My 3 Most Memorable Halloween Costumes

Let’s take a departure from our normal ‘Naden’s Corner’ content. We’ll be back with our regularly-scheduled programming next week.

It’s November. The Halloween costumes are all put away or thrown out. (Is it just me? Or are purchased costumes today made out of ultra-thin, cheap materials?)  Ghosts and goblins fade into the distance until next year. As Halloween transitions into Thanksgiving, and the stores think Christmas can’t arrive fast enough, I like to stay in the Halloween spirit and share my Top 3 Halloween Costumes.

1.       Astronaut: (1978). I had visions of floating through space. To take me there, I thought I’d sport an astronaut costume for the spookiest day. My Mom and Dad assisted with my quest to the moon. I cleared out a gallon ice-cream container (that was a fun exercise!!), cut holes for eyes and voila: I had a helmet. My suit consisted of sky-blue pajamas jazzed up with some tin foil patches. Take me to the moon and back.

2.       Howard Cosell: (1980). Before Dicky V went ballistic, and Chris Berman went “back, back, back, back”, Howard Cosell set the stage for the future of sportscasting. His confidence and viewpoints brought a new energy and attitude to watching and listening to a sporting event. Brown suitcoat. Black wig. ABC microphone. Big clip-on ears. Everyone wanted to hear my Howard Cosell imitation by the time the school bell rang.

3.       Football Referee: (1981). I wasn’t the teacher’s pet on this day. Not only did I wear the zebra stripes, black hat, tight pants, but I completed the ensemble with a yellow flag and whistle. “TTTTTWWWWEEEETTTT; 15-yard penalty on Mikey for being a dork.” Apologies, Ms. Martin, I hope I didn’t damage your hearing too much on that Fall day.

Honorable mention: Goldilocks and the Three Bears (1979). I was one of the, sly, cunning little bears, complete with brown corduroy suit, ears, and small tail created by my grandmother. My Dad wore the yellow wig, green tights and raised his voice a little; we were the highlight of that year’s party.

(Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures readily available for these 3 classic costumes.) The word pictures should be clear enough.

Until next time,

Dan Naden