Among all the other projects bouncing around in my brain during the Halloween season, putting together a new costume is always one of the priorities.

In my 31 years, I haven’t missed an opportunity for costuming yet. As a kid, my mom helped put together my outfits, often sewing some or all of it. Once I hit the adolescent years and trick-or-treating was a bit frowned on for my age, my costume efforts waned. Admittedly, a few of them were rather weak. But as an adult, my interest in creative costumes was reborn, the more unique the better.

Coming up with a concept is never difficult. At any given time, I probably have 3 or 4 ideas for things I’d like to be in the future. I don’t do word-play concept costumes. I don’t dress as inanimate objects. I prefer to inhabit a character for the night. To be someone (or something) else. And not an everyday cop, prisoner, or doctor. My costumes usually involve morphing into some type of creepy human(oid).

I never buy pre-made costumes. I prefer to put together something unique, from many parts. Some pieces bought, but often built too. Sometimes I have to rush my costume a bit, if things get busy around here and time is limited. But I don’t think the look suffers much, because I usually start planning it in my head many months prior. Even now I have a potential list of parts to buy for next year’s costume.

From year to year, the costumes vary. If there was something particularly challenging about the previous year’s costume, I like to give myself a break from that aspect. Example: my Patch Master scarecrow costume was quite cumbersome, with it’s tall hat, long coat, oversized gloves, and face covering mask. So the next year I was Shaun of the Dead… who basically looks like me, with a red tie. But making that gore splattered cricket bat sure was a bloody good time.

This year, my costume is nearly complete. As is typical, I was able to creatively recycle certain parts of old costumes, turning them into something entirely different. One of the perks of collecting 30 years of costume pieces. But I also picked up some unique props to compliment the look too, so it should turn out to be a pretty charming beast.

While we wait to see what my 2009 alter ego looks like, let’s take a walk down memory lane and dwell upon my three decades of disguise.