Halloween is just around the corner. If you are having trouble selecting a costume, why not check out the branches of your family tree for some inspiration. Whether you select a cultural look from one of your ethnic origins or an outfit honoring a beloved ancestor from a specific time period, your costume is sure to stand out from the sea of devils and witches at any Halloween party.
Imagine how much fun it would be to dance the night away in Roaring 20’s style. Civil War Era costumes are another interesting way to dress yourself and your family. Did any of your ancestors go West to search for gold? Why not dress as a gold miner, or a Pioneer woman. Speaking of miners, a coal miner is a fairly easy costume to pull together. It would look especially great on a little boy, and he would have a great time getting himself to look “dirty” with black smudgy makeup.
You don’t even have to dig that far into the past to find great costume ideas like a peace loving hippie or an impossibly impeccable 1940’s housewife. Many families have farmers somewhere in their lineage. Speaking of lineage, you could even get creative and dress yourself as your family tree, with photos of your ancestors all over your branches.
If you have kids, a fun genealogy themed idea is to look back at pictures of your past Halloween costumes and try to recreate them for your own kids. Your little girl may get a kick out of a bright, lacy Cyndi Lauper costume. If you were into Star Wars back then, there’s a good chance that your little ones might take to the idea of dressing as characters from those movies.
Genealogy and Halloween are a perfect pairing. What family history treats are in your bag of tricks?
Photo by taliesin on morguefile.com.