Festi-Fall
The kids’ school is having a Festi-Fall next week and this year they get to dress up as Bible characters.
Claire’s choice was instantaneous: Mary. She is sure she needs a blue dress, a cover for her head, and a baby Jesus to carry.
Ada wasn’t sure. I suggested she be a “lilly of the field” but she just giggled. When I suggested Deborah, she thought that sounded cool. I’m thinking something kind of Zena Warrior Princess with a modest twist.
Anyway, it has me thinking today, what Bible character would you be this year? Any great costume ideas for my girls? I mean, Biblical women are great, but how can we be distinctive? It wouldn’t be much fun if every kid showed up in her bathrobe as Mary. What can we do that is cheap, easy, and creative? (Boy ideas are also accepted!)
Could I suggest Queen Esther? My daughter was Esther in 3rd grade, and I got a tan polyester dress from a thrift store, pinned it to fit an 8-year-old, made Egyptian-style geometric details on the bodice & sleeves with a gold paint pen, put her hair into a ponytail & braided 20 or 30 teeny tiny braids in the ponytail, then tucked them under & secured with bobbypins, and, as any self-respecting Queen from history would require, but a lot of makeup (especially eye shadow) on her. I think she may have also had a gold shawl of some sort. Didn’t even need a crown, as her hair was her crowning glory! She was regal and majestic, and it remains (at age 27) one of her favorite costumes ever. Hope this is helpful. Please post pics of the lovelies in their costumes!
i love deborah! what a woman of God she was! a friend of (a musician & worship leader) did a series of drawings for church of various bible characters as superheroes–i fell in love with the deborah character and appropriated her as, i guess, my ‘alter ego’. he drew her in very much the kind of look you described. the picture’s posted on my blog, or, i’d be happy to email you a copy. happy Festi-Fall!
I think your “Lily of the Field” was brilliant. I can’t believe she didn’t go for that. But Deborah has real possibilities, too. Balaam’s donkey might be fun for a boy.
I would be Anna, the prophetess who blessed baby Jesus. And I would only have to add a few made-up wrinkles and a little extra white for my hair!
Oh, these are wonderful ideas! Thanks and keep ‘em coming!
Zanne, I would love to see that drawing of Deborah!
In the kids’ History class, we’ve been watching the movie of The Ten Commandments, so I immediately thought of Pharoah’s daughter — with her hair all done up, lots of eye make-up, and something glittery around her neck. She could carry a basket with a baby wrapped in a blue blanket, representing baby Moses.
Also, I remember one of our college students coming one year as Lazarus, all wrapped up in his grave clothes — he looked like a mummy! He kept unraveling throughout the night, and the costume kind of hampered his involvement, but it sure was funny!
Good idea about Pharoah’s daughter – carrying a baby doll makes a costume an instant hit with these girls!
Maura was Pharoah’s daughter one year. It was a fun costume and very easy to make as well. I bought a large square of white linen (2yd of 60 inch wide fabric) and some gold braid and then wrapped and pinned her in. She tied the gold braid around her waist. The crown was a bit more complicated, but it still exists 3 years later, so if she had little sisters they would be playing with it now. I wrapped a 30 in. piece of electrical cord with a strip of gold material and hot glued it in place. Then glued a big red ruby in the center and wound it around her head. If you have questions, your Mom has my email. Good Luck! ( Macy will get her chickens this Christmas!)
Oops! I meant electrical wire, as in the stuff you use to wire a house. It’s thick, flat, and bendable.
(Think giant bread bag twisty). Hence, wonderful stuff to make a headress out of because you don’t have to measure so precisely.
Good ideas, Caroline! And, welcome! I will look forward to that chickens – Macy is a blankie baby, so she’ll love it!
My family was no help, my dad suggested that since it was all biblical charaters, that Peter should go as the devil. Nice.
Oh yeah and he also suggested that he get a skeleton cotume and go as the dry bones from Ezekiel. I come by my dark sense of humor naturally I guess.
Molly I am laughing so hard…gotta love the family. I found Noah a hippo costume really cheap this weekend, so he (and Titus) are going as animals on the ark! I probably should have dressed him up as Noah, but again..the tons of kids in bathrobes thing was a downer for me too…plus, would he really leave the beard on? Titus is a chicken…old costume of Noah’s. If I end up helping, I was tossing the idea around of being the ark…
I like the lily of the valley idea!
Could she somehow be a rainbow?
Remember when I went to a party as Aaron’s budding rod? And Molly’s dad cracks me up. I can just picture Peter in one of those outfits telling the skeptics, “Hey, he’s in the bible isn’t he?” Seems kind of funny that your Christian school is letting kids dress up this year and our public one doesn’t.
For the real thing, though, we’re being Rocky, a soldier, and a cowboy this year. I don’t have any better ideas than these – there are some great ones here. Deborah is awesome. Or maybe Jael! She could carry a hammer and a huge tent peg – is that what it was? Or, it seems like a Psalmist would be in keeping with your family. Whomever she becomes – make sure it’s a person with hair. I adore Ada’s hair. I think this Halloween, I’ll be Ada.
People are already wearing costumes in Las Vegas. Well, I mean besides the ones who always wear costumes. One lady came to Phantom of the Opera last night wearing a blue wig with her black dress and pearls. I think that was a costume. And another lady came in full witch regalia. And I had worried about whether to wear a skirt or slacks
sheesh.
This is too fun! We’re going to try on dress-up clothes tonight just to see what we can come up with. I’ll keep you all posted.