7 Mask Friendly Halloween Costumes!

Needing Some Inspiration in 2020?

Happy day, dearest reader!

Welcome to my lair…

Can you please reread that and imagine me saying it in a creeeeeepy voice? That’s better. Thank you! I think 2020 has been creepy enough all on its own, but maybe we need a little over-the-top silly creepy to get energized for the rest of the year.

What are your October holiday traditions? Do you celebrate Halloween? Buy candy and enjoy the parade of doorbell ringers? Turn out the lights and hide? Have a party and invite all and sundry? Unless your holiday M.O. is turn out the lights and hide, it looks like Halloween 2020 will be a little different than before.

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Chez Klebba, we do Halloween. Big. (We have as many boxes of Halloween decorations as we do Christmas decorations. They run the gamut from kid friendly to spooky/creepy.) I love candy, and dress up, so Halloween is perfect for me, and has been since I was a girl. It’s also our wedding anniversary, so we will celebrate, doorbells or no. We may not be going trick-or-treating with our grands, or having a Halloween party, but I’m still likely to dress up.

I have a previous year’s post about quick and easy Halloween costumes that you probably already have in your closet, but this year will require adaptation and some new creativity if you are out and about. Think costumes with masks… And no, I don’t mean those hard plastic ones with the elastic around the back that catches in your hair and breaks halfway through the evening. Let’s talk masks of the personal protective equipment kind!

I foresee a LOT of:

Medical Personnel

I expect we will see oodles of doctors and nurses this year. Scrubs are easy to come by. White coats a little less so, but not impossible. An old white man’s shirt hemmed straight across the bottom can fill in, especially if you paint a medical logo on the pocket. Find or make a toy stethoscope . Some pens in your pocket and you’re done. Pick your favorite medical hero, or choose someone disastrous. Maybe Dr. Orin Scrivello from Little Shop of Horrors?

I don’t know if we’ll see any, but I think being a:

Belly Dancer with a Veil… a la I Dream of Jeannie

Would be super cool! Yes, you’d have to play with it and pull the veil up over your nose and mouth, but it would totally work! Note: NOT a costume for those living in cold climate! Throwing a parka on over it would totally ruin the effect. I’m still working through the year I was Cinderella and had to wear my ski-jacket. Not done processing that disappointment yet.

Barbara Eden in “I Dream of Jeannie”
Photo: NBC/Getty Images

I can totally see crafting that hat out of a round margarine container! False lashes. Chiffon scarves to cover your own PPE. A bathing suit top. Some pajama pants. (The trick will be finding pieces that all coordinate…)

Random Animals

I’ve seen lots of cute embroidered masks with animal faces on them. You could do the same with fabric paint on a “fur colored” mask. Pick your favorite fur color! Buy a tail if you feel fancy or make one out of an old pair of tights stuffed with socks. Add fun-foam or paper ears on a headband (Alice band) and you’re all ready to go! Bonus points if you add a collar with tags or a bell.

Jack-O-Lantern

I fell in love with this mask from Kohls! I’d have to buy the hat from Amazon, too. It’s my one chance to have a warm complexion… A little facepaint and I’d be golden! Or orange as the case may be.

Jason

And last, but certainly not least I’m sure we’ll see lot’s of Jasons. I’m no horror flick fan. Too stressful! (I loved them when I was a teenager, but somewhere along the line, I decided spending money to be frightened was a waste of cash. Yes, I am boring.) I will admit that this PSA might redeem the whole franchise!