Sometime during the evening before my oldest daughter's first Halloween, it dawned on me that she might need a costume. As a child, most of my own Halloween outfits were compilations of what I could snatch from from parent's closets. A beret and an over-sized paint splattered men's shirt turned me into an artist. And with those happy recollections in mind, I soon found myself transforming a black silk yarmulke into a Mickey Mouse hat by stitching a set of shoulders pads on either side.
The next morning I carried my mini-Mouseketeer into day care. She was ready for Halloween.
Our daycare provider Carole was honest and straightforward. Thinking back on it, she was probably restrained, too.
"Michelle," she said. "You know you can buy those."
And she was right. But the thought that a Mickey Mouse hat could be purchased had never occurred to me. Nor did her comment influence future Halloween plans. The following year, I crocheted a bright orange pumpkin outfit with a matching hat . I am saving that one for grandchildren.
