I hope your New Year celebrations were costumed and fun.

I rang in the new year with a little help from Slytherin House. My tree is decorated with silver, green, and black. It’s very pretty. I wore my house sweater; perfect for Quidditch matches or weekends in Hogsmeade. Oh, and celebrations! My parents gave me a house scarf for Christmas. Every Hogwarts student and alum needs a house scarf. I enjoyed the Slytherin House theme for the holidays. My tree sparkled. The silver ribbon made the tree look like a giant green present. It was fun.

It just wouldn’t be a New Year’s countdown if someone didn’t have something on their head. There wasn’t a lampshade handy so a bow would have to do. Here’s to another year of costumes! Happy New Year!

We’re fully into winter now and the cold air has engulfed much of the northern states. I hope you have your mittens handy. Don’t forget to take full advantage of Christmastime lasting until January 6th. There’s still plenty of time for parties, caroling, and revelry. January is Blood Donor Month, Braille Literacy Month, and features Martin Luther King Jr Day (Jan 15).

January 5: National Bird Day. This day we learn about birds and their plight in captivity. You can make and wear fun bird masks of different species. Or perhaps the day would be better spent making bird feeders and birdhouses for the lost birds in your neighborhood.

January 10: Peculiar People Day. What a great day! Can you curl your tongue? Ride a unicycle? Do you have green hair? Be proud of what makes you unique. Wear your favorite piece of clothing or share your secret talent with friends. It might be fun to have all your friends make badges that state their peculiar trait.

January 14: Dress Up Your Pet Day. This could get a little weird. Given the chillier temperatures, I suggest a sweater or booties for you dog. You can choose silly costumes or practical pieces, just make sure you respect your pet and don’t make him or her uncomfortable. Have fun with the day and your pet.

January 15: National Hat Day. We’ve already celebrated a Crazy Hat Day so this one’s for the more subdued of our brethren. Browse through the accessories then choose a beanie, fedora, beret, or top hat. You can keep it simple by stopping by the department store or get fancy with a Milliner. Let’s bring hats back.

January 18: Winnie the Pooh Day. Today is A. A. Milne’s birthday. Most of us know him as the creator of the Hundred Acre Wood. Celebrate the day by reading a story or playing dress up. Encourage your children to write fantastical stories about their own toys.

January 20: Penguin Awareness Day. Take a trip to the nearest zoo to study the penguins. Watch the animated hit Happy Feet or the exciting March of the Penguins. There’s all kinds of interesting facts about penguins. Did you know some male penguins care for the eggs while the mother goes out for food?

January 28: Fun at Work Day. Organize a pot luck for your coworkers. Hang a pinata in the conference room at lunch. As long as your boss won’t mind, try having a marshmallow battle in the hallway.

January 31: Backwards Day. Clear pretty is one this think I. Try saying words backwards or forming sentences from object to verb to subject. We’ll go crazy. You can wear your clothes backwards. Maybe lace your shoes so the bow is at the toe. There are lots of fun ways to note this backward day.

There’s lots of fun to be had this month. I hope you enjoy yourselves. The Carnival season begins with Twelfth Night (Jan 6) and runs through Mardi Gras (Feb 24 2009). Start planning your parties and costumes. Think about what You would wear to a Carnival Ball.

As you no doubt know, I made an elf costume this week. I wasn’t satisfied with a few pictures of the process and finished look. Oh, no. I wanted more. So I’ve humiliated myself in the following video. I give you “The Dancing Elf.”

Happy Holidays and Seasons Greetings Everyone!

New Year’s? It’s only December 8th, you say. True, but you’ll need the rest of the month to mail invitations and make costumes. Begin planning your New Year’s Costume Party today. New Year’s Eve is the perfect stage for costume parties. Plan for general costume frivolity or think of a theme for your extravaganza. Hit the costume shops and thrift stores to find your fun outfits. Here are a few ideas to get your brainstorming session started.

Favorite Decade: Flappers from the 20s, Bobby Soxers from the 50s, and Disco Dancers from the 70s.

Space Invaders (Fictional or Real): Star Trek, Old-school Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon, Firefly, Aliens, and NASA.

Future Life: Plastic Dress, Aluminum Jacket, Spacesuits, and Purple Jumpsuits.

Great Lovers: Cleopatra and Antony, Romeo and Juliet, Porky and Petunia Pig, Chocolate and Peanut Butter.

Gods and Goddesses: Greek Zeus, Roman Apollo, Nordic Freya, and Egyptian Osiris and Isis.

Pick invitations with a clock or hour glass on them to let your guests know there is a theme for the evening. For a Time Travel party, put an era or decade on each invitation so no two invites are the same. Give the Smiths the Renaissance, the Joneses the Roman Expansion, the Browns the Old West, and the Williams the year 2525. The costumes can be as general as a Roman citizen or as specific as Caesar. One of the first party games can be guessing everyone’s costumes. Throughout the evening play games like identify the quote or charades about time movies.

The menu on New Year’s should be light and varied. Finger foods and hors’dourve are best for mingling. If a plated dinner is more your style, serve no more than three courses. Pick two special cocktails that match your theme, like a Sidecar or Mead. Set aside Champagne or Sparkling Cider for the midnight countdown and toast. Make sure you have at least one noise maker for each guest. If your city ordinances allow it, plan a small firework display to wow your friends and neighbors.

New Year’s isn’t just for the grownups. A children’s party can be a lot of fun. Fill a trunk or box with play clothes. As the children arrive, let them select one costume from the trunk to wear during the party. If cost is a prohibitive, set up a craft table to allow the children to make their own era accessories. They can make cardboard knight’s shields and newspaper hats. Perhaps have supplies to create noise makers: rice maracas and milk jug cymbals. Lead them through the neighborhood in a New Year’s parade. Add some whimsy with sparklers.

Please party smart by limiting alcohol, taking car keys, or calling taxis for your guests. I hope you New Year’s celebration is fun and fantastic.

Costumes pictured from Costume Craze: Robin Hood, Lady in Waiting, Jitterbug Girl, Disco Fever, Gangster.

Around this time of year, many churches and schools begin to plan for nativity plays and pageants. The thought of making costumes sends parents across the land into a tizzy. There are basically three levels of costumes you can choose for your child: manufactured, hand sewn, or closet cobbled.

Nativity costumes are plentiful in costume stores across the web and your neighborhood. You can find a simple costume for your Mary, Joseph, or Wiseman for less than $20. If you are the director or organizer for the pageant, consider purchasing a basic set of costumes for your pageant. Clean them each year and store them properly and the costumes can be worn year after year.

Many parents decide to hit the fabric stores and sew costumes for the children. All the big pattern makers have nativity and Christmas patterns available both online and at your local store. McCall’s pattern is M2340. Simplicity’s pattern is 4797. Pattern sets typically include a Mary, Joseph, Angle, Wiseman, and Shepherd. Perhaps your organization can purchase the pattern set and you can borrow the one you need. Have fun selecting the fabrics and colors for your little stars. There is one exception to this: Mary’s costumes traditionally is blue and white. Hit the racks that are marked as holiday fabrics as they may be on sale. Angel wings are easy to make. You just need some wire or old clothes hangers and nylons. Watch for an upcoming post that outlines the how-to.

The last option is the closet grab. This is the no-sew, low cost version. Thrift stores are a great resource for plays. Any time you can save by finding a thrift store diamond is money well spent. Your closets and trunks are even better than a thrift store. I’m not advocating wearing dad’s bathroom robe — though you can — simply be creative with what you already have laying around the house. An old tie or scarf can be a perfect sash for a Wiseman. Leftover garland and tinsel can give your Angel extra sparkle under the stage lights. Mary can wear Aunt Edna’s blue dressing gown.

For all the costumes you need the basic robe, sandals, and in some cases wigs and beards. Sandals can be as simple as brown flip-flops. After all, they will be barely visible under the long robes.

Pageants send my memory fondly back to a great book everyone should read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. It’s all about the worst pageant ever turning into a night of surprises and smiles. It may be set in a Christmas pageant, but it’s a story for everyone.