Halloween costume stores have some great costumes – but many also have frightful prices. If you’re on a budget – or simply prefer to use your creativity – there are plenty of easy options for making a clever, low-budget Halloween costume for your child.

Bunch of Grapes

This one is a classic! Have your child wear plain sweat pants and sweat shirt or a leotard and tights. Then just blow up purple or green balloons and stick them to the clothing with safety pins. Add a paper or cloth “stem” hat if desired. You can also use curled ribbon to make vine accents.

Sleep Walker

This is an easy one. Have your child wear pajamas, slippers and a robe. Mess up his or her hair for a bed-head look, and have them collect candy in a pillowcase.

Dirty Laundry

Use an old laundry basket, cut out the base, and then slip it over your child’s head. Attach robe belts, scarves or rope to create suspenders to hold the basket in place. For the finishing touch, put some old clothing, empty laundry soap containers, dryer sheets and clothespins to create the “laundry.”

Route 66

On a gray or black sweat suit, create a “road” with masking tape, then make road signs and attach them with tape or safety pins. Don’t forget to make cars (or use small plastic ones) to add to the road!

Smarty Pants

This costume couldn’t be easier! Start with a solid-colored sweat suit, then add rolls of Smarties candy to it with tape or safety pins, and viola! Instant “smarty pants.” Best of all, you can eat part of this costume once Halloween is over!

Lego

If your little one loves Legos, this easy costume will be a hit! Using a large cardboard box, cut openings for your child’s head and arms. Spray paint the box your favorite Lego color and allow to dry. Then use six plastic bowls (all of the same size) and glue them to the front of the box in two rows of three. Once the glue is dry, spray paint the front once again, making sure to coat the plastic bowls. Have your child wear solid colored sweat pants and pull-over sweatshirt (ideally the same color as the Lego), and you’re all set! If you really want to go all out, use a small box and string to create a hat, using the same process as for the body, but use only one plastic bowl on top of the hat.

Bag of Leaves

This costume is incredibly easy – and incredibly adorable! You’ll need a large black trash bag, artificial (or real) leaves, and solid-colored clothing. First, cut holes in the bottom and sides of trash bag for your child’s head and arms. Then tape or glue artificial or real leaves to the outside of the bag. You can also tuck some leaves into the neck hole of the trash bag, leaving some of them partially visible (artificial leaves work best for this). If you want to add more volume to the bag, stuff crumpled up newspaper inside (no one will see it), and then tape or glue the bag shut at the bottom (leaving an opening for your child’s legs).

Jelly Beans

Blow up some colorful balloons, but keep them small. These will be the jelly beans. Then, using a clear trash bag, cut holes into the bottom for your child’s legs. Once your child steps into the bag, fill the are between their body and the bag with the jelly bean balloons. Using ribbon, create suspenders to keep the bag from falling. If you think it’s necessary, attach a sign that says “Jelly Beans” to add to the front of the costume.

Chick Magnet

This is a fun costume for cute little boys! You’ll need some baby chicks for this one (just paper ones!) and some plain clothing, such as a sweat suit. Simply attach paper chicks to the clothing with tape or safety pins, and consider adding a sign that says something like, “Yeah, I’m a chick magnet!”

Lame Excuse

This costume is perfect for slightly older children. On different sticky notes, write several (lame) excuses such as ‘My dog ate my homework’, ‘My alarm didn’t go off’, ‘Cough-Cough…I think I’m getting sick’. Just be creative and come up with as many as you can. Put the sticky notes all over your child’s shirt (you may have to use heavy tape, as well). In just a matter of minutes, your child can become a lame excuse!

With a little resourcefulness and creativity, you too, can create a low-budget Halloween costume that’s unique and entirely memorable.

Even if you filled their basket with nothing else but gift certificates it would be a hit! You can put in coupons for fast food
joints, movie rentals or movie passes, a gift certificate for music CD’s to give you a few ideas. Speaking of music you can do a basket with that theme. Several CD’s, a CD
case, concert tickets, an MP3 player or CD player. For a gift basket for a football buff you can start with a couple tickets to a game they’d love
to see. Then add a team cap, some munchies to take to the game, and add a football to toss around while you wait for the game to start. You can do that for about any sport,
a fisherman for instance would get maybe a new rod, a fishing license, put in their favorite bait, lures, bobbers, and ect. A mechanic might like a roll of shop towels,
flashlights, tools, and I’m sure by now you get the idea!

For that special someone that you just want to pamper, you can put any of their favorite bath stuffs, lotions, a soothing
tape or CD. If the idea of filling a basket from scratch is something your not sure you want to tackle, many companies offer finished baskets all ready to send to the lucky
somebody! This is something to even consider for that hard to buy for guy, you know which one, the one that has everything he wants because he buys it for himself. So next
time your looking for something different or something more personal think gift basket!

Colorful gifts:
There are a variety of items available for shopping, specially for the season. Bakers start their process of making aromatic and great tasting cakes, chocolates and so many different mouth watering items. They are of attractive shapes and sizes and colors with ecstatic flavor. Chocolates are even made in the shape of Santa Claus. One can gift appealing chocolates that add more sweetness to the season.

There are Christmas Tee Shirts available. There are multiple items available for the purpose of gifting. To say some, there are attractive greeting cards, Santa serving bowls and kitchen wares, Christmas teddy bears, ornamental flowers, Carol song collections, Santa suits and much more.

Items that add decor to the season:
People beautify their residences with distinct tastes. New innovative items are coming to the markets every year. There are dazzling ornamental lighting available for decorative purposes. Astonishing variety of crib items are available with varying sizes to suit the individual needs.

Captivating ranges of Christmas trees are available for one to shop. One can select Christmas trees according to one’s needs. One might need a Christmas tree to fit into a 6 inch space, while, the other might need a 6 meter long tree to keep out door. So, one can shop according to the requirement and budget assigned.

Santa Claus dolls are available in different sizes, from the size of a finger to the size of a human. Also white beards and red suits are available for dressing oneself like Santa Claus. Balloons add color to the season.

No one can forget the bright, sparkling stars during the Christmas season. Beautiful stars would be glowing throughout the nights, in front of every home. Again, from small to big, there are a wide range of stars available, in beautiful patterns.

The other part that adds great color to the season is the Christmas Carol. There are wonderful collections of Christmas Carols by great Musicians. The Christmas Bells are also special. Another lovely thing is the Guardian Angel. Guardian Angel is a part in the Crib decoration. However, one can get the doll of a Guardian Angel separately also.

The the real happiness of Christmas is in sharing. It does not matter how big or how small the gift is. Therefore, enjoy the real happiness of the season by sharing what you have.

If you are not an accomplished sewer, it may be a good idea to enroll in night school and to take a few lessons. Otherwise, you may feel confident enough from reading thoroughly the instructions that come with your sewing machine and having a little practice with some oddments of fabric. There are sewing classes at local colleges. You don’t need anything complicated, just the basics. The best thing to do is to keep it simple if you’re only a beginner.

Here are some ideas of costumes which are always appreciated by children. The Wolverine X-Men is a good one as it is not only pleasant to wear, whilst a little rugged it is also a reminder of the superhero. The Transformers Bumble Bee is an update on the pirate costume and boys big or small adore this. The Classic Red Power Ranger costume with its many variations has always been very popular, and let’s not forget the Deluxe Harry Potter Robe where you get to wear the cool reading glasses and the cape.

Now for the little girls. They always like to dress up as princesses so why don’t you use the theme of a Pretty Princess Witch? This is a friendly rather than a scary witch, but yet she is bright and colourful and ideal for Halloween. The Scar-let Pirate theme also carries though to the girls as a Pirate Girl. This is a little scary, but nice to wear and should be admired by her friends, which is always important. Hannah Montana is possibly more suitable to your younger daughter, whilst the Tooth Fairy or Scooby Doo Daphne is amusing, pretty to look at and suits older girls.

To go on to make these costumes you need to decide exactly what fabric to buy. Cotton, as well as being hygienic is easy to wear and will last for many years. However, there is nothing to stop you from using synthetic fabric. One friend of mine even used a pair of curtains to make an outfit for her child.

Now you need to go out and buy a paper pattern. These are usually made out of paper and marked with the measurements to give you the correct size. Once you got everything together you can start to sort out your Halloween outfits to make many happy times for your kids this Halloween.

1) Do you have unused blankets taking up space in your closets? Why not donate them to a homeless shelter or shelter for battered women?

2) How about going through clothing that you and your family members have outgrown or no longer wear? A coat could help keep someone warm who doesn抰 have one. A pair of shoes could keep someone抯 feet warm and dry.

3) Why not take the time to make a gift basket for an elderly person or neighbor who you don抰 see very often and take a few minutes to visit them?

4) Is there a divorcee or widowed person in your neighborhood who may need some work done around their home? Fixing something or cleaning the house of someone for free, when it is hard for them to get around, could be a big help.

5) Volunteering for Sub For Santa could be a real blessing for a family in need.

6) Serving or donating a holiday dinner could brighten someone抯 day, especially if they are down on their luck, and can抰 afford it themselves.

7) Sometimes just spending the time to talk to someone can greatly improve their lives. Maybe there is a confused teenager or child who could use some encouragement or direction in their lives.

If you have the time, visiting a hospital, reading to the elderly, caroling or visiting the sick could help to cheer them up. Some of these people have no friends or family to visit them and end up spending the holidays alone.

9) Donating to your favorite charity can change lives.

10) Try to be as patient and kind as possible. The holidays can be very stressful at times. If you smile and show patience even when you don抰 feel like it, you may be surprised how helpful that can be at defusing potentially unpleasant situations.

There is a whole big world out there and we are all a part of it. By helping others, we help ourselves to make a better world for us to live in. Little gestures can mean a lot. We can make each year a little better than the last if we try. Happy Holidays!

We all like to receive letters especially ones that give us good news, but to receive a Santa letter is extra special. For children, a Letter From Santa creates smiles, excitement and everlasting memories! Each letter reinforces sharing and giving, encourages good behavior and helps maintain childhood innocence by keeping the belief in Santa alive.

It takes just a few minutes to create a personalized Santa letter. You just need to go online and find out a website that is into designing the Christmas letter from Santa. In fact you can get the options of choosing the North Pole letterhead for the letter. Select the designs that you will like to have on the letter and also fill in forms with the information about the child.

Can you picture your child’s excited face opening this wonderful letter from Santa?

The personalized Santa letters are sent to the address with the proper seal of North Pole before Christmas. The child is going to feel really special as this is an unexpected gift for him. They will get so delighted that they would like to show this letter to all the friends. In case someone tells him that there is nobody called Santa Claus, they will show off the letter as evidence.

All children have a lot of fantasy about Santa Claus in their mind and when they feel the presence of this magic man in reality it happens to be an occasion of utter happiness.

Jack the Smith, known in his Irish homeland as “Stingy Jack,” was a very disagreeable drunkard and liar. One night, the Devil came looking for Jack to see if Jack was as evil as his reputation warranted. Sure enough, upon being found by the Devil, Jack thought it his end and begged Satan for the opportunity for one last trip to the pub. The Devil complied with Jack’s request. After many drinks, Jack told the Devil he had no money to pay his tab. The Devil then turned himself into a silver coin so Jack could pay the barkeeper. Jack quickly placed the coin in his pocket which also contained a crucifix. The Devil was unable to change his form as a coin as he was bound by the crucifix. In exchange for his freedom, the Devil complied with Jack’s demand that his soul be spared for ten years.

Upon the tenth anniversary of their unholy bargain, Jack again found himself visited by Lucifer. Jack thought surely he was done for this time and on his way to Hell. As the two prepared to journey to the place of fire and brimstone, Jack asked the Devil if he could have one apple as he was quite hungry. Once again and quite stupidly, the Devil agreed to Jack’s request. The Devil climbed a nearby apple tree to get an apple for Jack. Jack quickly surrounded the base of the tree with crucifixes. The Devil was enraged by Jack’s trap and demanded his freedom. Jack agreed with Satan’s request on the condition that Satan agrees never to take Jack’s soul to Hell.

Jack’s evil drunken lifestyle finally caught up with him and he died. Jack prepared to enter Heaven; but, was refused by St. Peter due to his abhorrent life. Jack, in despair from the thought of wandering forever between Heaven and Hell, went to the gates of Hell to beg to be admitted. The Devil told Jack that a deal was a deal – he could not admit him into the underworld. But, to mark Jack as a denizen of Hell, he gave Jack a hot ember from its fires. Jack placed the ember in a hollowed turnip, one of the foods he commonly stole, to light his way as he roamed the earth never to find a place to rest. He then came to be known as “Jack of the Lantern” and the lamp he carried as a “Jack-o-Lantern.”

On All Hallow’s Eve, the Irish hollowed out turnips and placed lights in them to scare away evil spirits and Stingy Jack. These were the first Jack-o-Lanterns. Upon coming to America, the Irish discovered that pumpkins were much better for carving than turnips. Thus, the Jack-o-Lantern, as we now know it, was born!

There are many ways in which you can give your Christmas yard decorations a unique feel and touch. Lights affixed to pre-formed stands can look extremely nice in your yard; you can take your pick from a variety of shapes including Santa, reindeer, and angels. Also, you may even find toy trains and nativity scenes to decorate your garden. You can hang angels from branches to give your front yard a heavenly touch and use lights to decorate trees, shrubs, swings etc.

You can also make use of fiberglass or plastic figurines that can be lit from behind or within to light up your outdoors. These figurines are available in several shapes and sizes, and they all depict characters that are related to Christmas and are Biblical. Common characters include Santa, three wise men, shepherds, candy canes, elves, angels etc.

Of course, the nativity scene is a huge favorite among outdoor Christmas decorations and perfectly symbolizes the complete meaning of the Christmas season. It is a visual representation of the birth of baby Jesus. The nativity scene would include main characters like Mary, Joseph, and Christ along with some shepherds, an angel, the three wise men, and some animals to represent the barnyard animals. For that extra touch of creativity, you can use a snowfall light boxes that uses the light to create a fake “snow fall” effect.

A new innovative outdoor Christmas decoration idea would be to make use of giant inflatable Christmas yard decorations. These are favorites among the kids and are available in a variety of shapes and sizes. This particular decoration idea is definitely a unique touch to your outdoor decor. They are extremely easy to use and store for next Christmas.

And where would Christmas be without Santa Claus. You can place a big Santa outside to grab attention. But make sure that it is made of strong materials in order to last the harsh weather. You can even place Rudolph in your front yard to enhance the look of your garden.

But nothing beats a huge lighted Christmas tree out in the front yard; decorate the tree with personalized hangings to give it that unique touch. All you need to do is switch on the lights to experience the perfect glow in your garden in the evenings.

Decorating the exteriors can be just as fun as decorating indoors, outdoor Christmas decoration lend a great festive feel to your home. Beautiful Christmas yard decorations send out nice and warm vibes to your guests and visitors. This Christmas, put on your thinking cap and churn out nice and unique Christmas decorating ideas to jazz up your front yard.

With the coming of flocks of Irish immigrants to America during the Great Famine, holly wreaths began to be used as door decorations. Celts also believed that mistletoe possessed healing qualities and that if two enemies were to meet under it, a brief truce would reign. This belief evolved into kissing under the mistletoe during the Victorian era. The world-wide tradition of placing a lit candle in your window is also an ancient Irish custom. It symbolised the welcoming of strangers into your house which harked back to the night that the Holy Family were refused room at the inn in Bethlehem. To not show a lit candle in your window meant that you shared the guilt of the innkeeper.

In conjunction with this, after the Christmas meal, the table is re-set, some food is left out and the latch on the door is left off, so any wandering traveller can come in and have some tucker. The day after Christmas Day is also very important in Ireland and it is called St. Stephen’s Day, on which a very old tradition known as the Wren Boys Procession takes place. Young men and women dress up in home-made costumes, blacken their faces and go from house to house singing songs and playing instruments.

There are two main options. One is a natural looking tree, for example a Monroe Pine. Good ones look very natural, with the coloration varying just like in a natural one. There are lots of different types of natural looking trees, available from table top size to well over fifteen feet high. The second option is one that makes no attempt to look natural, for example a red, gold or silver one. These can be very attractive, but no one will mistake them for natural.

There are multiple advantages also to an artificial tree. You reuse it every year, essentially recycling. With a natural one, you throw it away shortly after Christmas. You can also have an artificial one up longer as they don’t dry out and die. They are not potential fire hazards; clearly a real tree, especially when somewhat dry, burns easily. I always make sure to turn off the lights when leaving or sleeping due to fire worries with natural trees.

There is also no mess and fuss at all. You don’t to go buy one, which is very expensive in some areas, properly orient it in a stand, water regularly to help extend its life, and clean the needles that regularly fall. We get a natural tree every year, and we also have a smaller artificial one we greatly enjoy.