| When Emme went trick-or-treating as a two-year-old, she dressed as the Lorax. Instead of saying, "trick-or-treat!" she said, "I speak for the trees." It was adorable. As the night wore on, her toddler eyes grew wild, but she refused to quit. She was sure that there were more houses to visit, more candy to find, more trees to speak for. She got slap-happy, and after every house we left, she yelled in a weird voice that only a toddler can muster, "HAPPY HALLOWEENA!" That night was one of my favorite Halloween memories of all time. But now, somehow in the span of two short years, my amped-up toddler has turned into a long-legged preschooler. Time flies too fast. |  |
This year, Emme is going as Audrey Hepburn for Halloween. She doesn't really have a clear idea of who Audrey Hepburn is (although I think she'll be getting this book for Christmas); she just knows that Audrey was a glamorous movie star. I came up with the idea as a family costume - we're going as Breakfast at Tiffany's (Mike is bacon, and I'm a fried egg). Even though I think that the family costume concept is fantastic, I did wrestle with it a bit. Let's face it - Holly Golightly was a call girl.
Was Holly Golightly sophisticated in all the wrong ways? Is this a terrible costume for a 4-year old? I've gone back and forth and back and forth in my mind. I've read blogs and articles about whether or not Breakfast at Tiffany's was progressive (child bride escapes much older husband, lives life on her own terms vs. call girl/kept woman using her looks and sexuality as currency). I can see both arguments. Then I took a step back and told myself to lighten up - it's Halloween after all. It's not like ninjas, zombies, rock stars, or even Elsa, are all that innocent. Holly Golightly never brought forth an eternal winter and struck her sister in the heart with a snow dart. It's all make-believe (plus, the costume killed while trick-or-treating on Sorority Row....)
So, as of yesterday, I was firmly in the lightening up camp. Then a nice little post from A Mighty Girl showed up on my Facebook feed, and I had an epiphany. Riiiiiiight. Holly Golightly in a black dress is definitely the iconic photo of Audrey Hepburn the actress. But Audrey Hepburn the person was an acclaimed humanitarian. She resisted Nazis in World War II. She served as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In order to make Emme's costume definitively okay in my mind, I decided to make Audrey the Humanitarian be a prominent part of the picture.
Emme was stoked when I told her that she'll be trick-or-treating for UNICEF to help kids who need things like clean water, shelter, and education. She's hoping that she will be able to work for some of the money by helping kids herself. Her idea: If there are little kids that can't reach the candy bowl, she will get candy for them, and then their parents can make donations to UNICEF in response. Good idea. Parents of little ones... please bring a quarter with you when you hit the streets tomorrow night. :) If you're not local and want to support my pint-sized Audrey in her fundraising efforts, you can donate HERE. We've already passed our $100 goal, but we'll definitely be happy to raise more!
And parents... if you want to get involved, it's super easy to set up a Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF page. If you do it today, you'll have plenty of time to do a Facebook push and raise some moolah for kids in need. Just CLICK HERE. It's a great opportunity to talk to children about how some kids in the world don't have very much, and how every person can help to make the world a better place. It's a super easy way to bring something even better than Kit Kats and Snicker bars to Halloween night. Who knows... maybe counting pennies will be even more exciting than counting candy! Trick or treat, AND give! Win win.
Was Holly Golightly sophisticated in all the wrong ways? Is this a terrible costume for a 4-year old? I've gone back and forth and back and forth in my mind. I've read blogs and articles about whether or not Breakfast at Tiffany's was progressive (child bride escapes much older husband, lives life on her own terms vs. call girl/kept woman using her looks and sexuality as currency). I can see both arguments. Then I took a step back and told myself to lighten up - it's Halloween after all. It's not like ninjas, zombies, rock stars, or even Elsa, are all that innocent. Holly Golightly never brought forth an eternal winter and struck her sister in the heart with a snow dart. It's all make-believe (plus, the costume killed while trick-or-treating on Sorority Row....)
So, as of yesterday, I was firmly in the lightening up camp. Then a nice little post from A Mighty Girl showed up on my Facebook feed, and I had an epiphany. Riiiiiiight. Holly Golightly in a black dress is definitely the iconic photo of Audrey Hepburn the actress. But Audrey Hepburn the person was an acclaimed humanitarian. She resisted Nazis in World War II. She served as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In order to make Emme's costume definitively okay in my mind, I decided to make Audrey the Humanitarian be a prominent part of the picture.
Emme was stoked when I told her that she'll be trick-or-treating for UNICEF to help kids who need things like clean water, shelter, and education. She's hoping that she will be able to work for some of the money by helping kids herself. Her idea: If there are little kids that can't reach the candy bowl, she will get candy for them, and then their parents can make donations to UNICEF in response. Good idea. Parents of little ones... please bring a quarter with you when you hit the streets tomorrow night. :) If you're not local and want to support my pint-sized Audrey in her fundraising efforts, you can donate HERE. We've already passed our $100 goal, but we'll definitely be happy to raise more!
And parents... if you want to get involved, it's super easy to set up a Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF page. If you do it today, you'll have plenty of time to do a Facebook push and raise some moolah for kids in need. Just CLICK HERE. It's a great opportunity to talk to children about how some kids in the world don't have very much, and how every person can help to make the world a better place. It's a super easy way to bring something even better than Kit Kats and Snicker bars to Halloween night. Who knows... maybe counting pennies will be even more exciting than counting candy! Trick or treat, AND give! Win win.
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