been a trend to dress up our furry friends as well. In fact, in 2019, Americans spent $490 million on costumes for their pets. This trend has become so large that several animal organizations have even addressed the topic to ensure that pet owners find safe and comfortable costumes for their fur babies, if they choose to dress them up. According to the Animal Humane Society, an animal costume must first not limit or hinder their movement and senses. “Your animal should be able to walk, bark, meow, see, and hear clearly,” they explain.
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A pet costume must be made of non-toxic materials and be free of any small or dangling accessories that could be potentially chewed or swallowed. The Humane Society also recommends avoiding any costumes that have masks or shoes. It might also be helpful to get your pet used to the costume before they actually wear it out on the town for Halloween, as it’s important for them to feel comfortable, and you don’t want any unexpected issues to arise on the day of. Offer your fur baby lots of treats for cooperating with the costume too!
