One Paddle Short – But Still Rowing w/ Monica Lucia Hoffman – Halloween Costumes Today – Where Have the Plastic Masks Gone?
- One Paddle Short with Monica Lucia Hoffman
There was a time when Halloween costumes were nothing more than a plastic mask with two pinholes for eyes and an elastic string that snapped on your face the moment you tried to breathe. If you were fancy, you got the matching plastic suit that smelled like a shower curtain and ripped before you made it to the first porch. And let’s not forget the pillowcase—because no plastic pumpkin could ever hold the true haul of candy you were planning on dragging home. Childhood costumes weren’t about perfection; they were about survival. Could you make it down the street without suffocating in your sweaty mask or tripping over your brother’s cape? That was the measure of a successful Halloween.
Fast forward a few decades, and somehow we’ve turned into a society that believes Halloween costumes should also serve as a dating résumé. What used to be “witch” or “ghost” has now morphed into “sexy witch” and “ghost, but make it fashion.” Spirit Halloween doesn’t just sell you a costume; it sells you the possibility that you might meet the Love of your life while dressed as a sultry nurse with glow-in-the-dark syringes.
Then there’s the comedy crew—the ones who still believe Halloween is for laughs. These are the folks who show up to the lake party dressed as a giant slice of pizza, a blow-up dinosaur, or, my personal favorite, the couple who came as a plug and socket. You have to respect the dedication. Nobody looks good as a plug, but they sure look like they’re having fun.
And of course, there’s always that one neighbor who takes the “scary” part to heart. Not just a little fake blood, but the full “call 911, I think that guy’s been stabbed” kind of scary. You know the type—chainsaws, strobe lights, and a dedication to terror that makes you wonder if maybe they’ve been planning this moment all year. Which, of course, they have.
It’s funny, though, how costumes mirror our seasons of life. As kids, it was about candy and trying to stay up late. In our twenties, it was about being seen—preferably in something that looked good under blacklight. In our thirties and forties, costumes became about effort: do we go all out, or do we just grab cat ears and call it a night? And somewhere along the way, costumes start becoming group projects—families of superheroes, friend groups dressed as the cast of Scooby-Doo, couples negotiating whether they’re peanut butter and jelly or Bonnie and Clyde.
But the best costumes? The ones we remember? They weren’t about being sexy, funny, or scary. They were about the stories they gave us. The time the wind blew your witch hat into the lake. The year you and your best friend both showed up as the same thing and pretended it was planned. Or that one Halloween you swore you were too old to dress up, but somehow ended up in a bedsheet toga eating fun-size Snickers on the dock anyway.
Because at the end of the night, Halloween isn’t about the costume. It’s about the people, the laughter, and maybe just a little bit about the candy. We outgrow the plastic masks and the sexy costumes, but we don’t outgrow the need to play, to laugh, and to imagine—even if just for one night—that we can be someone else.
And that, my friends, is why I’ll still be here, sitting on the dock, watching it all unfold with a smile.
Still rowing.
Monica Lucia is the Author of The Final Chapter and a passionate advocate for those navigating grief and loss. She is the Founder of Widow’s Den and Sisterhood of LKN, dedicated to supporting families. In addition to her writing and community-building work, Monica is the Grief and Bereavement Counselor and End-of-Life Doula at EveryStory Partners, Charlotte, NC. [email protected]
