At this point in our relationship, North Penn, it would be wrong of me to mislead you all, so I’ll be honest. October has been a stressful month for me. I won’t try to play it off like no big deal because every senior should know what I’m talking about. As we near the end of the month, I’m starting to feel that time crunch, and I’m a little worried. Halloween is poking its ghastly head around the corner, but I still don’t have a costume. Because Halloween is perhaps one of the greatest holidays on our calendars, I’ve split up Kate’s Korner into two parts. This week I’m tackling costumes because I refuse to believe I am the only procrastinator out there.

Since Halloween is basically prom for the geeks and the freaks among us, a category into which I proudly include myself, God forbid anyone have the same costume as someone else. Different versions are acceptable of course, but there are only so many renditions of ‘Sexy Nun’ before people get suspicious. (I was concerned after the first ‘Sexy Nun,’ but that’s just a personal thing.) Whoever feels they can pull off the ‘Sexy occupation-goes-here’ by all means go for it. As it is Lansdale and likely going to be about thirty degrees the night of, some of us have to get a little more creative, lest we lose valuable appendages. I don’t know about you, but I thoroughly enjoy the use of ten fingers and toes.

But for the rest of us concerned about the small things like weather, this doesn’t mean the market for killer costumes is necessarily closed. In fact I’m pretty sure most of the zombie, assassin, Jason, and all his cult movie brethren costumes involve multiple layers of clothing – none of which needs to be purchased in flimsy costume fabric. Rough up an old sweater, have a ketchup fight, steal a neighbor’s hockey mask on mischief night, and suddenly you have yourself a new identity. The best costumes are the ones with the most amount of effort in them. You could’ve thrown it together five minutes before a party, but as long as no one can tell, that’s a job well done. Just don’t brag about it. I hear that’s a dead giveaway.

Scary isn’t everyone’s MO, and that’s fine too. Halloween costumes are all about being something you’re not. Guys can be Philadelphia sports fans; girls can be complex… or at least attempt to swap out the Uggs and skip Starbucks for a day. Geeks, channel your inner athlete; jocks, pick up a book (but really, maybe read it too?). The cheer squad can be ceiling fans, and the goths can wear yellow like rays of sunshine on a cloudy day. There’s a lot to be said for creativity in costumes because in each one there’s a level of genius that often goes overlooked.

You have two weeks, North Penn. Find that perfect costume. Craft it, create it, or just buy it, but time is running out. The last thing you want to be is the poor sap who sticks two baseball hats on his head to call himself a cowboy. I hate to break it to you, but you’re not a cowboy. Good luck, and remember, Halloween part two comes next week.