It’s October! Which means I want to wear sweaters and drink hot chai lattes . . . but it’s still 90 degrees in LA. Oh, AND I need to figure out what we’re doing for costumes. Since my kids like to dress up for Halloween and our homeschool group also hosts an All Saints Day Pageant, we need costumes for both. But there is no way I’m doing two complete costumes for all these kids.
Enter the TWOFER costume. One costume that works for both Halloween and All Saints Day, with just a few tweaks.
The kids have decided on what they want to be for this year, so we are hard at work on the following costumes. I’ll put the Amazon link under the photos, in case you’re playing along at home . . .
Bobby’s middle name is Benedict, after Pope Benedict XVIII, and St. Benedict of Norcia, who founded twelve communities for monks. His Rule became one of the most
influential religious rules in Western Christendom. For this reason, Benedict is often called the founder of western monasticism.
(for St. Benedict, and we’ll also need a staff, and maybe a book of rules)
St. Lucy was born of rich and noble parents about the year 283. Her
father was of Roman origin, but died when she was five years old. Like many of the early martyrs, Lucy had consecrated her virginity to
God, and she hoped to distribute her dowry to the poor. Lucy was denounced as a Christian, and depending on which version of the story you hear, either had her eyes gouged out as torture, or gouged them out herself in order to discourage a persistent suitor who admired them. When her
body was prepared for burial in the family mausoleum it was discovered
that her eyes had been miraculously restored.
I saw this Upside Down Guy costume and just knew it would be a perfect St. Peter Crucified costume. Jack is usually the one who’s done the crazy costumes. But this year he’s at real school, and the middle schoolers don’t dress up! So, Gus has stepped up to be the crazy costume guy in the family.
Peter was one of twelve apostles chosen by Jesus from his first disciples.
Originally a fisherman, he played a leadership role and was with Jesus
during events witnessed by only a few apostles, such as the Transfiguration.
According to Christian tradition, Peter was crucified in Rome under Emperor Nero Augustus Caesar.
It is traditionally held that he was crucified upside down at his own
request, since he saw himself unworthy to be crucified in the same way
as Jesus.
costume ideas for All Saints Day. I posted them all after the fact, but
in case you’re looking for ideas for this year, check it out . . .
Over 150 All-Saints Day Costumes for Kids
Last Minute Twofer Costumes for Halloween AND All Saints Day
Costumes for All Saints Day AND Halloween: One Part Catholic, Two Parts Awesome
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If you’d like to keep track of ALL the feasts of the Catholic liturgical year, I’ve created a wall calendar to help you do it!
It features the all the feasts and fasts of the Universal Calendar and then some, illustrated with images featuring the traditional Catholic monthly devotions. It’s an easy visual way to bring liturgical living into your home. You can keep track of the feasts and fasts and seasons of the Catholic year, and be reminded to focus your prayer on a different aspect of our faith each month.
As the Church year begins with December, so does this calendar. You get December 2017 through December 2018, thirteen months. Available for purchase here. Thanks!
In unrelated news, I was pleased to be interviewed by Ana at Time Flies When You’re Having Babies. Click over for the scoop on the imaginary children that were the biggest
mistake of my early homeschooling career, and whether I’m the type of
mom who sits on the floor playing trains with you.
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All great ideas! My only concern is how is Gus gonna protect himself should he fall?
His arms won't be attached to the cross.
Bobby planning on becoming Pope Benedict the 18th? 😉
Sabrina
St. Anne and the infant BVM?
Maybe you could make a little sign for for Mary Jane that says, "More locusts 'n' honey, please, Mom!" 🙂
Love these, especially upside down guy!
Our homeschool group at our new church is trying to plan an All Saints Day potluck and costume party so this will be our first chance to do the saint costume thing. And we're on a tight budget so the kids are doing things like recycling old costumes and being ghosts for halloween, so I'd like to do the same for All Saints Day. I was considering cutting extra holes in the ghost costume to be the "Holy Ghost", get it? 😉
So we have plenty of actual clergy shirts and assorted liturgical wear from Kyle's Lutheran-pastor days, any ideas for saints where we could make use of those? I was thinking I could even make one of his ill-fitting shirts into a cassock for my 4 year old by adding buttons and taking it in on the sides. I am terribly uncreative thought and we're still familiarizing ourselves with saint stories so I don't know a ton of saints off the top of my head.
Amanda, that's so cool that your homeschool group is doing that! I have so many fond memories of my homeschool group's All Saints parties/potlucks when I was little 🙂 In my experience, lots of families who are trying to save money find creative ways to use their "regular clothes" as saint costumes.
For example, a boy can wear his dress clothes & hold a cross & be St. Dominic Savio, who died when he was 14. One year, a young girl wore a fancy dress & held a rose to be St. Therese as a child. A girl who likes ice skating could hold her skates, wear wintery clothes, and go as St. Lydwina, the patron saint of ice skaters! A couple years ago at college, in a pinch I wrapped myself in a bedsheet and used lipstick to make my neck look "bloody" to be St. Cecilia as she was martyred. Whenever my mom had a baby around Halloween, she would dress him/her up in white clothes, tape/pin on black spots and they would be the "dog with a torch" that St. Dominic's mom dreamed about before she conceived him. One year, my siblings and I dress up in an assortment of Japanese-looking bathrobes or karate shirts to be "St. Paul Miki & Companions."
Good luck figuring out some costumes! I'm sure the kids will have a blast!
Clerical gear would totally work! There's a list of priest saints here St. Josemaria and St. John Neumann both lived more recently, and they wore a Roman collar. Although I think both usually wore a long cassock, it would still work just fine.
Holey Ghost is hilarious, btw.
Oh these are all so cute and I love the whole post idea! I'm also do glad that you're using the yoda costume! We're working on purging right now and trying to get rid of stuff, so I'm so glad that the costume is getting some use. 🙂
Thanks so much for sending it along!
I LOVE the idea to do St. Peter on the Cross as an upside-down-guy!!! That's really cool. I really love creative saint costumes!
Kendra,if you can't figure out a way to do St. John the Baptist & St. Elizabeth, you could always be St. Gianna, since she's pretty much always pictured with one of her children!
You are so on top of it with the costume ideas this year! I never think that far ahead, though since I don't have kids, there's never really any "excuse" to get dressed up for the Great Saintly Triduum of Halloween, All Saints Day, and All Souls day, so I usually just throw something together last minute haha.
That's a great idea. I could do my hair up. 🙂
Thanks! I hope you have fun with whatever saint you choose! 🙂
What about you're St. Elizabeth of Hungary, and you just pin fabric roses to Mary Jane's carrier? For Halloween, you're a… florist?
Excellent suggestion. I really like the idea of dressing up the carrier, not the baby.
I'm impressed that you've planned all this already. Way to go. Please post of picture of Gus holding his trick or treat bag out like he's doing the splits.
You could go as Saint Felicity (maybe Saint Perpetua?). Didn't she have her baby during her imprisonment? Although her child probably hasn't been canonized so Mary Jane wouldn't exactly count as a saint, just you.
Any cowboys been canonized/beatified yet? Just thought I'd ask.
You got it!
And, you're in luck. There's St. Isidore the Farmer! He's the patron saint of farmers, laborer, and I'm sure also cowboys.
Love it! My Audrey is going to be Snow Queen/St. Lucia (the more scandinavian flavored, lol) trying to think of something for the baby….he has a dragon costume, wondering if I could find a little knight toy for him to carry and he could be "st. george and the dragon" 😉
Had you seen this? Just happened across it:
http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2015/10/15-hilarious-baby-wearing-costume-ideas.html
Those are GREAT! The King Kong one is my favorite. But the baby needs to be clutching a barbie in a white dress.
love these…we have also done a few. The obvious…princess costumes work great for any queen-ish saint,,,both my girls are doing that this year. We used a Mulan costume once for an obscure Asian martyr. And a Pocahontas-ish costume for St. Kateri. I have also bought generic robe-ish costume pieces from thrift stores to use. Oh, and an angel costume for…the angels. 🙂