Creativity wasn’t in short supply this past Halloween weekend, although the options for gatherings might have been. Being that the Francis Howell School District board planned their professional development day on the Friday of Halloween, purposely to give the students the day off, I thought that their would be plenty of excitement and events going on for the three day weekend. Surprisingly, there was not. But, that didn’t stop students from getting all dressed up, going out, and sporting their costumes.

Speaking of costumes, I must say that I expected the worst and was happily surprised to find more than I had anticipated. Girls wore costumes less revealing this year than in years past, and kudos given to the boys for not following the mold of stereotypical lame costumes.

Coordinating costumes were a hot commodity this year and Tom Cruise’s Risky Business duo themed outfit topped the charts for most common costume of Halloween 2014. The idea was great…but the execution. When you’re doing a spinoff of any television or movie, you really have to commit to the character: use props, face make up, and even false facial hair if you have to. Whatever it takes! A poorly executed costume can easily be one of the most awkward and embarrassing things during Halloween. Nobody wants to show up to a costume party and have everyone guessing or confused about what they are supposed to be. So, if you’re going for a costume such as Tom Cruise’s Risky Business, a button up shirt with a tie isn’t going to cut it.

Otherwise, group or partner costumes stole the show, and I thought that this was a good change. It definitely made everyone think out of the box and kept the girls away from the animal ears and lingerie. Although they only transitioned into Polos and tube socks as the “frat boy” mocking costume took over- at least they were covered up…then again, with the weather being under 40 degrees booty shorts and bedroom wear wouldn’t have been practical. Maybe Halloween should always fall on a chillier day.

We’re all wondering: how did the shirtless, shameless boys hold up on Halloween, especially in this frigid weather, did they bare it all or try to stay warm? Well I’d say the cold weather did their costumes some good. I’m sure there were a few Magic Mike’s and male performer wannabes out there, but for the most part I did not see any. Greek Gods, gangsters, and pun related costumes were the go to for guys. The boys really held their own this year.

Overall Halloween 2014 was a success. The less skin baring cliché costumes from the males and the limited provocative female costumes made for a far more interesting, exciting, and dynamic Halloween. It’s crazy what a variety of costumes, at a Halloween gathering, can do. Until next year…

xThe Kingx