Purim costumes and preparations

Purim is right around the corner and I am really trying not to leave all of my preparations to the last-minute. I always am super organized about what needs to be done, but actually executing it seems to happen too late. Here are some tips to get you on the road to an enjoyable Purim.

Know what needs to be done:

As I talked about in my post “Review: Jewish-Life-Organized.com” I have a checklist for each of the holidays and Shabbos. It helps me remember exactly what needs to be done and I love crossing things off as I accomplish them. It also is a great place to record notes and tips from year to year.

Click here to download my Purim prep list.

Coming up with costume ideas:

Many Halloween costumes are made for winter weather. However, Purim weather can be hit or miss. Sometimes warm, sometimes cold. So I rarely buy pre-made Halloween costumes. They can also be quite expensive. However, if you can borrow or swap with someone else, that is always a great idea. Around Halloween time, you can also check resale shops for some good deals.

Here is a timeline of Purim costumes for my kids over the years.

2006: My oldest son was Elmo. This was his first year dressing up. He had an Elmo shirt that he loved and I paired it with a red long-sleeved shirt and red sweatpants.

2007: Pregnant with my triplets and working in a new job, I was a bit behind on Purim prep, so we borrowed a Tigger costume from my best friend, Lori. My oldest son loved it!

2008: This year I had triplets less than a year old and certainly no time to figure out costumes. My oldest was Buzz Lightyear, also thanks to my friend, Lori, and her endless supply of costumes of all sizes! The little boys wore frog bibs and matching frog jumpers from my Aunt Cathy.

2009: This was the first year I made a costume. I love to do crafts and this year was determined to make something for my oldest son. I took a piece of velvet fabric and used fabric sticky seam to fold in the sides to make it look like a cape. I lined the edges with a gold trim and sewed/glued a clasp onto the neck. He had a matching crown from school and we found a scepter at the party supply store. He added a cheap party necklace. This has become his favorite dress-up costume. The little boys were too young to dress up or go out, so I did not have to come up with a costume for them.

2010: This year I made costumes for all the boys. They decided on tigers. I followed an idea from Family Fun magazine where you decorated a black sweatshirt and sweatpants with duct tape. Unfortunately, Wal-Mart ran out of orange duct tape, so I had one orange tiger and three white tigers.

2011: All the boys had their own ideas for what they wanted to be this year. Which, of course, meant FOUR different costumes. My oldest wanted to be a wizard, and the little boys wanted to be a teddy bear, cat, and dog. Again, I got the ideas from Family Fun Magazine. I cut out spots from felt and safety-pinned them to sweatpants and sweatshirts. Then I made headbands with attached ears made of sticky felt. The little boys still love to wear their animal ear headbands. My oldest also still loves to dress up in his wizard costume.

Another great source for costume ideas is Parenting Magazine. Here are links to Family Fun Magazine’s and Parenting Magazine’s costume ideas.

This year, my oldest wants to be a knight, to continue his medieval interest. I hope that one won’t be too hard! The little boys thankfully want to be superheroes. I already have capes that we bought them for Chanukah, so their’s will hopefully be easy!