So here it is, the eve of Halloween and have you even picked out your costume yet? Is this going to be another year where, at the last minute, you poke a bunch of holes in your 400-thread-count bed sheet and call yourself a ghost? 

You’re better than this, friend. In fact, we predict that when the big night comes around, you’re going to present yourself as either Jack Skellington from “A Nightmare Before Christmas,” Harley Quinn from DC Comics, or possibly Chucky from that terrible old movie about a demented doll. 

Actually, we don’t predict that at all. Those weak prognostications are based off a study put forth by a group called Boohoo, wherein a bunch of fashion analysts analyzed Google Trends data to establish the most Googled Halloween costumes in each state over the past month. Allegedly. 

It’s probably no coincidence that Boohoo also seems aggressively interested in selling us women’s fashion accessories while we peruse their list, so we’re not putting much faith in their study. 

Another group, this one called Scholaroo, simplifies costume predictions even further, suggesting that in Maine, most people will opt to dress for Halloween as a cat, a princess, a mouse or a pirate. 

Yawns all around. Frankly, we’d rather see you go poke holes in your wife’s expensive bed sheets than go that route, because all of the above costumes have been done to death. 

So, what characters ARE you likely to see out on the trick-or-treat rounds Halloween night? It’s hard to say,

really. Historically, each decade has been dominated by a particular Halloween costume trend, but does the current time period feel at all like any other? In 2022, things are downright weird. With political rancor all the rage, maybe you’ll see a bunch of wee Joe Biden’s ambling down the sidewalks just across the street from a legion of Donald Trumps, with maybe an Elon Musk and a Volodymyr Zelenskyy or two thrown in for good measure. 

Things were much simpler back in the day. 

In the 1960s, superheroes were all the rage. Man, if you couldn’t get your hands on a Spiderman, Superman or Batgirl costume in those days, you probably got a lot of apples and toothbrushes in your trick-or-treat bag. 

In the ’70s, it was all about the Peanuts characters. You had your Charlie Brown, your Snoopy, your Lucy and your Schroeder. By the latter part of the decade, cooler kids were going with “Star Wars” characters, including Darth Vader masks in which it was nearly impossible to breath. If you wore a Vader mask, you understood at once why the super villain was always gasping in such an ominous way. He wasn’t evil. The dude couldn’t breath! It was kind of the same with the Michael Meyers get up, although at least you got to carry a butcher knife around all night.

In the ’80s, you had your Hulk Hogan, your Elvira, your Freddy Krueger and your Care Bears. Although, if you were older than 10 years old and dressing as a Care Bear, we’re a little disappointed in you. Same goes for Barney. And Alf. Why didn’t you just dress up as Beetlejuice like nine of your closest friends?

In the ’90s it was Power Rangers and Ninja Turtles, although a few mavericks went forth as newer “Star Wars” characters or figures from “South Park” or “The Simpsons.” Doh! A few hundred people in each town also went as Neo, from “The Matrix,” while cheapskates just wore the Scream mask and called it good.

In the 2000s, the trend leaned toward celebrity costumes. Oh, look everybody, here comes another Michael Jackson, Britney Spears and Hannah Montana! The Harry Potter look was at least a little more innovative and the SpongeBob was even better.

2010s? Chances are good someone you knew dressed as a character from “Frozen,” whatever that is. “Game of Thrones” characters were starting to become popular, too — the Tyrion Lannister look was difficult without actually lopping a portion of one’s leg off, but hey. Some

people are super serious about their Halloween costumes? “The Walking Dead” characters were easy pickings, too, if you were willing to wear a lot of gore on your face all night. The Daryl Dixon look was a little easier. Leather vest, cross bow and unwashed hair and boom! You’re done.

What is going to be hot in the 2020s? Don’t ask Google. According to their trends research, the top 20 costumes ideas, based on web searches, are witches, Spiderman (still?), dinosaurs and “Stranger Things” characters. 

Again, we say meh. We know there is more originality out there and we know that some of our readers take great pains to get their Halloween costumes (or their children’s) juuuuust right, whether that means shelling out big bucks at the Spirit Halloween store or staying up all night sewing. 

With all of these long-winded thoughts in mind, we reached out to our readers and asked what their favorite Halloween costumes entailed, whether those costumes are current or tucked away in the spooky past. Not a single person admitted that he or she just planned to poke holes in a sheet and stagger around moaning “oooooh…” all night. 

I guess our readers are more clever than I give them credit for. 

Kathy LaMore, Lewiston: An ongoing Halloween family affair 

You know how it is. They say Halloween is for kids, but is it really? 

A recent study from the National Retail Federation revealed that more than 70 percent of adults will celebrate Halloween in some fashion. Trick-or-treat? Not so much. An estimated $8 billion dollars will be spent on Halloween costumes this year by adults for adult festivities: costume parties, bar hopping. You know the drill. 

But what about the children? 

Kathy LaMore is 66 years old. She enjoys Halloween herself, but over the years, she’s found a way to make it fun for both adults and the kids, mainly my getting creative with the construction of costumes of all kinds. 

LaMore tells us her story. 

“As a new mother in the late ’70s, I went to Laverdiere’s Super Drug Store — if I recall correctly — and bought our son, Daryl, a Halloween costume and we decided he would be Donald Duck! He donned the traditional hard plastic mask with the heavy plastic suit (bet that was comfy), but then came the year

1983 when we asked him ‘What would you like to be for Halloween?’ when he was 5 years old and he responded ‘Captain America!’ and that’s when it all began. The creative juices started to flow and it evolved into a family affair to construct and design a homemade Halloween costume. 

“Daryl’s two grandmothers, Memere Crowley and Memere LaMore, were instrumental with the ingenuity in helping us design, create, and do all the sewing needed that jump-started my son’s wish to be Captain America. There were many very intricate parts to the costume: the head piece with the iconic ‘A,’ the star on the blue leotard — with the light-blue girl’s tights; the red-and-white belt, red foam foot coverings, to the red leggings and gloves to top it all off. My husband, Steve, made the infamous shield out of poster board and I painted the shield. It really was a joint effort. Daryl won the first-place ribbon at Martel School Halloween party for the most original costume and it set the stage and it became a family tradition to create homemade costumes. 

“In 1984, we continued and repurposed some items from the previous year and went from

Captain America to Superman. Our daughter Melanie, 2 years old, then joined in the family scheme and Punky Brewster emerged. The tradition continued and in 1987, another first-place award for Daryl’s Max Headroom costume at his Boy Scout Halloween party, along with a remake of Punky Brewster (Melanie). Moving on to 1988, where we resumed the recycling, and the Max Headroom cardboard box morphed into Jolly John with his sidekick Wonder Woman (Melanie) with her outfit being repurposed from the original Captain America outfit to the Superman costume. Finally in 1989, Mr. Clean (Daryl) and Mum Face (Melanie) brought an end to the ’80s homemade costumes. 

“In keeping with Halloween family traditions, my daughter, Melanie, took the reigns and designed and created our grandson’s award-winning costumes: Evel Knievel Motorcycle Mania, Percy #6 Engine from ‘Thomas the Train,’ Dice costume, and ‘The Incredibles’ duo! 

“And as folklore carries on, the newest addition to our family, our granddaughter, is a Cabbage Patch doll this Halloween.” 

Donna J. McKeone, Lewiston 

“We always made our own costumes and that was a big part of the fun! This is me circa 1991. (See photo.) I remember dressing up as a witch more than once (green makeup and some relative’s old, matted wig), and as a princess with a homemade cardboard crown. My mother always helped me make my costume and I think she had even more fun than I did. I lost her when I was 11, but those are some good memories I won’t forget.” 

Marty Corey, Poland 

“Not one (costume) I wore, but over 50 years ago I made my daughters a Push-Me-Pull-You costume (from ‘Dr. Doolittle’). Not conducive for doing a lot of walking! I used two big old lampshades sewed together. . . . Also made them Raggedy Ann and Andy one year. Used orange yarn to make the hair. For a few years I volunteered at the Halloween party for kids in Poland, and one year I did see a homemade costume and gave the mother kudos! Sorry, but all the store-bought ones just don’t cut it with me – not even the obviously expensive ones. I feel sorry for all your readers who don’t know anything different.” 

Carolyn Tucker, Greene

“I can tell you my three favorite costumes — only one with pictures (The Doctor in ‘Dr. Who’). One year I was the color blue. One year I was (an) album cover. The album cover I made from cloth. I wore it like a tunic, but I had hangers to make it stick out from my shoulders. It took a couple days to make and I used it afterwards as wall art. Lost in one of my moves. 

“The color blue was easy: blue body suit, tights and makeup on any skin.” 

Bonnie Waisanen, Auburn 

“When I was 10, I dressed up like Olivia Newton-John from her ‘Physical’ video, and I was psyched! Until, a neighbor dad asked if I was supposed to be a hooker. One hundred percent truth.” 

Patrick Murphy, a Sun Journal reader from East Peoria, Illinois 

“In the fall of 1968, I really wanted a high-end over-the-head rubber mask. A local stored called The Midget Studio carried a nice selection, but they were pricey. Five dollars was a lot of money in those days. My dad wouldn’t just fork over the money; he insisted I work for it by raking leaves. We had a pretty good-sized yard next to the woods. I had to rake that sucker twice to earn the money. Then picking out a mask was another ordeal. It came down to a choice between a skull and this shrunken head — the one I settled for. My first rubber mask remains my favorite costume. As for the plastic shrunken head, I found a similar one at a novelty shop. Later that year, I hung it on my sister’s

Christmas tree among the other ornaments. And that is a story for another day.” 

Linda Doucette Scott, Lewiston 

“Started out as Mark Twain, but ended like this. (See photo.) I failed to find the old clothes I was looking

for, so ended up being creepy old professor. This was for the Skosh Halloween party at the Franco a couple years ago. I scared (Lewiston City) Councilor Stephanie Gelinas — she thought I was creeping on her.” 

Sue Mathieu Carr, Lewiston 

“This was my favorite! (See photo.) The most fun for sure! I also sported a small farting machine. . . . I blasted out farts randomly! It was a real hoot!”

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