it's that time of year

...you know last year's saga on this. 

Halloween. 

Well, October has rolled around again, and I find myself digging through old boxes of costumes and cartons of fabric and ribbon and realizing I don't know what to wear.  Obviously, I won't be picking up some costume at Costume City or something.  Way too tacky.  I'm making it myself.

So the brain is churning as to exactly what I should wear.  It's not like I can't dress up---casey not dressing up?  That's a reversal of terms.  It just isn't done.  So I started thinking of what, and I had all these ideas:

 

Hermione Granger.  

The Pros:

I could totally pull it off.  I'm definitely not as teeny as Emma Watson, but I'm pretty small.  And my hair has more red tones, but it's similar enough, especially since halloween = night light, not daylight.  

The Cons:

Who hasn't been Hermione Granger?  The major con is that I'd have to have a group to go with, because Hermione alone?  Lame.  And who on earth would I convince to go as Harry, Ron, and Draco?  And another little con is that those Hogwarts uniforms?  I wear almost the same thing every day of my life.  I mean, school uniforms!  Kneesocks and skirts, anyone? 

 Alice.  In Wonderland, of course.  

The Pros:

The costume is cute, and I wouldn't have to wear heels.  

The Cons:

This should be obvious.  EVERYONE is going to be Alice this year---it's more in that in.  It's all from the movie, of course, and I just don't want to look like everyone else---people who know me will testify to the fact that I stand out from the crowd---I'm a person who should be different.  

Ginny Weasley.

The Pros:

C'mon, she's Ginny!  As with Hermione, I could definitely pull it off, maybe with a little temporary red hair dye.  The costume would be no-sewing for me, too, and that's a good thing, with my pretty-busy school schedule.  I have about 15 hours over the next month to get my whole costume together, give or take a few hours.  

The Cons:

Ginny in the books is TINY.  The actress may be tall, but Ginny isn't.  I'm 5'9!  And at least 1,000 people around me are going to do this costume.  I'd have to have the best Ginny costume or I'd feel sub-par.  And as with Hermione, I'd have to have a group or it'd be lame.  

As if that wasn't enough, I'll just throw some more of my criteria on you:

No heels or long skirts.  This may sound crazy, but the cross country finals are the NEXT DAY (!!!!!), so if I injure myself on halloween; I'll be out of the races.  And that will not only hurt me, but my whole team. When you're the only girl who runs Varsity, your times and participation are crucial.  I can't trip on halloween and ruin things for my XC team.  So obviously, whatever I wear has to have a short skirt and flat shoes.  

Stripey tights.  Whenever a girl has the chance, she should wear stripey tights.  It doesn't even matter what color.  I totally need to wear stripey tights.  That's be awesome.

 Skirts.  Okay, I know I said that I couldn't wear long skirts because of the trip-factor, but what girl wants to wear pants on halloween?  A skirt will be the thing to do, of course!  A dress would be even better.  

So now I'm totally clueless.  I have maybe 15 hours to get all my materials and make my costume, and I still have no idea what to make.  I have to do SOMETHING.  

But what?