Dressing up a storm

As Christmas approaches, so is the number of activities around the place increases. Next week Timmy's group at the Kita are having a Weihnachtscafe, which is something involving kiddies and parents sitting around eating sweets and getting presents. For that as a member of the parent committee I need to organise some games/activities. Then the week after for the smallest kids in the whole Kita there's going to be a Yolka (Russian traditional celebration with a xmas tree, Ded Moroz, etc.). On this day Tim is supposed to come in a costume. This is the first time that the question of costume appeared in our lives. Naturally my thoughts went back to my childhood Yolka celebrations and the costumes my Mum made for me (apparently as a parent you get to live through your childhood once again with your own children and have to deal with all of your issues once again... says psychoanalysis).

In kindergarten I remember having a costume of a squirrel (see below photo), and I clearly recall the tail structure being made out of bits of cardboard and thick wires with orange fabric over the top, and it was very cool. Then at school I always wanted to be a very "traditional" (read: boring) Snowflake, or Snow Queen, or Snow Princess because those white pretty silvery dresses were the envy of each little girl. Well I never got to be any of those (or ever got a Barbie for that matter - thank God for that!)... instead Mum decided to be creative and original, and probably under the influence of all those abstract art history ideas and made me a costume of a ... wait for it... christmas tree. Yep - I went to a Yolka (Russian for christmas tree) dressed myself as a christmas tree. Imagine how I felt when all those spoiled little brats dressed as pretty white Snowflakes kept coming up to me and asking what my costume was supposed to be, and me saying "oh - I am a christmas tree!". In retrospect and to be completely fair I remember having a really good time at that Yolka and it was so cool that Mum made so much effort with the costume. I even remember having green tree-like earrings.


Anyhoo... the point being that, just like Mum, I realised I don't want to dress Tim into anything traditional and boring (pirate, tiger, etc)... until he can pick out a costume for himself at least, so I've been trying to come up with "original" ideas and so far the options are:

1) Koala (to emphasise his Australian heritage)
2) Sigmund Freud (just 'cos he's on my mind a lot lately)
3) his regular self, in the spirit of Wednesday Addams dressed normally for Halloween when asked where her costume is says: "This is my costume. I'm a homicidal maniac- they look just like everyone else."

But I think actually what I'm leaning towards is actually a good old (read: boring) wizard costume. What do you think? Do you have any ideas? And I'd really like to know what was your most memorable costume from your childhood? :)