• Part of the fun of Halloween is dressing up in a costume.Halloween pumpkin isolated image by johnnychaos from Fotolia.com
  
  Part of the fun of Halloween is wearing a getup that is weird, scary, funny or original to add to the surreal nature of the evening. Originality is often one of the main criteria for choosing or making a Halloween costume. Even tried and true Halloween characters can be original. It's all about adding the extra touches that make a costume different. On the other hand, it's fun to go with a costume that truly is original--something that will surprise others.
  
  

The Tried and True

• Mummies are expected at Halloween parties and for trick or treating. But to create a mummy costume with originality will take a bit of work. Start with a set of white long underwear or a close-fitting white long sleeve shirt and leggings. Tear several yards of muslin into thin strips and stitch them around the long underwear to create a wrapped look. Leave plenty of ends dangling, so your mummy will look like it's starting to unravel. The Big Book of Halloween Fun suggests dying the costume in a very weak brown dye or tea solution. Go for an uneven dye job--the idea is to make it look aged. Machine wash and dry to fray the muslin material. Sponge white face paint on your face and hands, and wrap some muslin strips around your neck and head. You're a good-looking mummy.
  
  

The Unexpected

• Head for your Halloween party dressed as a basket of laundry. Dress in matching sweatshirt and sweatpants. Get a cheap plastic laundry basket and cut a hole in it so that it will rest on your hips after you pull it over your head. Fill the basket with laundry and carry a box of fabric softener sheets or a bottle of laundry soap.
  
  Continuing with the laundry theme, you could celebrate Halloween dressed as static cling. Wear matching shirt and pants. Spray your hair so that it stands straight out and up. Pin socks and underwear to your clothes and carry a can of anti-static spray.
  
  

Movie Characters

• Anyone can go out and buy a Batman costume, but how about dressing up as Eddie Johnson, Clark Griswold's cousin from "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation"? If you've seen this movie, you know that if you create an accurate costume, many will recognize your character. Your costume could involve wearing boxers, a short robe, a mad bomber hat and boots. Carry a hose that is similar to the kind that is used to remove waste from an RV septic system and you've got an original Halloween costume.
  
  A slightly less obscure movie character for a Halloween costume is "Braveheart's" William Wallace. This costume could even work for a woman if she really wanted to be original. If your hair isn't long and brown, get a wig. The Big Book of Halloween Fun suggests using face paint to paint one-half of your face blue, then leave a strip unpainted, and add another narrow blue strip along the other side. Put on an old, loose-fitting checkered or plaid shirt in dark colors, and make a kilt from dark tartan fabric. Finish with dark boots.