Costume planning is in October. It starts earlier than I like to admit, usually with me saying, “I don’t know what I’m being this year,” and then spending the next three weeks thinking about nothing else.
First, I tell myself it will be easy. I scroll through ideas, save a few favorites, and promise I will decide later. Then the group chat gets involved. One friend wants a group costume, another has already ordered theirs, and someone else suggests an idea that needs four people and a very specific shade of green. Suddenly, a simple decision feels like a group project, and as college students, we already have enough of those.
The hard part is that “good enough” is never the goal. Everyone wants the perfect costume: recognizable but not too common, funny but not exhausting to explain, and comfortable enough to wear all night. Nobody wants to spend the evening answering, “Wait, what are you supposed to be?” or find out that three other people showed up in the same thing.
That is when the time and effort really start to add up. I check stores, order things online, hope they arrive on time, and make thrift shop trips to find a single needed piece. I try a DIY idea that looks great in my head but turns out a little different in real life. Between classes, homework, and work, I still find time to practice the makeup and fix a costume that isn’t quite working. And then, of course, comes the last-minute store run because one small accessory is missing.
Still, I would not change any of it. The planning is half the fun. It gives me something to look forward to in the middle of a busy semester, something to laugh about with friends, and an excuse to be creative after spending all week focused on schoolwork. When Halloween night finally comes, and everything comes together, the weeks of effort feel worth it.
That is why costume planning belongs to October. It is about more than finding an outfit. It is about the excitement of getting ready, the creativity of bringing an idea to life, and the anticipation that builds as Halloween approaches. The costume may only last one night, but the planning is what makes October feel like October.