Purim is in four weeks, which means we do have time to make this Purim memorable for our kids if we start now. I'd suggest first working on the costumes and then figuring out the Mishloach Manot and the other festivities. Here's a little inspiration to get you started! And you might like to read the posts to learn about creative costume making from thrift store finds or things in your closet. And yes, that's right, we never buy costumes, except for possibly accessories like crowns and breast plates, and eye patches. But play it on the safe side and don't take your kids anywhere near stores selling costumes this time of year, it can be a little too much for those not old enough to realize that your homemade costumes steal the show every year! I accidentally took my 5, 7 and 8 year old to a toy store last week, packed with costumes, and guess what, no one begged for anything! And in fact my 7 year old was commenting on how over-priced the masks were! Way to go kids!
This jungle king costume made from thrift store clothing and a broom-stick scepter was a huge hit.
A cute crocheted beanie can be the perfect finishing touch for a costume, in this case it was the cherry on top of a cake costume.
This pirate costume combined some thrift store finds with some simple store bought accessories that had been hanging around in our Purim box. The little bird on the shoulder made the costume!
Yes, this is my princess, a good 8 years ago! A pillow case dress costume is cute and can involve just a bit of hand sewing.
This king costume was made using the zebra striped fur collar that was actually the jungle king's hat a few years before, and a small vintage curtain for a cape. A white tunic and pants complete the outfit, together with a store bought crown, or in this case a tin foil and cardboard crown he made in nursery school. I know, he looks like he's going out into the dessert in this picture, actually this was just the look around our entrance while our house was still under construction.
And in case your curious about what we're doing this year, here's the story. Last week, at the insistence of my kids, I went up into the attic and literally threw down our collection of recycled clothing/purim costumes, through the opening of the folding metal stairs. It was actually quite exciting as the pile on the floor grew, and the good news is that on that very evening we brainstormed and came up with three costumes. A pony express style mail deliverer (called a dvar in Hebrew), King David, and Yosef HaTzaddik. (Yeah, two out of three are great figures in Jewish history!) The pony express girl will be re-using the jacket from the jungle king, which is perfect, Kind David will be wearing an already made costume from years ago, and Yosef (Joseph, the son of Jacob) will be wearing a vintage 50's colorfully striped coat that I've been saving for years, just hoping someone would use it some Purim! And the good news is that two of these costumes will have hobby horses, which is really what I was hoping for since I really want to make some, and I definitely need the excuse! Okay, gotta go get to work, lots more Purim projects on the way!
